Photo: Gay conversion therapy described as being akin to torture. (Unsplash: Ben Smith) Openly gay and Christian psychologist and author Stuart Edser said gay conversion therapy nearly killed him and some of his patients and the sooner it was outlawed the better. The therapy can involve forcing people to undergo electric shocks and drink substances to induce vomiting when shown homoerotic images. There are also role-playing exercises where men are forced to do stereotypically ‘blokey’ things like chatting about football and tinkering with cars, while women are told to wear feminine clothes and apply a full face of makeup. Mr Edser said he underwent a Pentecostal style of therapy that involved church elders praying and laying their hands on him, as well as performing what he likened to an exorcism to rid him of the demon possessing his body. "People who I felt were great authorities in this area, […]