#53 - Conversion Therapy's Legacy with Simon Kent Fung (”Dear Alana”)

Content warning: This episode includes discussions of suicidality.

Simon Kent Fung is the creator and host of Dear Alana, a limited series podcast telling the story of Alana Chen, a devoutly Catholic young woman who wrestled with same-sex attraction alongside her faith before taking her own life in 2019. Simon found that Alana's journey with the Catholic faith and conversion therapies paralleled his own story in notable ways. On this episode, we talked with Simon about his experience of conversion therapy or “reparative therapy” for LGBTQ Christian people, the expectations and harms that accompany it, and what a healthy spiritual journey and community could be.

Learn more about the podcast Dear Alana at http://dearalana.com.

Learn more about Simon at http://simonkentfung.com.

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★ Timestamps

(00:00) #53 - Conversion Therapy's Legacy, with Simon Kent Fung from "Dear Alana”

(02:20) The story of Dear Alana

(13:28) Unpacking conversion/reparative therapy

(28:24) Therapy: what we expect, what good things we need?

(43:52) Leaving conversion therapy, identifying harms

(55:23) Thinking now about "sexual orientation" as a concept

(01:01:56) Finding a healthier spirituality through community

(01:11:00) What, to you, is a good sexual ethic these days?

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★ Send us feedback, questions, comments, and support!

Email: communionandshalom@gmail.com | Instagram: @newkinship | Substack: @newkinship | Patreon: @newkinship

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★ Credits

Creators and Hosts: David Frank, TJ Espinoza | Audio Engineer: Carl Swenson, carlswensonmusic.com | Podcast Manager: Elena F. | Graphic Designer: Gavin Popken, gavinpopkenart.com ★

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