Ep 48. A gay man's experience of the 1960s NHS

For episode 48 of the National Health Executive podcast, we spoke to award-winning and internationally acclaimed broadcaster and journalist, Pete Price, about his life and experience with aversion therapy on the NHS. This episode contains explicit language and strong views

In the podcast, we explored how aversion therapy ties in with conversion therapy and what the Bill that has been making its way through parliament since last year means for the LGBTQ+ community and society as a whole.

Notably, the Bill was included in the King’s Speech this month, as it seems Sir Keir Starmer intends to press ahead with banning conversion practices.

“First of all, conversion therapy: I knew nothing about,” said Pete. “It’s reared its ugly head a few times, I’ve been on television and talked about it. Conversion therapy is where they brainwash you; aversion therapy is what they did to me, so that’s what we’re going to be talking about.”

In the podcast, Pete discusses his childhood, family and the period of time he spent in a ‘hospital’ undergoing aversion therapy.

He explained: “Growing up was very difficult for me because at the age of 12 I discovered I was a homosexual and didn’t understand it, didn’t know what it was about — all I knew was my pals were all going out with girls and I wasn’t.

“I wasn’t attracted to girls but I went out with girls, so I fought my sexuality; growing up I fought my sexuality because, in those days, I was a criminal — it was against the law to be a homosexual!”

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