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'Curing Queers': Mental Nurses and Their Patients, 1935-74
Drawing on a rich array of source materials including previously unseen, fascinating (and often quite moving) oral histories, archival and news media sources, 'Curing queers' examines the plight of men who were institutionalised in British mental hospitals to receive 'treatment' for homosexuality and transvestism, and the perceptions and actions of the men and women who nursed them.
The book begins in 1935 with the first official report on the use of aversion therapy to combat homosexual desire and continues until 1974, when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its diagnostic manual as a category of psychiatric disorder. It thereby covers a critical period in British queer history during which the reigning public and professional discourse surrounding homosexuality shifted from crime to sickness to tolerance. The majority of nurses followed orders in administering treatment in spite of the zero success-rate in 'straightening out' queer men, but a small number surreptitiously defied their superiors by engaging in fascinating subversive behaviours. This book provides an in-depth examination of both groups, and offers some intriguing insights into the hidden gay lives of some of the nurses themselves, and the inevitable tension between their own identities and desires and the treatments they administered to others.
'Curing queers' makes a significant and substantial contribution to the history of nursing and the history of sexuality, bringing together two sub-disciplines that combine only infrequently. Therefore, it will be of interest to scholars and students in nursing, history, gender studies, health care ethics and law, as well as the general reader.
The book begins in 1935 with the first official report on the use of aversion therapy to combat homosexual desire and continues until 1974, when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its diagnostic manual as a category of psychiatric disorder. It thereby covers a critical period in British queer history during which the reigning public and professional discourse surrounding homosexuality shifted from crime to sickness to tolerance. The majority of nurses followed orders in administering treatment in spite of the zero success-rate in 'straightening out' queer men, but a small number surreptitiously defied their superiors by engaging in fascinating subversive behaviours. This book provides an in-depth examination of both groups, and offers some intriguing insights into the hidden gay lives of some of the nurses themselves, and the inevitable tension between their own identities and desires and the treatments they administered to others.
'Curing queers' makes a significant and substantial contribution to the history of nursing and the history of sexuality, bringing together two sub-disciplines that combine only infrequently. Therefore, it will be of interest to scholars and students in nursing, history, gender studies, health care ethics and law, as well as the general reader.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Tommy Dickinson
2 books1 followerDr Tommy Dickinson is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Mental Health at King's College London (KCL). He graduated as a Registered Nurse from Bournemouth University in 2001 and worked in clinical practice across the UK and Australia, in a range of settings, where he took up various nursing and leadership roles. In 2006, he moved into academia and initially held lectureships at the University of Central Lancashire, the University of Chester and The University of Manchester before commencing at KCL in 2016. He has undertaken numerous consultancies. Tommy was a Historical Advisor and Script Consultant to documentary drama "Britain's Greatest Code Breaker" (2011) and the documentary "Undercover Doctor: Cure Me, I'm Gay" (2014) with Dr Christian Jessen. Both consultancies were for Channel 4. He has advised on the redevelopment of the Medical Galleries at the Science Museum, London (2013) and The Manchester Museum's "Alan Turing and Life's Enigma: Exhibition" (2012). He has also written for "Gay Times" magazine and has published in various academic journals.
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August 3, 2018This is an important book, and I'm very grateful to be able to read it. Thank you Tommy. But there is one really really big problem I have with this book.
The justification for the terminology used to describe the transgender people (transvestite) simply does not uphold. Despite stating the people interviewed who received treatment for their transvestitism both aligning with current transgender (or transexual) narratives, and neither ever identifying with the term transvestite, the writer still insists the term transvestite be used “as appropriate in context” for historical reasons, like he is using homosexual. This may have been fine, if the writer did not call the transgender women interviewees in this book, men, one sentence after describing them as transgender. Maybe not so appropriate in context. This matters because the last recipient of reparative therapy done within mainstream medical contexts have been transgender people, and it’s language like this that relegated us to this treatment. This book (tragically) reiterates the conditions it seeks to dismantle. I wanted to write this out because I think it can still be set right. Tommy, when you have another edition coming out, please rethink how to consider your transgender interviewees. You'd be doing yourself a favour.
The justification for the terminology used to describe the transgender people (transvestite) simply does not uphold. Despite stating the people interviewed who received treatment for their transvestitism both aligning with current transgender (or transexual) narratives, and neither ever identifying with the term transvestite, the writer still insists the term transvestite be used “as appropriate in context” for historical reasons, like he is using homosexual. This may have been fine, if the writer did not call the transgender women interviewees in this book, men, one sentence after describing them as transgender. Maybe not so appropriate in context. This matters because the last recipient of reparative therapy done within mainstream medical contexts have been transgender people, and it’s language like this that relegated us to this treatment. This book (tragically) reiterates the conditions it seeks to dismantle. I wanted to write this out because I think it can still be set right. Tommy, when you have another edition coming out, please rethink how to consider your transgender interviewees. You'd be doing yourself a favour.
August 8, 2019
Equally emotional and informative, Dickinson has crafted a fantastic critical history of the treatment of homosexuality in the west. Particularly interesting was the chapter dealing with gay liberation in the 50s, 60s and 70s and their successful challenge against the psychiatric medical model of homosexuality as an illness. Though it’s academic style may serve as a barrier for some readers, this is an important book for those interested in the intersection of medicine, politics and personal liberty
July 8, 2015
This book is an account of what happened in the mental health care in the UK during almost four decades. It is based on interviews with both nurses involved in and former patients experiencing different treatments to "cure" them from being gay or transvestites.
The book provides a good framework for the shifts and developments in mental health and how the views on homosexuality and transvestism have changed in the UK (and to some extent the U.S. with the removal of homosexuality in the DSM); additionally, it describes the ethical conflicts the nurses faced, it recounts the - often sickening - details of the treatments the individuals faced. The book has been able to describe many of the details in a way that goes right to the gut. It compares and contrasts the stories nurses and patients recount, and a very strong piece is when the author unbeknownst to the participants actually have a nurse and a gay man describing their meeting decades ago. It particularly raised my thinking regarding ethical and moral actions and inactions by nurses; what we do, treatments we have participated in administering, and the ways one can resist.
The book had benefited from one more round with the editor to polish off some of the texts in transferring what I believe is his PhD thesis to a book. The writer's voice shifts between a scientific detached writing and a very personal, strong gay voice. It had in mind benefited from a clearer either-or, or that there were portions that were labeled as interpretation etc. The texts written with a very clear gay voice have a wonderful, clear flow and are often the stronger pieces.
It is a book that I am "happy" to have read, and that I recommend others to read, about an often ignored and neglected part of nursing/mental health history.
The book provides a good framework for the shifts and developments in mental health and how the views on homosexuality and transvestism have changed in the UK (and to some extent the U.S. with the removal of homosexuality in the DSM); additionally, it describes the ethical conflicts the nurses faced, it recounts the - often sickening - details of the treatments the individuals faced. The book has been able to describe many of the details in a way that goes right to the gut. It compares and contrasts the stories nurses and patients recount, and a very strong piece is when the author unbeknownst to the participants actually have a nurse and a gay man describing their meeting decades ago. It particularly raised my thinking regarding ethical and moral actions and inactions by nurses; what we do, treatments we have participated in administering, and the ways one can resist.
The book had benefited from one more round with the editor to polish off some of the texts in transferring what I believe is his PhD thesis to a book. The writer's voice shifts between a scientific detached writing and a very personal, strong gay voice. It had in mind benefited from a clearer either-or, or that there were portions that were labeled as interpretation etc. The texts written with a very clear gay voice have a wonderful, clear flow and are often the stronger pieces.
It is a book that I am "happy" to have read, and that I recommend others to read, about an often ignored and neglected part of nursing/mental health history.
June 11, 2015
Interesting, but could do with a good edit to remove the irritating academic writing - "It is to be presumed that...". It doesn't have to read like a thesis to be scholarly.
October 20, 2019
So emotional.
October 16, 2025
This is a very important study into the history of nursing, mental health history and LGBT+ history. It is written up in an academic way, meaning that the prose is bland and there is regular repetition. The interviews by the author of former nurses and patients were ground breaking. I would have liked to have been able to read more from those.
Dickinson spells out some of the lessons for the future contained in this examination of the past, most notably seeing how well-meaning nurses can end up administering cruel treatments. This reminded me of the insight in The Mare by Angharad Hampshire into how an ordinary person became a concentration camp guard. My take away from both is that we need to teach and encourage critical thinking, nurture individuals’ self-worth and encourage discussion between all levels of hierarchies.
In the notes it is revealed that several of the interviewees had died by the time of publication ten years ago (2015), highlighting the extent to which this research was undertaken “just in time” while those involved were still alive. This makes this book even more important, like Max Arthur’s oral histories, particularly of those who fought in the First World War.
Aversion therapy for homosexuality, “transvestism” (transgender) and other perceived “mental illnesses” was cruel, had lasting damage, was ineffective, and was trying to change natural things which should have been accepted instead. We need to use this knowledge to prevent labelling differences as illnesses, being more considerate of patients, not experimenting on them, and creating workplace structures within which staff can examine and express their own consciences.
Dickinson spells out some of the lessons for the future contained in this examination of the past, most notably seeing how well-meaning nurses can end up administering cruel treatments. This reminded me of the insight in The Mare by Angharad Hampshire into how an ordinary person became a concentration camp guard. My take away from both is that we need to teach and encourage critical thinking, nurture individuals’ self-worth and encourage discussion between all levels of hierarchies.
In the notes it is revealed that several of the interviewees had died by the time of publication ten years ago (2015), highlighting the extent to which this research was undertaken “just in time” while those involved were still alive. This makes this book even more important, like Max Arthur’s oral histories, particularly of those who fought in the First World War.
Aversion therapy for homosexuality, “transvestism” (transgender) and other perceived “mental illnesses” was cruel, had lasting damage, was ineffective, and was trying to change natural things which should have been accepted instead. We need to use this knowledge to prevent labelling differences as illnesses, being more considerate of patients, not experimenting on them, and creating workplace structures within which staff can examine and express their own consciences.
January 20, 2019
It's good, but I expected more, especially in how Dickinson framed the analysis. It started with "don't forget that nurses aren't perfect and have been involved in bad things" and then ends with "Despite what I've written and ignoring the small sample of folks who talked because they recall not liking what happened, I conclude that all nurses are good because they didn't set out to cull Britain of the homosexual." You know, like the Nazi nurses did. Dickinson's comparison of British mental nurses to Nazi nurses is really strange. The nurses Dickinson interviewed did what they were told just like Nazi nurses did what they were told. The author even gives an account of a Nazi nurse who did bunches of good. The similarity right there. The nurses did what they were told. None spoke out. Some were subversive. It sounds like some of the British mental nurses enjoyed their attempts at ridding the homosexual of homosexuality; but those nurses were not interviewed. No Nazi nurses were interviewed.
The comparison as well of "gay (white) men in Britain finding liberation" to Stonewall in NYC continues that erasure of people of color from history. Stonewall was led by trans women of color. Gay (generally white) men claim the victory. It is a "victory", but let's not forget who started it and led.
I can only expect that those interviewed in Dickinson's book are white because the author does not mention race nor ethnicity. It's unclear if Dickinson even asked about race/ethnicity of other folks during the interviews.
The comparison as well of "gay (white) men in Britain finding liberation" to Stonewall in NYC continues that erasure of people of color from history. Stonewall was led by trans women of color. Gay (generally white) men claim the victory. It is a "victory", but let's not forget who started it and led.
I can only expect that those interviewed in Dickinson's book are white because the author does not mention race nor ethnicity. It's unclear if Dickinson even asked about race/ethnicity of other folks during the interviews.
December 15, 2022
This was a very interesting - and very chilling - read. I think if I hadn’t put it on pause to read another book in between it might have gotten a higher rating from me but in the end the very academic style had me a little frustrated.
There’s a lot of important history here, and reading some of the personal accounts had tears in my eyes - especially the subversive nurses section.
There was a lot of emphasis on nursing rather than LGBT history here (which is expected when one takes into account the line of books, but I picked this up at a gay bookshop so wasn’t fully sure what I was getting) which I was less interested in.
The style is a bit tough to chew through but this is still an interesting read; horrific to think that aversion therapy happened to real people for so many years.
There’s a lot of important history here, and reading some of the personal accounts had tears in my eyes - especially the subversive nurses section.
There was a lot of emphasis on nursing rather than LGBT history here (which is expected when one takes into account the line of books, but I picked this up at a gay bookshop so wasn’t fully sure what I was getting) which I was less interested in.
The style is a bit tough to chew through but this is still an interesting read; horrific to think that aversion therapy happened to real people for so many years.
February 24, 2024
"These nurses were just following orders! They were confused! But at least they didn't murder anyone like the nurses in nazi Germany!" Is the most BIZARRE take......(also used weird language surrounding trans women)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews