Angel & Esteve – God’s will
I discovered the subject of Christian homosexual people a little bit by chance. During the search for participants for my documentary project, I met Paulina: a lesbian, married and Catholic woman. I was very intrigued by this profile and decided to develop the theme. I started by participating in the meetings of the Christian Association of Gays and Lesbians of Catalonia (ACGIL) in Barcelona. It was there that I first heard Angel's testimony, which impressed me deeply. Later, Angel and his husband, Esteve, agreed for me to live with them for a few days to be able to portray their daily live.
Ángel and Esteve have been together for more than 35 years. They met at a priest's house and, for many years, maintained good relations with the Church, helping in the activities of parishes and convents. This situation changed radically when they got married.
In his youth Angel voluntarily initiated aversive therapies. This type of therapies were one of the methods used to "reorient sexually" homosexuals and bisexuals and “convert” them into heterosexuals. It was not until 1994 that the American Psychological Association declared these therapies as dangerous, even at the risk of patient suicide. In Spain, these types of therapies, which in many cases included electric shocks, were applied mainly to homosexual prisoners during the Franco regime.