Arts & Entertainment
Watch: ‘Boy Erased’ trailer shows toxic practice of gay conversion therapy
The film stars Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman
Lucas Hedges as Jared in ‘Boy Erased’ (Screenshot via YouTube)
“Boy Erased,” a drama based on the novel of the same name, has released its first trailer.
Lucas Hedges stars as Jared, the 19-year old son of a Baptist pastor. After Jared comes out to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe), they force him to choose between being ex-communicated from his small town or to go to a “refuge” program.
“Jared, I want you to do well,” Jared’s father says in the clip. “I want you to have a great life. I love you. But we cannot see a way that you can live under this roof if you’re going to fundamentally go against the grain of our beliefs.”
The trailer shows parts of Jared’s experience in the program which includes physical abuse and being told people “cannot be born a homosexual, this is a lie” and “God will not love you the way that you are.”
However, Kidman’s character seems to pick up on how dangerous the program actually is.
“They say sometimes you’ve got to hurt a child in order to help them,” Kidman, who seems to show up unexpectedly at the camp, says. “But a mother knows when something isn’t right.”
Singer Troye Sivan also appears in the film. The trailer features a new song by Sivan and Jónsi called “Revelation.”
“Boy Erased” hits theaters in November.
Watch the trailer below.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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