DESIRE WORK, ex-gay and Pentecostal masculinity in South Africa

198pp., paperback, Durham, 2018

Melissa Hackman records the experiences of predominantly white Pentecostal men in post-apartheid Cape Town who turned to "ex-gay" ministries in the hope of “curing” their homosexuality in order to conform to "Christian" values and African social norms.

“One of Desire Work's great contributions is Melissa Hackman's ability to put a human face on the men who try but fail to convert to heterosexuality. I very much enjoy her personal touch in relating stories about her experiences and her subjects, and she has done an extraordinary job of eliciting extremely personal insights from her subjects, in some cases letting them hang themselves with their own words, and in others, allowing us to share their pain, confusion, and cruel optimism. I love this book.” Marc Epprecht, author of Sexuality and Social Justice in Africa: Rethinking Homophobia and Forging Resistance

Melissa Hackman is an independent scholar who has taught at Brown University and Emory University.