'SNL' Season Finale: Ben Affleck Mocks "Pray Away the Gay" Camps

Culture

If there is anything deserving of mockery it is the "Pray Away the Gay" sect. Thankfully, Saturday Night Live feels the same way. Ben Affleck hosted the season finale and though none of the skits had me on the floor laughing, there were some bright spots. That includes this skit as Ben Affleck as a camp counselor for a Pray Away the Gay summer camp. 

Andrew Kirrell wrote of the sketch:

"Saturday Night Live took on the concept of “praying the gay away” with a summer camp named “New Beginnings,” in which the counselor attempted to turn his gay campers straight before he realized the effort was useless after all the planned activities would likely make the kids “gayer” than they were before.

Camp counselor Marvin attempted to de-gay his campers by explaining that they weren’t born as homosexuals, and despite the fact that he once “loved” being gay — “it felt natural and right” — he came to this camp and became straight himself. Proof of his heterosexuality? He has a clearly repressed wife."

Thanks to NBC's iron clad grip on all videos, the only place you can catch it is over at Mediaite.

I'm so glad SNL went there. Nothing deserves more mockery than a camp or organization dedicated to the ridiculous notion that you could "pray away the gay."