Patrick Strudwick

Patrick Strudwick, speaking at The Brief Encounter (Croydon) April 2012

Patrick Strudwick is a gay journalist, contributing editor and political columnist for Gay Times. He has appeared on radio and TV programmes, and he writes about gay issues, health and music for newspapers and magazines, including The Observer, The Times, The Guardian, and The Independent.

In February 2010, his article "The Ex-Gay Files: The Bizarre World of Gay-to-Straight Conversion" was published in The Independent; Strudwick had spent a year under cover investigating therapists – some operating within the NHS – who claimed to "cure" gays and lesbians. The outrage following the publication of the article prompted him to set up the Stop Conversion Therapy Taskforce (SCOTT), which aims to eradicate attempts by therapists, psychiatrists and religious groups to turn gay people straight.

Following Patrick’s investigation the British Medical Association has condemned attempts by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to change a patient’s sexual orientation, and called on the NHS to investigate instances where they may have inadvertently paid for such "treatment".

Patrick Strudwick was ranked number 69 in The Independent on Sunday's Pink List 2011.