Gay Teen Has Further 6 Weeks in LIA (fundamentalist) Reparative Therapy

[truthpusher]

http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/2005june/1902.htm

USA
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Gay Teen Has Further 6 Weeks in LIA Reparative Therapy
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IMPORTANT NOTE: Love In Action or Love In Action International Inc. mentioned on this page is nothing to do with the Love in Action charitable work for the needy by Billy Graham

The gay teen in Tennessee who “came out" to his parents last month and was promptly sent to a “Love In Action International Inc.” refuge for reparative treatment has to stay at the fundamentalist Christian institution for a further six weeks, DetourMemphis is reporting.

The sixteen-years-old known as “Zach” was expected to leave the “refuge” tomorrow (June 20). He is believed to live in suburban Memphis.

Zach used the internet to record his feelings after he “outed” himself on his “blog”. After having his mobile (cell) phone taken away and his access to the internet denied, very little has been heard of the teen. In one of his last “blogs” on June 3, he wrote: “I don’t know how long I’m going to be on, because if they wake up, I’m screwed. The program starts June 6.”

According to someone who claims to be a friend of Zach’s, the teen is staying another six weeks at the LIA refuge because his parents find it “necessary and effective.”

complete story: http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/2005june/1902.htm

[Idioteque]

1. This story is really picking up steam

It all started on MySpace. If you are a member of MySpace, please join the Free Zach group.

Also if you are a member of DailyKos, please recommend this diary.

Zach is a great kid and what his parents are doing to him is insane. He is not alone, however. Many GLBT youth are told by the adults in their lives that they are abnormal or doing something wrong. This is unacceptable and it has to stop!

[marmar]

2. Very scary...

Being who you are is wrong. His parents are really going to mess him up badly.

[MuseRider]

3. That poor kid.

This just stinks and is wrong on so many levels. I wish there was some way to bust him out of there. He could come live with me and my husband since our boys are now gone and he could just be his own wonderful self without worry. Dealing with the daily encounters with the Phelps gang would be nothing compared to what he is now going through.

[Ken Burch]

70. Let's say it and keep saying it...

This is child abuse. This is child abuse. This is child abuse. This is child abuse. This is child abuse. This is child abuse.
This is child abuse. This is child abuse. This is child abuse.


Is there no way to get Children's Services involved in cases like this?


God help Zach. God forgive Zach's parents.

[Neoma]

4. Well...

Hes still alive..

[sasquatch]

5. Will somebody call the ACLU

I thought it was illegal to hold a minor in a place like that if a doctor didn't approve it or something like that.

[iconoclastic cat]

7. Perhaps they got permission from a pharmacist.

[sasquatch]

10. That's not a doctor though

[iconoclastic cat]

11. /joke

[MsUnderstood]

16. hahaha

I got it -- funny!

[Lex]

18. He is still a minor so they can send him to a place like that if they want

and not be in any trouble legally.

Unfortunately.

[donheld]

28. Well maybe Dr Frist gave appoval

it'd be just like him, and it is Tennessee.

[Rob H.]

6. "He is believed to live in suburban Memphis."

He lives in Bartlett, which is indeed a suburb of Memphis. (I work in Bartlett.)

[MountainLaurel]

8. Glad to hear

That he's still posting covertly from inside this mindfuck headquarters.

[siliconefreak]

9. protest and picket!

Man, if I lived closer, I would try to organize public protests against this ridiculous organization.

I can picture large numbers of people with signs that say, "Free Zack!" I think it would make some news.

[Javaman]

12. What are they doing to try and "turn" him?

Showing him porn? That wouldn't work because, he'll see men naked, can't show him lesbian stuff, well because they are lesbians.

So what do they do? turn to the abu garib torture specialists? Or perhaps the lovely people down at gitmo can give them a few pointers.

All I know is, this poor kid is screwed up enough having the parents he does, now he has to live through this bullshit. I bet his mantra is: Once I'm 18 I'm getting the hell out of that house and getting a court order to keep my parents away from me.

Nothing like white x-tian fundie logic to fuck you for the rest of your life.

[Barrett808]

14. I suspect it's similar to other teen gulags, like "Tranquility Bay"

Beatings, starvation, the usual.

It's probably not as fun as the place depicted in But I'm a Cheerleader.

[Democracy White]

47. But I'm a Cheerleader

Excellent movie!! I saw it on IFC a few years ago.

Dee

[Barrett808]

66. Yeah, more fun than this kid's having n/t

[PsN2Wind]

17. They'll do like Bill Maher

told Andrew Sullivan that they would do to him, "make you pray until you like pussy".

[donco6]

23. Ha! I saw that.

And Sullivan comes back with, "well, it'll take a lot more than that to make me like pussy." And the former Canadian PM kinda jumps in and says, "Hey, I'm sitting right here, guys."

Riotous!

[geniph]

24. It's more like aversion therapy

Any kind of same-sex leanings, thoughts, actions, will bring unpleasant repercussions. Some of these lunatics use things like electric shock for "wrong thinking." Classical brainwashing techniques like keeping him awake for days in a room with a light that never goes out, being continuously harangued about how evil he is. Training in how to act like a traditional "man." Stuff like that.

[Ian David]

38. Something like this, from Clockwork Orange

And some of this...







But none of this...

[eridani]

59. There was an old joke about that, actually--

--the patient still liked men, but he got a hard-on every time he paid his electric bill. ;-)

[Rush1184]

13. It must be very "effective", or why would they need to send him back?

<rolls eyes> Seriously, these people are Idiots. All this is going to do is fuck up the poor kid!


Thinking about this more, I hope the reason his treatment is going longer is due to him giving them the finger and sticking to his own beliefs. It would make my day to know he is giving them a hard time!

[Megahurtz]

15. They're going to traumatize this kid.

:(

[truthpusher]

20. They may turn him into a GLBT folkhero!

...his parents may very well be helping him get enough action to last him a lifetime!

These things sometimes are a blessing in disguise...

[Megahurtz]

27. True!

I see what you mean about that one!:)

[CreekDog]

21. I'm sure LIA's staff has many (cough) newly-converted heterosexuals

I'm sure they're working hard to get him to get back in the closet so he can be just like them.

Later, when he's married, they can see him on the 'down-low'

[Rob H.]

19. If he harms himself or winds up going through

years and years of therapy, it'll all be his dumbass parents' fault but they'll probably blame it all on the fact that he's gay.

I have friends who tried unsuccessfully for years to have kids, and my oldest cousin's only child was killed in a car accident 5 years ago, and it infuriates me that people like this young man's parents would do something like this. Some people just don't deserve to have children.

:grr:

[lastliberalintexas]

37. Over the weekend a local family lost all 3 of theirs

to a suspected drunk driver, twin girls aged 9 months and a boy of 20 months. It is a shame that people like Zack's parents still have their son, while so many others who could be or were great parents have lost theirs.

[area51]

52. "Some people just don't deserve to have children."

How true.

[wakeme2008]

22. so far his parents have spent around $7,000

on this.. Poor boy no summer vacation and no vacation because the parents spent their $$$ on his "help"...

[KurtNYC]

26. and apparently they haven't run out of cash

since the facility hit them with a 6-week extension.

The kid will be declared "cured" when his parents run out of money.

[wakeme2008]

31. Right at $4,500 per 6 weeks of "help"

:eyes:

[sasquatch]

29. No college either, they probably spent away his college funds

:eyes:
What a bunch of dumbfucks.

[Ian David]

39. What if we donated all our Upromise points towards his college? n/t

[marbuc]

56. Yikes!

I've seen this type of racist, homophobic rant regularly on Freerepublic, but rarely in the real world! Just scary...

[Ian David]

57. Thanks for the non-sequitor feedback. Welcome to DU. Enjoy your stay.

[marbuc]

65. Thanks for the snide reply.

I have lived in a lot of places, including several red states, and this is uncommon behavior. People certainly harbor feelings of fear and hatred for the unknown, but largely suppress such emotions. I would hate to live in your world in which this type of manifestation of hate is the rule and not the exception.

[Ian David]

69. Since when has Upromise become an anti-semitic racist plot?

Did I miss something when I canceled my subscription to The Protocols a couple years after my Bar Mitzvah?

Join Upromise for free! It's easy for anyone who wants to send a child to college:
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• Friends: They've always been there for you. Now you can be there for their children.
• Anyone: You can save for any child you know. You can save for a child you plan to have someday. Or you can even save for yourself!

<snip>

How does Upromise know that I've purchased a product or service from a contributing company?

For many Upromise participating companies, simply pay with a credit, debit, grocery or drug store card that you've registered with Upromise. We receive data from your registered cards that let us know when you shopped at a participating company. We then credit your Upromise account with college savings. In addition to shopping with your registered cards, there are many other ways to save for college with Upromise - you'll learn more about these opportunities after becoming a Upromise member.

More:
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Your search - "Upromise points" and "anti-semitic" - did not match any documents.
http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&c2coff=1&biw=1008&q=%22Upromise+points%22+and+%22anti-semitic%22&btnG=Search

Your search - "Upromise points" and racism - did not match any documents.
http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&c2coff=1&biw=1008&q=%22Upromise+points%22+and+racism&btnG=Search


Yeah, it sounds racist and anti-semitic to me!

You'd better call Upromise and let them know how you feel.
1-800-UPROMISE

[Patiod]

25. Yeah, then he can go ruin some nice hetero girl's life, too

Aside from the trauma to this poor kid, which is bad enough, someone should ask these idiot parents if they would want their daughters to marry:
a) a heterosexual-from-birth guy or
b) a guy who had been "converted" to heterosexuality

Yeah, I thought so.

I've known more than one woman who married someone who tried really, really, really hard to "go straight" to be a good Catholic. And then - SURPRISE! - it didn't "take" and the guy wanted out.

So not only are they wrecking their kid's life, but they're condemning some girl out there to a marriage where she's always wondering what's wrong with her - why her husband doesn't find her sexually attractive.

Screw them for the havoc they're causing.

[Pharlo]

36. I think there's a pretty good probability Ma and Pa already

have female cousin waiting for Zack's transformation. Gotta keep this type of deviance in the family....Wouldn't want the neighbors to find out about it.

Send him away to be fixed.

Reminds me of the 'archaic' practice of sending 'young ladies in trouble' on vacation for six or seven months - "For her health, she's feeling poorly."

Problem solved.

I think the parents need to go to chuch, get down on their knees, and pray for the ability to think like Christ, speak like Christ, and love like Christ - aka become Christian. Then they'd be able to accept their son as he is, rather than forcing him to conform to their narrow-minded, bigoted views.

[Ian David]

40. And why do they think so many gay people have kids?

Because they were forced into the closet by parents like these. So now they have ex-wives and joint custody of their children.

[rucky]

30. He's a political prisoner. n/t

[Sgent]

34. I''m not real happy with QAC right now

Queers in Action (the group that organized the initial media and protests) seems to abandoned him. They are they one's that have been talking to the media, attorney's, etc. They are doing a press release tonight, so maybe it will change my mind.

If not, I'll start down different avenues. I care about the other kids as well, but to abandon Zack for the "greater cause" is wrong.

[sasquatch]

42. Will Canada take this kid?

:shrug:

[Initech]

32. I cant believe programs like this exist

Really, it sounds more like some Christian fundie brainwashing program than it does as a "reverse GLBT" program.

[MountainLaurel]

33. The two are equivalent

It is a fundie brainwashing program (you don't find Unitarians pulling this shit), one that just happens to focus on gays.

[Initech]

35. Actually you dont find anyone pulling this shit...

Other than insane right-wing Christian fundies.

[MountainLaurel]

53. Precisely my point n/t

[ninkasi]

41. That poor, poor kid...

He's probably been going through all kinds of torment and self doubt, since a certain amount of it is part of being a teenager. To add to the normal teenage problems, now he has this.

Those who mentioned he'd be in for years of therapy are right. I realize that the parents have the law on their side, but in my mind, this is a case of child abuse. He is certainly being tortured mentally, and there is a distinct possibility that he is experiencing some physical abuse as well.

[ismnotwasm]

43. Poor kid

I was just reading yet another article on how science is finding that sexual preference has a large genetic component-- around 40%. Homosexual pairs are found throughout nature, both male and female. It has always been with us, and is never, ever going to go away. So these idiots take these poor kids and try to change them. For some, they might as well try to make them stop breathing. It will have the same effect.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

44. I've seen some beautiful examples of gay men and lesbians who

were very devoted to their elderly parents and even the parents of their partners.

Too bad this kid's parents will have alienated him so thoroughly that they'll never enjoy this kind of devotion.

On second thought, it serves them right.

[sasquatch]

46. This kid will be as warm to them as a Nor'eastern winter storm

And I don't blame him.

[noamnety]

45. That poor kid

I swear it sounds like the parents are determined to keep him in until he commits suicide, if they can't make him straight.

I hope he grows into a great activist - he's got everyone's attention, so he'll be in a great position to do a stunning documentary.

[anitar1]

48. No doubt the parents are worried about gossip

among their church friends. Most of the fundie type churches feed off gossip about the other members. I grew up attending a fundie church. Weird , sick people. And ignorant, for the most part.

[MountainLaurel]

67. Amen

So to speak. My experience in fundie-dom was the same. Once as a child I asked why she never attended church. Her response: "Why should I go over there and sit with those hyprocrites who care more about what a person is wearing than about the word of God when I can pray here in my kitchen?"

[billyoc]

49. Hey, this is *WAR*,

so just hold him in perpetuity. :crazy:

[gate of the sun]

50. cruel and unusual punishment

they should be reported to social services.

[sakabatou]

51. Brainwashing camp

What if the camp "doesn't work"? WHat will the parents do then?

[donco6]

54. I used to be in one of these groups.

Called Standing By, based out of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Participated for about five years, when one morning, we kinda looked at each other and asked, "So are you straight yet?" "Nope." "Me neither."

That was the end of that.

[CoffeeCat]

55. Maybe the young man decided that he wanted to stay another six weeks...

After all, this program is stocked with homosexuals that the rabid Fundies are attempting to "convert".

Maybe he met a cute guy!

"No mom...the Victoria's Secret catalog does nothing for me. Maybe I should stay another six weeks or so..."

Seriously--I hope this kid is ok. If he came out, that's a good sign. He's honest, strong and he was true to himself--knowing that he has wacko fundie parents who wouldn't support him. This guy's got courage and strength--and I hope he is hanging in there.

[hedgetrimmer]

58. I'm wondering what this Reparative Therapy is? Straight sex orgies,

gross porn up close clitores' or WHAT? WTF is it? Or is it a little Christian man-love? Or a little clock-work orange zapper for erections on man pictures. May God have mercy on your soul.

[Occulus]

60. They have stated that they do not use porn.

Anymore.

[wickerwoman]

61. If he's 16, can't he be legally emancipated?

I don't know how it works in Tennessee but in WA if you get a job and your own apartment at 16 there's nothing your parents can do about it.

[Voltaire99]

62. America's gulag mentality.

Teeming domestic prisons. Torture-filled foreign prisons. And now kidnapping in the name of sex-deprogramming.

Jesus H. Christ is this nation sick. We are toxically Puritan.

Once more we find, firmly lodged in the center of our worst moments, fundamentalist religious belief. Would there were some Heimlich maneuver we could throw round the culture, and squeeze...

[TrogL]

63. This is kidnapping plain and simple

[IndianaGreen]

64. Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals

Gays have been subjected to castration, shock therapy, and even lobotomies in order to "cure" them from their "disease." Many Christian fundamentalists consider homosexuality to be caused by demonic influences in a person's life.

The greatest tragedy in our country today is that homosexuals are the only group of people that can be discriminated against with impunity. Congress and the Supreme Court have decided that sexual orientation is not a protected class under our civil rights laws.

NAZI PERSECUTION OF HOMOSEXUALS

After taking power in 1933, the Nazis persecuted homosexuals as part of their so-called moral crusade to racially and culturally purify Germany. This persecution ranged from dissolution of homosexual organizations to internment of thousands of individuals in concentration camps. Gay men, in particular, were subject to harassment, arrest, incarceration, and even castration. In Nazi eyes, gay men were weak and unfit to be soldiers, as well as unlikely to have children and thereby contribute to the racial struggle for Aryan dominance. Follow the links on this special focus page to learn more about the Nazi campaign against homosexuals in Germany.

(there are several links on this page)

http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/homosexuals_02/homosexuals.php

Reparative Therapy: Idealized Heterosexuality

Reparative therapy has deep roots in the history of psychology. Prior to the American Psychological Association's 1973 decision to remove homosexuality from its roster of mental disorders, homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness and therapy for homosexuals included not only psychotherapy but also aversion therapy and shock therapy, both of which were practiced with regularity.17

Over the past four decades, several psychologists and psychiatrists have contributed to the notion that homosexuality is caused by childhood circumstances and can be unlearned. In 1962, Irving Bieber's book, Homosexuality: A Psychoanalytical Study of Male Homosexuals-a work that was instantly hailed within the psychiatric profession and is still cited today by ex-gay leaders-begins with the assumption that homosexuality is pathological. Bieber, like his colleagues Joseph Nicolosi, Charles Socarides (whose son is gay) and Jeffrey Satinover, insists that homosexuality in men is a result of a particular family configuration-dominant mothers and distant fathers.

The lead organization advocating secular reparative therapy is the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). NARTH was founded in 1992 by Charles Socarides, Benjamin Kaufman, and Joseph Nicolosi in preparation for the 20th anniversary of the 1973 decision by the American Psychological Association to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic Manual, the official APA manual that lists all mental and emotional disorders.18 NARTH's statement of policy idealizes heterosexuality as the norm and the organization clearly values social conformity above the needs of the individual:

"Homosexuality distorts the natural bond of friendship that would naturally unite persons of the same sex. It works against society's essential male/female design and family unit. Yet today children from kindergarten through college are being taught in school that homosexuality is nothing but a normal, healthy option. It is our policy as psychoanalytically-informed individuals to dispel the misinformation that surrounds the subject of homosexuality. Our task is to discuss issues misrepresented by social-activist groups who have portrayed sexual deviancy as a normal way of life. We seek to further the research and treatment of this disorder, while protecting the patient's right to treatment."19

http://www.publiceye.org/equality/x-gay/X-Gay-04.html

[enigmatic]

68. This story makes me want to vomit...

This poor kid; he's going to be screwed up for the rest of his life thanks to his loving "parents". Somebody needs to break him out of that place..