Tenn. investigates ex-gay camp

[Charlie Brown]

http://www.sovo.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=1264

The state of Tennessee has begun an investigation in response to allegations of child abuse at Love in Action, a Memphis facility that advertises homosexual conversion therapy for adolescents, according to the state department of health.

K. Daniele Edwards, a spokesperson for Child Services at the Tennessee Department of Health, confirmed an investigation is underway but declined to comment on the details. She noted that she presumes the Love in Action program would require licensing by the state.

Love in Action is not licensed by the Tennessee Departments of Health, Mental Health, Human Services, Child Services or Education, according to Rachel Lassiter of Gov. Phil Bredesen's communications office.

[iamjoy]

1. We've Posted About This One Before

haven't we? I seem to recall several weeks ago there was a post about a sixteen year old from another site/chat group and he had come out to his parents who shipped him off to one of these type camps, and I think it was Love In Action.

And they have all these crazy, oppressive rules, but the worst is they make inmates (whom they call clients) keep a journal (of their sexual thoughts) and the counselors read the journal.

[benburch]

3. "and the counselors read the journal."

And likely jerk off to it.

[Chipper Chat]

2. "Hate In Action" would be a more appropriate title

for this organization.
Oh, nevermind -I forgot that the opposite is always true in bushworld.

[noamnety]

4. Wouldn't they have to be licensed by someone?

at a minimum, some kind of day care?

That would be such a gloriously simple way to shut them down.

[atreides1]

11. Depends on State Laws

It would depend on State Law, whether or not a facility like this was required to be licensed.

Anyone from TN want to chime in here?

[Ian David]

5. Here's some more...

Gay Teen Has Further 6 Weeks in LIA (fundamentalist) Reparative Therapy
Topic started by truthpusher on Jun-20-05 03:49 PM (70 replies)
Last modified by Ken Burch on Jun-21-05 05:09 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1565477

Zach's Blog Storm
Topic started by Egalia on Jun-17-05 04:41 PM (1 replies)
Last modified by FreedomAngel82 on Jun-17-05 07:14 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=179&topic_id=1581



Memphis Gay Kid Imprisoned in Gay Brainwashing Camp
Topic started by Egalia on Jun-11-05 10:54 PM (8 replies)
Last modified by Egalia on Jun-17-05 04:17 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=179&topic_id=1368

[Ian David]

6. As long as they feed him orange chicken, they can't be touched

<snip>

"Emotional abuse is difficult to prove in the state of Tennessee," said Pamela Dickey, director of the advocacy center for Childhelp USA in Knoxville. "You have to document that the child is undergoing depression or suicidal ideation, that he can't sleep, or can't eat."

<snip>

"When I saw Zach had written in his blog, 'all I can think of is killing my mother and killing myself' I felt that clearly something needed to be said about the program," Friedman said.

<snip>

More:
http://www.sovo.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=1264

Well, thanks to Zach, there will no longer be internet access in gay re-education camps, I guess...

[David Zephyr]

7. This is fundamentalist terrorism...homegrown and government sanctioned.

There is not one spit's worth of distinction between the terror that these religious fanatics are inflicting on these homeless and dispossesed gay teens.

Evil christian motherfuckers!

[donco6]

8. "But I'm a Cheerleader!"

Remember that movie? The kids break out of a similar compound. It's eerily accurate, in my experience.

[HockeyMom]

9. Advocating Suicide

over gay "lifestyle" I would say is grounds for child abuse charges.

[Enraged_Ape]

10. Isn't this sort of like an "ex-black" camp or an "ex-left-hander"...

camp?

I just don't get it. I simply can't understand why these crazy people don't know that you are BORN with your "orientation", whatever it is--gay, straight, bi, whatever. Is it because they may have been gay "at one time" and they feel terrible about it, so they feel they have to overcompensate by harrassing others?

I don't remember a day in my life where I didn't have an attraction to members of the opposite sex. That includes when I was a TODDLER. Every straight and gay person I have talked to says the same thing: their orientation has remained the same their whole lives. Doesn't that indicate something?

[TheWraith]

12. Orwellian doublespeak from the news conference.

"It is our spiritual conviction that sexual behavior outside of heterosexual marriage is considered wrong in the sight of God," said John Smid, the program's director, who describes himself as "ex-gay," according to a partial transcript of the news conference.

"This program is operated on the will of the guardian or parent. We will work with the minor children as long as they are not overtly distracting to their own program or the program of others," Smid added. "If it is shown that the client is overtly treatment resistant, we will work with the parent towards alternative options for their care and overall relational health."

Alternative options? Treatment resistant? What a masterpiece of bullshit. In english, what they're saying is that they'll tolerate the victim as long as they go along with it, but if the victim refuses to act straight they pull out extreme measures. God only knows what those are--electroshock? Solitary confinement? Beatings? All of these have been known to happen at these camps. It's brainwashing, pure and simple, as bad as in any cult or Chinese prison.

It's really sad that thes people are in such a state of denial and self-hatred that they can't come to grips with the person that God made them.

I propose we get a posse together, go down to Memphis, and raid this place. I volunteer.