US: Youth's blog stirs uproar over 'ex-gay' camp

fortysixand2

I can't believe this article hasn't made it to the LGBT board yet, or did I miss it somewhere?

Sixteen-year-old "Zach" is apparently enduring a rite of passage still too common for gay youth: His parents say he must change. When they enrolled him last month in a Christian camp-like program to turn him straight, he documented his fears in his online diary, or blog.

The PlanetOut Network could not confirm Zach's identity or his story, but the blog has sparked a firestorm of protest against the program, known as Refuge, and renewed scrutiny of similar "ministries".

STORY

Also, this email arrived in my inbox from QueerPlanet, a website I was affiliated with a while back, I'm still on the mailing lists:

Dear Mark,



There was a press conference yeserday by Love in Action, the church group holding Zach, here is thier statement:

Love In Action International's Official Statement, as delivered by Rev. John J. Smid:

Our mission is to be a Christ-centered ministry for the prevention or treatment of unhealthy and destructive behaviors which includes same-sex attractions, facing families, adults, and adolescents.

Our heart’s cry is to see families reconciled, to help people trapped in addictive and out of control behaviors find freedom in Christ, and to help struggling youth to find a place of refuge.

The United States of America was founded on the freedom of religion. It is our spiritual conviction that sexual behavior outside of heterosexual marriage is considered wrong in the sight of God.

As a licensed minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ I am accountable to remain faithful to biblical truth and responsible to serve our community as a messenger of Christ and an encourager of His people. I also am someone who has lived a life of immoral sexual behavior involved in inappropriate homosexual relationships. Twenty years ago I followed the conviction of Jesus Christ into sexual obedience.

Based upon these biblical truths, we are available to those who hold to those same convictions.

We are a ministry whose mission is to assist others in living a life of self control. We emphasize this specifically in areas that that cross over their spiritual convictions.

We feel deeply convicted in the scriptural principal of the responsibility of Christian parents to raise their minor children in spiritual training in life and behavior as described in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4.

We facilitate a ministry called “Refuge”. It is our intent with this program to assist the parents of minor children in bringing forth information and awareness in helping these young people in making informed decisions about how they will chose to act upon their sexuality upon reaching adulthood.

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.

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.

Therefore, we are standing firm on our belief that a Christian parent has the responsibility to intervene on behalf of their children when deemed necessary.

So, it is not only the right of the parent to intervene, we believe it is their moral, Christian, responsibility.

We are treading upon a dangerous line when we consider taking away the rights of parents to raise their children in their own moral convictions.

It is my personal concern that years from now, our young people will look back with deep grief and consequences of their immoral choices and say, “You knew this was wrong, why didn’t you warn me that this would hurt me”.

I would ask us all to look deep in our hearts concerning our own sexuality and be honest. How many times have we been wounded by sexuality without discretion?



queerplanet has just begun to fight this, we have already used our huge network to have a lawyer deliver a letter to this group demnding Zach's release and we have also obtained his surname and address and have passed these details onto Child Protective Services. We at queerplanet are sick and tired of this Dark Ages mentality and treatment of our community, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! All the queerplanet sites are carrying articles about Zach and updates or leave you comment on this here

The queerplanet Team

www.queerplanet.com.au
www.queerplanet.us
www.queerplanet.ca
www.queerplanet.co.uk

I found a link to a petition to try and get this poor kid out of this camp:
http://www.petitiononline.com/savezach/

Please please sign it!

shay_562

Some people just shouldn't be allowed to procreate. How the **** could any parent do that to a scared kid - send them off to a camp where they'll be mentally abused for weeks on end just because they're gay? And isn't there the US equivalent of social services who could take the kid into care to stop him from being further abused? I mean, if there were a group that was trying to brainwash people into thinking they were gay there'd be outrage - clearly it doesn't work both ways.

Binomate

As a straight male my observation on this issue is that his caputures are nothing more than nazi's in clergemen outfits.

Blush_01

That makes me feel physically sick.

rainbow kirby

It's disgusting on so many levels that places like that exist.

kensutz

Binomate wrote:

As a straight male my observation on this issue is that his caputures are nothing more than nazi's in clergemen outfits.

I agree it's even sick from my point of view. Bit harsh and OTT but in America you can't be surprised with the crap that goes on over there. If he's gay fair enough I got nothing against them but thats bad!

Binomate

I'd love to just even pretend to be gay infront of the people who run that place. It's the denial of basic human rights.

r3boot

It's very sad (and scary) that people see these camps as a solution when everybody knows it never works.

arrietty

That is... really, really screwed up ****. I've heard about it before, but it doesn't get any better! And yet... I really don't think there's anything I can do.
Zach and queerplanet have got my seriously ineffective support, though.

toiletduck

im straight and i think thats just distrubing...

Daelus

I heard about this at my journal site. It's ridiculous. These people seem to have misunderstood the whole concept of Christianity.
People are doing all these hateful things in the name of Christianity, it's getting out of hand.

rsynnott

Daelus wrote:

I heard about this at my journal site. It's ridiculous. These people seem to have misunderstood the whole concept of Christianity.
People are doing all these hateful things in the name of Christianity, it's getting out of hand.

"Judge not lest ye be judged? Nonsense. Go back to that bit about lying with man as with women. Oh, but don't look on the next page; it's got something about mixing fabrics. I'm sure I can find something sanctioning SUVs in here SOMEWHERE"

Stuff

The church arent really in a position to be so self ritious(sp?) about anything, seeing as they are the biggest commiters of hate crimes, rape, molestation, pedeophilia(sp?) torture, thievery and oppression in history.

BlitzKrieg

do you ever want to sign into one of these places just to purposely piss them off?

oh and is this the original blog?


http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=7428306&blogID=28610354&Mytoken=20050610204542

Binomate

BlitzKrieg wrote:

do you ever want to sign into one of these places just to purposely piss them off?

oh and is this the original blog?


http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=7428306&blogID=28610354&Mytoken=20050610204542

I was physicaly shaking as I read that. I'm going to get myself enroled in one of these programmes just so as I can beat up some fascist monks. Who's with me? I wonder do the nazi priests call their little organisation a camp?

BlitzKrieg

while i am not gay myself i encourage anyone put on this course to openly proove that their methods dont work!

Guy:Incognito

BlitzKrieg wrote:

while i am not gay myself i encourage anyone put on this course to openly proove that their methods dont work!

What? by having an orgy?

rsynnott

This is why we need strong regulation of quack "psychologists". No-one should undergo a non-medical council approved "psychological" procedure without informed consent.

BlitzKrieg

no...

just prove that its not some genetic or social mistake and that it is who you are and who you want to be.

the_syco

Jeasus, I'm havin a laugh at this. Check number 2 of Sobriety. No sex of ****. Guess its gonna be wet dreams, then, as the juice will flow.

The clients may not wear Abercrombie and Fitch or Calvin Klein brand clothing, undergarments, or accessories.

Also, these guys don't like the fashion, so they ban you from wearing it.

2. While on the LIA campus, Refuge clients must be in phase at all times, whether indoors or out of doors. A client is ³in phase² when he or she is with two or more other clients (whether Refuge or residential,) one of whom must have been in the program for at least eight weeks. Exceptions to phase rules will be granted by C.O.C. request only.

This one is odd, as you have to be with a brainwashed person, and one other. Proberly to ensure no one-on-one action, but orgey's proberly take place, tho.

5. Due to the nature of many gender identity struggles, issues of enmeshment and emotional dependency can develop not only with same sex, but sometimes even more easily with the opposite sex. Because healthy and appropriate same and opposite-sex relationships are encouraged, dating and exclusive relationships of any kind are prohibited while in the program.

This is another odd one. Relationships are encourged, but not.

1. All new Refuge clients will be placed into Safekeeping for the initial two to three days of their program. A client on safekeeping may not communicate verbally, or by using hand gestures or eye contact, with any other clients, staff members, or his/her parents or guardians.

This to me means solitude. Not being able to talk for 3 days? Writing is only for "when absolutely necessary".

Exodus 20:12: 12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

Who the fúck is Yahweh?

6. No television viewing, going to movies, or reading/watching/listening to secular media of any kind, anywhere within the client¹s and the parent¹s/guardian¹s control. This includes listening to classical or instrumental music that is not expressly Christian (Beethoven, Bach, etc. are not considered Christian).

Only "Christain" music? Hmmm... I wonder if that includes Christain rock or Christain metal?

18. Refuge clients are allowed a one-time 15-minute maximum closed bathroom door time for shower/grooming purposes. The only other closed-door alone time allowed is for using the restroom.

Hmmm... time for a quick ****? Oh dear, this breaks the "no ****" rule. Oh, fo' shame, n*gger! (also wonder if there's any black people allowed).

5. Maintain strict confidentiality of everything discussed in group. "What is seen here, what is heard here, remains here!"

To me this means "pedo priest apply here", tbh.

Jesting about bodily functions

IE: ****.

=-=

I [strike]condone[/strike] can't condem any of these mofo's going on a rampage, and killing every mofo priest there, 'cos I'd do the same. And the parents wonder why their son turns out to be fúcked up.

Fúck, I'd say at least 3% of the US Armed Forces joined up to escape these bas7ards.

the_syco

rsynnott wrote:

This is why we need strong regulation of quack "psychologists". No-one should undergo a non-medical council approved "psychological" procedure without informed consent.

Erm, you'll have to wait till the next president. The current one is a christain nut, so he'll proberly think they should be allowed.

rsynnott

the_syco wrote:

Erm, you'll have to wait till the next president. The current one is a christain nut, so he'll proberly think they should be allowed.

No, I'm actually thinking us as in Ireland; currently there's little to stop this sort of thing happening here, too. America's probably beyond help at this point...

BlitzKrieg

whats stopping it here is no one can be arsed to make a half decent camp. they love camps in the US...never really took off in the same way here. Camps were mostly schools being put to use over the summer.

I always found the american idea of 'camp' quirky. I mean they have camps for everything! The closest we get is either the sports camp or the activity camp.