Got Gay? Get Jesus!

[emmiedahl]

Seriously, I did not know this was legal.

**Warning: this could be triggery for nonheteronormative readers who have been involved with Pray Away the Gay programs**

There is a camp for turning gay teens and adults straight. Read about it here! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_In_Action

There have been some controversies. It was investigated and found to be not abusive and not offering medical advice. I disagree with the judge on both accounts. Further, the State of Tennessee was ordered to repay the organization's legal expenses.

Someone posted their rules on the internet. There are some interesting ones, especially regarding dress. Males must wear socks with sandals at all times and are not allowed to wear Abercrombie and Fitch or Calvin Klein. Girls are required to shave their legs and arm pits and also cannot wear a sports bra except during athletic activity. Stereotype much?

Really disturbing is the fact that when you first are admitted, you are placed on "safekeeping", which means you are not allowed to speak, communicate or make eye contact with others.

The rules: http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,022.htm

So much is snarkworthy here and also just plain upsetting.

[Maude]

Sounds like an insanely boring life. Also, I wonder if they make you wear a bra when showering since the rules only allow for one not to be worn while sleeping? :?

[emmiedahl]

Sounds like an insanely boring life. Also, I wonder if they make you wear a bra when showering since the rules only allow for one not to be worn while sleeping? :?

I wonder how many of their campers decide they'll just be gay if straight life is this horrible.

[Elle]

Only in the fundy-world is obesity always genetics and being gay a lifestyle choice.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

This bothered me the most:

7. No continuing education while in the program. Home-school Refuge clients may be allowed to continue their studies during the program, pending approval by LIA staff.

Going to the camp is bad enough but why punish the kid for going to public school? it isn't his choice and has nothing to do with his orientation.

[emmiedahl]

Because public school makes you gay, of course.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Because public school makes you gay, of course.

They probably do think that, given how they spout off against sex ed, but I think this is more about privileging homeschool students.

They (to the extent that a SOTDRTer can) will stay on track in their studies and career path, a public schooler will be held back.

[emmiedahl]

I can't believe you can pull your kids out of school to pray away the gay.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

I know, I wonder how they get away with that.

[celestial]

Ugh. This makes me think of But I'm a Cheerleader:

X_yjuTaRGx4

[Gil]

I just want to point out that Refuge closed a few years ago and several of the group's leaders have since left and denounced the ex-gay agenda.

As far as I'm aware, LIA still exists but doesn't currently operate any "camps," but, rather, programs for teaching parents how to fix their gay kids.

Still pretty disgusting. I know there was a documentary released about the group, but I haven't taken the time to watch it.

[Witsec7]

Can we all get into one big circle, hold hands and attempt to pray away the stoopid?

[ilovetchotchkes]

Ugh. This makes me think of But I'm a Cheerleader:

You beat me to it.

[FundiesInMyFamily]

Can we all get into one big circle, hold hands and attempt to pray away the stoopid?

That'd be a whole LOT o' prayin.

I'm going to put my son in a CK shirt tomorrow and see if he catches da gayz from it!

[ElphabaGalinda]

Seriously, I did not know this was legal.

**Warning: this could be triggery for nonheteronormative readers who have been involved with Pray Away the Gay programs**

There is a camp for turning gay teens and adults straight. Read about it here! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_In_Action

There have been some controversies. It was investigated and found to be not abusive and not offering medical advice. I disagree with the judge on both accounts. Further, the State of Tennessee was ordered to repay the organization's legal expenses.

Someone posted their rules on the internet. There are some interesting ones, especially regarding dress. Males must wear socks with sandals at all times and are not allowed to wear Abercrombie and Fitch or Calvin Klein. Girls are required to shave their legs and arm pits and also cannot wear a sports bra except during athletic activity. Stereotype much?

Really disturbing is the fact that when you first are admitted, you are placed on "safekeeping", which means you are not allowed to speak, communicate or make eye contact with others.

The rules: http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,022.htm

So much is snarkworthy here and also just plain upsetting.

I already shave my legs and armpits and hate sports bras. I love me some underwire. Yet I'm still pretty much as gay as humanly possible. Go figure. So who will really present dreams and fantasies to their staff worker like the rules suggested? Also wtf are provocative or suggestive mannerisms? Anyone get what the false image thing is supposed to mean? I'm pretty sureIhave/do anything like that, yet still super gay here. Some of this sounds like a mix between prison and torture, and it is sad. A lot of this is upsetting and I'm with whoever else wants to pray away the stupid. What gets me most is parents sent their children to this place. Any parent who would do that has no business having children, and if my parents ever did that to me, I'd do whatever I could to get the fuck away from them and never see or speak to them again.

[Mela99]

::facepalm::

Apparently they shut it down? And now they have a camp for the parents of such kids? Oh lord. How to beat the gay away? Anybody know what that particular camp is like?

I refuse to believe that Jesus disagrees with Fred Rogers. They both love you just the way you are.

[Elle]

::facepalm::

Apparently they shut it down? And now they have a camp for the parents of such kids? Oh lord. How to beat the gay away? Anybody know what that particular camp is like?

I refuse to believe that Jesus disagrees with Fred Rogers. They both love you just the way you are.

I love Mr. Rogers so much, and it made me love him more when I found out that he, as an ordained minister, was asked to condemn gays, and he would not, saying, "God loves you just the way you are." The world would be so much better if there were more people like him in it.

[Elle]

On September 12, 2005 the Tennessee-based Love in Action facility was determined by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health to have been operating two "unlicensed mental health supportive living facilities.[9] LIA stopped accepting the mentally ill and dispensing medications and, in February 2006, the state of Tennessee ceased legal action.[10]

Love in Action sued the state of Tennessee for discrimination against their ministry.[11] The suit was settled[12] on October 27, 2006. Tennessee agreed that Love in Action would not need licensing as a mental health facility, and LIA agreed to make sure none of its employees administered or regulated the medication of its clients. The state of Tennessee was told to pay Love in Action's legal fees.

See, when an unlicensed facility is dispense medication, that is cause for legal action. The state should not have been required to pay the legal fees of a facility that was breaking the law.

[PennySycamore]

One of the rules about music is just plain weird. They're not allowed to listen to JS Bach who wrote some of the greatest sacred music? Bach who was a church organist for many years? Bach was Lutheran, btw, not an ebil Catholic.

[Alecto]

I have a friend who was sent to Love in Action. It left him extremely mentally messed up for years, and he actually attempted suicide at one point. His parents chalked all of it up to his "sinful nature" as a gay man.

[synchroswimr]

I have a friend who was sent to Love in Action. It left him extremely mentally messed up for years, and he actually attempted suicide at one point. His parents chalked all of it up to his "sinful nature" as a gay man.

Poor guy. I'm sure his story isn't unique, either. :-(

[Visionoyahweh]

I remember being a gay teen and hearing about LIA. Just hearing about it was scarring.