Gay Rights Watch: 06/19/2005

'Love in Action' Investigated Over Forced Straight Conversion' Claims

Friday, June 24, 2005

by Bryan Harding

Thank God! Just to follow up on 16 year old Zach from Tennessee sent to 'Love in Action' by his parents to 'turn him straight'. See the bottom of this post for past postings regarding Zach. This is very good news below. Hopefully something comes from it. Poor kid.

via gay.com:

Tennessee is investigating an abuse complaint against a therapy group in Memphis that claims to turn gay teens into heterosexuals.

The Department of Children's Services says it received a complaint about Love in Action, which runs an outpatient therapy program. The complaint was screened and enough substance was found to open an investigation, state officials said.

All other details are confidential and the state can't specify the nature of the complaint or investigation, K. Danielle Edwards, a DCS spokeswoman, said yesterday.

Love in Action, which runs a program for children and teens called Refuge, said the investigation is without merit and was filed anonymously by someone with little knowledge of the program.

"The Internet accusations on holding kids without their permission ... and the other crazy allegations are ridiculous," said John Smid, the group's executive director.

The group's work has been the focus of protest by gay advocacy groups, who say it is dangerous and irresponsible to engage in so-called ex-gay therapy.

Earlier this month, a Web logger going by the name of "Zach" said his parents were sending him to a religious organization that would try to convert him to heterosexuality.

The teen identified himself as a 16-year-old from Bartlett, Tenn., and said his parents "tell me that there is something psychologically wrong with me. ... I'm a big screwup to them, who isn't on the path God wants me to be on. So I'm sitting here in tears ... and I can't help it."

Edwards said DCS can't say if its investigation is related to that boy's situation, or even specify when the complaint was filed.

But Smid says it is connected. He said the accusation was probably filed by someone who read the blog and used it "as a foundation to stir up a bunch of stuff."

"The doors are not locked down and the kids are not required to be here, and they come here with their parents," Smid said.

The Web site for Refuge states it offers programs ranging from two to six weeks. The group says it "is a ministry designed to be a safe place for young people and their families to find true freedom from addictions through the power of Jesus Christ."

It says it can fix "addictive behaviors" such as pornography, drugs, sexual promiscuity and homosexuality.

The cost runs from $1,500 to $4,000, the Web site says.

Gay Rights Watch past postings RE: Zach in order oldest to newest.
Warning: Very Disturbing.
An update on Zach: 16 year old held agsinst his will to 'turn straight'
Zach: Another 6 weeks of psychological torture and pure hell
Recap: Poor Zach & Love In Action 'Refuge'

Call me off message... BUT...

Thursday, June 23, 2005

So every once in a while I have the need to post something off topic. I need to rant about something. Well first off let me just tell you that I am totally ADD. You should see me try and paint a room. I go from one wall to another (without finishing the first one).

See I am already getting off topic. The point of this that I cannot stand the Flash banner ads that are games. Like you have to use your mouse to do something in the ad... the one I just did was a fish jumping out of water and you had to snap a picture of it real quick. The thing is I can't stop playing. The worst ones were these popup flash ad games that were for Orbitz.com. It was miniature golf. Way too much fun. Addictive. Bad news bears.

That's my rant for the day. Thanks for listening :)

by Bryan Harding

BREAKING NEWS: Senate Bill 1000 to be voted out of Senate Rules Committee Today

Rumor has it the Oregon State Senate Rules Committee will vote SB1000 (Civil Union/Anti-Discrimination) out of committee. This is all the information I have at this point, although I assume it will happen here in the next hour or two. If this does happen, I expect that we will have a full floor vote early next week.

For more visit: Basic Rights Oregon Blog

by Bryan Harding

Howard Dean declares Democratic support for gay rights

Empty Closet reports:

Washington, D.C. - In honor of the 2005 Pride month Celebration, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean will attend an event on Thursday, June 23 in New York City with the LGBT community and issued the following statement:

“It has been 36 years since Pride month established its roots during a turbulent weekend in New York City. Since the Stonewall Rebellion, our country has taken tremendous strides towards securing equal rights for all Americans. Democrats across the country are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of the LGBT community, and are honored to join the millions of Americans who will celebrate this month. Alongside you we renew our commitment to facing the challenges still ahead.

“The Democratic Party has a long and proud history in the fight for civil rights. We are the party that has always believed in equal rights under the law for all people, and we will continue to fight until every American, including our family and friends in the LGBT community, is treated with the respect and equality they deserve.

“There’s no place in civil discourse for hate and discrimination. America deserves better. Democrats support full and total inclusion of LGBT persons and their families into the life of our nation. We believe in equality for all families. We support the right of gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in our military. We support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to allow all Americans to work without fear of being fired because of their sexual orientation. We support further LGBT health research. Our nation’s most sacred document, the United States Constitution, is intended to expand liberties, not limit them; and we will fight any attempt to use our Constitution to discriminate for political gain.

“The Democratic Party is proud to stand with the LGBT community, not just during Pride Month, but every month, of every year.”

Oregon's SB 1000 IS BACK! Civil Unions and Anti-Discrimination!

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

After splitting Senate Bill 1000 (Civil Unions and Statewide Anti-Discrimination) the Oregon State Senate has brought them BACK TOGETHER! SB 1073 (Civil Unions on their own after being split) is gone. It had been voted out of the Senate Rules Committee, which was a huge landmark. But this? THIS IS HUGE NEWS.

I have been wearing my "Support SB1000" T-Shirt once a week or so, knowing that it had been split and no longer a bill - but now... it means everything! This is it Oregon. Senate Bill 1000 should be voted out of committee in the next few days and then should pass the full senate next week.

SUPPORT SB 1000: Fairness and equality for ALL Oregonians.

Damn, I am so happy right now.

by Bryan Harding

Nike endorses Oregon Civil Unions (SB 1073)

More large companies are expected to follow in the footsteps of Nike.

"When it comes to doing the right thing, Nike follows their own mantra: Just do it," said HRC President Joe Solmonese.

HRC, in their press release also said:

"When it comes to doing the right thing, Nike follows their own mantra:
Just do it. Equality is more than the right thing, it's also sound business practice. By ensuring that employees can do their work without worrying about protecting their families, companies help their bottom line. It's good for business and it's good for the community."

Nike also is endorsing the anti-discrimination legislation that 2-3 weeks ago split from the civil unions part of the former SB 1000.

Thank you Nike.

Read a statement from Basic Rights Oregon, as well as Nike's statement here.

California brings back pro gay marriage bill

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in California that died three weeks ago in the state Assembly has been reborn.

Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said Monday night that he intends to bring the measure back in the current session - this time as an attachment to a bill already before the Senate.

Back on June 2nd the California Assembly just barely defeated Leno's first bill that would have legalized gay marriage for the state. The measure lost by just four votes in the 80 seat Assembly after a quarter of the Democrats voted with Republicans to reject it.

Using a "gut and amend" legislative maneuver he will attempt to bring the bill back. Leno is one of six openly gay members of the Legislature.

The new measure will be the same as the first. The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act would require local clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples but allow people opposed to gay marriage to refuse to conduct weddings.

Leno wants a legislative victory this session. Him and millions of others in California. Geoffrey Kors, executive director of Equality California stated, "If one house, be it the Assembly or Senate of the California Legislature votes in favor of marriage equality, it totally undercuts President Bush and the extreme right-wing argument that this is simply a few judges who are ruling on the issue."

Recap: Poor Zach & Love In Action 'Refuge'

Monday, June 20, 2005

I've noticed a lot of buzz on the net the past 3 days about Zach (the 16 year old boy shipped off to 'Love in Action' to 'turn him straight') and a lot of people have been coming to this blog using search terms related to him. So I wanted to give links to additional resources/coverage of what's going on...

The Republic of T.: Another Zach Update
Margaret Cho: A Letter to Zach
Gay.com: Youth's blog stirs uproar over 'ex-gay' camp
Cherry Blossom Special: Congratulations, Zach. You've Been Lied To. Again.
The Flypaper Theory: Love in Action: a losing battle?

This group is right in the middle of the Zach story. It seems as though they are the ones organizing the protests etc.: Queer Action Coalition

Previous Posts on Gay Rights Watch:

6/12/05
Love in Action: Brainwashing camp for gay kids

06/14/05
Warning: Very Disturbing

06/19/05
Zach: Another 6 weeks of psychological torture and pure hell

OSU: Gay sheep point to sexual orientation being biological

Sunday, June 19, 2005

The Seattle Times reports: As the culture wars rage over gay rights, a flock of sheep at Oregon State University may help answer a key question behind the controversy: Is homosexuality a matter of choice or biology?

The Corvallis herd includes a group of rams that scientists delicately refer to as "male-oriented." These animals consistently ignore females and bestow all their amorous attentions on members of their own sex.

Researcher Charles Roselli says a decade of study suggests sexual orientation is largely hard-wired into the sheep's brains before birth. Now, he's trying to figure out how that happens, zeroing in on genes and hormones. In a bold test of his ideas, he hopes to engineer the birth of gay rams by altering conditions in the womb.

Sheep aren't people, but the Oregon work adds to a growing body of research that bolsters biological explanations for sexual orientation across species — including humans.

Despite those scientific findings, some religious groups say homosexuality is a lifestyle that can be treated, if not prevented. One such group, the conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family, is sponsoring a one-day conference in Bothell Saturday.

The social and political implications of the research are impossible to ignore, leading to unease on both sides of the gay-rights debate. If science proves homosexuality is innate, is there any basis to deny gays equal treatment — including the right to marry? But if scientists unravel the roots of sexual orientation, will it some day be possible to "fix" people who don't fit the norms or abort fetuses likely to be born gay?

Much of the cutting-edge research is being conducted in other countries, because the political pressure cooker in the United States makes it difficult for scientists to get money, said Brian Mustanski, who juggles studies of the genetics of homosexuality with his main work on HIV prevention at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

But controversy can't obscure the facts, he said.

"It's pretty definitive that biological factors play a role in determining a person's sexual orientation."

Austrian scientists reported this month that switching a single gene was enough to make female fruit flies rebuff males and attempt to mate with other females. Swedish researchers recently found the sexual center of gay men's brains lit up when they sniffed a pheromone-like chemical from men's sweat, but didn't respond to a chemical from women.

And last fall, Italian scientists offered a possible explanation for the persistence of gay genes — even though evolution tends to weed out traits that discourage reproduction. The team from the University of Padua found that mothers and aunts of gay men had more offspring than female relatives of heterosexuals, suggesting genes that influence homosexuality in men may increase fertility in females.

That the evidence comes from such disparate directions leads scientists to suspect several different biological pathways may lead to homosexuality. Both genes and hormones appear to be important. Nor do researchers discount the possibility that social factors may play a role.

"I tend not to be a nature-versus-nurture kind of dichotomist," said Roselli, of the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine in Portland. "I think there's probably a very complex interaction that's going on between both biology and the environment that is involved in determining these types of behaviors."

Read the rest of the article - very interesting... click here.

Zach: Another 6 weeks of psychological torture and pure hell

For those of you who read this blog - Zach, the 16 year old boy who has been sent to a Chirstian brainwashing camp that attempts to turn people straight was supposed to get out today. Instead his parents have added another 6 weeks of prison for him. One of his friends said:

For everyone who reads Zach's page, here's an update on Zach. He has to do an extension for 6 weeks. So he wont be able to get online or anything. But he thanks everyone for their love and support. And he's doing okay. He's probably changed slightly because of being in that kind of environment for so long but he is still the awesome zach that we know him as. There has been a phony on Myspace pretending to be zach. This is the only page that's the real zach's myspace. (www.myspace.com/specialkid)

Gay.com has also picked up the story:

Youth's blog stirs uproar over 'ex-gay' camp
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."

A residential program run by Memphis, Tenn.-based Love in Action (LIA), Refuge "ministers to adolescents struggling with broken and addictive behaviors, such as promiscuity, alcohol and drug addiction and homosexuality," according to its Web site.

An estimated total of 150 people -- including parents, children, psychiatrists and other concerned Memphis residents carrying signs that have slogans such as "This is Child Abuse" -- have gathered over eight consecutive days outside LIA headquarters. On Thursday LIA held a press conference in response to the protests.

For LIA, homosexuality is not an orientation but a set of behaviors that lies at the root of all dysfunction. And homosexual desires can supposedly be reprogrammed, through Refuge, at a cost of $2,000 for two weeks, or $4,000 for six weeks.

Patterned after teen drug and alcohol programs, Refuge minimizes contact with familiar things that it claims encourage homosexual behavior: no secular music, no more than 15 minutes per day behind a closed bathroom door, no contact with any practicing homosexuals, no masturbation, no secular music, and -- for reasons not explained -- no Calvin Klein underwear.
The rules above were posted on Zach's blog, which has been inactive since June 3. The policies were confirmed by Alex Polotsky, a spokesman for Queer Action Coalition, a Memphis group formed to provide alternative information for struggling youth.

"Nobody can be straight enough in the program," said Polotsky, whose group staged the protests outside LIA. "We're outraged at the treatment youths receive [in Refuge]."

Exodus International, an umbrella organization for nearly all regional "ex-gay" ministries, provides funding and marketing support for groups such as LIA, Lifeguard Ministries, New Hope Ministries and others. Although "reparative therapy" for homosexuality has been denounced by the mainstream psychological community as tantamount to abuse, "ex-gay" ministries offer hope to conflicted parents (usually devoutly religious and conservative) who are unwilling or unable to accept their kids' sexuality or seek traditional counseling.

Youth (and adults) who enter "ex-gay" programs may suffer from genuine self-destructive behaviors that go far beyond their struggle with same-sex attraction, said Wayne Besen, who wrote the book "Anything But Straight" about the "ex-gay" movement.

"To get help they have to swallow the lie that it's because they are gay that they're having these problems. It works by confusing people. It doesn't matter to them that they don't get results. They get a lot of money from people who really believe this stuff."

"Love in Action seems to be the worst of these reckless religious activities," said Craig Bowman, executive director of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. "These programs are dangerous because they systematically work on a young person's psyche using junk science as a foundation."

Jack Drescher, M.D., a New York-based psychiatrist and chair of the American Psychiatric Association Committee on LGBT Issues, told the PlanetOut Network that such programs do far more harm than good for impressionable teens. "They may delay the child's coming out for many years, but by the time they are ready to come out, there's been a lot of psychological damage."

Shawn O'Donnell spent eight years in and out of therapy to change his sexual orientation. As a depressed and suicidal 18-year-old, O'Donnell was referred by his pastor to a three-year residential program, New Hope Ministry, located 10 miles from San Francisco. O'Donnell said it only made his issues worse.

"It was hell, very controlling. We couldn't be alone. We were always told to pray harder, and it made us feel ashamed that we weren't using the program correctly," he recalled.

Peterson Toscano spent 17 years and $30,000 to get straight as an adult, but nothing worked. Now a "performance activist" in Connecticut, Toscano has toured the United States and Europe with a satirical theater piece about his two years in LIA.
"'Ex-gay' programs use the term 'gay lifestyle,' which to them includes unsafe sex [and] emotionally dependent relationships," Toscano said. "They know they can't really turn anyone straight, but they can make them not live the 'gay lifestyle.' They are purposely deceiving people."

Though relatively few people participate in 'ex-gay' programs, Drescher believes their influence goes far beyond changing individuals. "They are a pawn in the culture war," he said. "They support the idea that homosexuality can be changed, therefore it is a lifestyle and not worthy of civil rights legislation."

Drescher pointed to an 'ex-gay' convention called Love Won Out, organized by the anti-gay Focus on the Family and held in Texas to coincide with the state legislature's biennial sessions.

"The timing is not a coincidence," he said. "Their purpose is to shape public policy."

Gay Rights Watch