Gay Rights Watch

The State of Tennessee calls 'Love In Action' an illegal mental health program. Imagine that -- it's about time. Gay Rights Watch has covered 'Love In Action' quite a bit in the past few months.

Zach: Another 6 weeks of psychological torture and pure hell

The Washington Blade reports:

Exodus International's flagship 'ex-gay' residential treatment facility, Love in Action, is facing possible closure by the state of Tennessee for unlawfully treating mentally ill people.

Founded in 1973, Memphis-based Love in Action claims that it is the oldest and largest group to focus on the "prevention or treatment" of same-sex attraction.

The organization made national and international news earlier this year after a Tennessee teen wrote on his blog that his parents were sending him to the program in an effort to change his sexual orientation, and appealed for help.

Amidst the outpouring of concern for the teen, reports surfaced that Love in Action clients had been traumatized by their treatment at the program. Questions arose about whether the facility was operating within the law.

On Sept 12, the state of Tennessee announced that its Department of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities had determined that Love in Action is operating two "unlicensed mental health supportive living facilities."

"The [state] went in and visited and found that they were providing room, board and personal care for mentally ill people," said Rachel Lassiter, deputy press secretary for Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D). "The clients were determined to be mentally ill because some of them had been treated by psychiatrists and were on medication."

It appears that Love in Action has taken on responsibility for the care of these people, Lassiter said, and unlawful operation of a personal support service is a class B misdemeanor in Tennessee.

Lassiter said the department sent a certified letter to Love in Action executive director John Smid, advising him that he must stop operating the homes or apply for a license within seven days. Smid did not respond to the letter, and a second letter was issued informing him that if he does not stop operating the homes or apply for a license by Sept. 15, the department would recommend that a cease and desist order be issued.

If the order is issued, state authorities will demand that Love in Action immediately stop operation of its residential facilities and will offer assistance in relocating the residents.

'Different set of rules'?
Gerard Wellman, business administrator for Love in Action, and a former Love in Action client, said on Sept. 13 that the organization has been in contact with the state but would not comment on whether it planned to attempt to become licensed as a mental health supportive living facility.

"As a church, we operate under a different set of rules," Wellman said. "But all options are on the table."

Wellman said that the clients were free to decide whether to stay or leave the program, but he did not know whether clients were aware of the state's determination that the group is operating illegally.

Applying for an "Initial License" as a mental health facility in Tennessee is a comparatively simple process requiring only a basic safety review including criminal background checks, and fire and environmental safety inspections, according to officials.

Morgan Fox, who has been filming a documentary on Love in Action and following the situation closely, said he doubts the organization will seek licensing.

"They may want to play the victim," Fox said. "If they get into the position of being shut down, they can get Exodus and the Christian right behind them to defend what they do."

Exodus International did not return calls.

Wayne Besen, author of "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals & Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth," celebrated news of Tennessee's action against Love in Action.

"Tennessee is rightfully and responsibly protecting its citizens from unscrupulous and unlicensed practitioners posing as genuine mental health professionals," Besen said.

Besen called on other states to determine whether other ex-gay groups meet basic mental health guidelines.

"Prayer is not a replacement for professionalism," Besen said. "And that is unfortunately what is happening with these faith-based ministries."

"I feel validated by [this]," said Peterson Toscano, a former Love in Action client. "I enrolled in that program and put myself through it. .... We were so trusting in the authority that they had. They used clinically couched language to make it seem legitimate and spiritual language to make it seem powerful, ... to make people endure it."

Toscano, who was a client at Love in Action between July 1996 and October of 1998, said that Love in Action was considered the "Cadillac of ex-gay ministries" and intentionally represented its work as therapeutic and scientifically based.

Toscano said that while he was a client, Love in Action staff dispensed psychotropic drugs to clients and administered psychiatric tests to clients, many of whom were under treatment for depression.

Many religious groups opposed the idea of sending a person into mental health treatment because he or she is gay or lesbian.

"The idea that homosexuality is a mental illness is outdated," said Bean Murray, an Episcopal deacon and staff person for the Episcopal Mental Illness Network. The Episcopal Mental Illness Network gives out information on mental illness and refers people to services. Murray said she believes that it is appropriate that religious service providers be licensed in the same way as secular providers.

A separate investigation by the Department of Health this summer determined that Love in Action is not required to be licensed as a drug and alcohol treatment facility because it is a faith-based organization.

Though Love in Action has advertised help with drug issues and that one of their staff members is a licensed drug and alcohol addiction counselor, the Health Department found that the man was in fact providing a "ministry based on his personal experience," not addiction treatment.

Posted Bryan Harding

Who knew?! Looks like somehow our blog got featured on AOL's Gay and Lesbian section. Pretty sweet.



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Posted by Bryan Harding

In an email from Equality California...

Equality California has now secured a second meeting with the Governor's Chief of Staff and senior administration officials for next Wednesday, two days before the marriage equality bill even reaches the Governor. Your voices are being heard.

Your emails, calls and actions are having an impact. Please keep the pressure going, and continue to educate the Governor about our lives!

Please click here to get involved!

I'm not too sure what will come of this... sounds like a good thing though.

Posted by Bryan Harding

I am a Californian -- born and raised. I was raised in a loving home, by two truly amazing parents. My mother works in the legal/engineering industry, my father has been a high-power DC lobbyist/attorney for as long as I can remember. This morning, my mother sent me this letter that they wrote to Governor Schwarzenegger yesterday.

Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger,

We are writing you as citizens of California for the past 26 years and as Republicans, to urge you NOT to veto AB 849, The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. We are parents of two adult children -- Dylan, 33, who is straight and Bryan, 23, who is gay.

We have been married for 37 years, and we know that marriage is not always easy. We know that marriage requires commitment, respect, responsibility and of course, love. But we always took for granted the rights that came with marriage until we realized that these rights would be denied to one of our children. We always took for granted that marriage is also about hundreds of rights that we have as a married couple that will be denied to our son Bryan and the partner of his choice. We take for granted that we can make medical decisions for each other if one of us gets sick. Our son, as thousands of other gay people, does not have that right. Like all parents, we have dreamed that one day each of our children would know the joy of marriage and raising a family. Your decision will determine many lives.

When Bryan came out we worried. We worried like any parent would that our child would be singled out for different treatment, and we were saddened to think that one child would have opportunities and rights and the other would be excluded from these privileges.

Governor, if you do indeed veto AB 849, only one of our children will live his life with the rights and responsibilities that go along with marriage. We believe both of our children, as people and as citizens, should be allowed to protect their loved ones in times of medical emergency, both of our children should be able to provide health insurance coverage for their spouse and their children, both of our children should know that if their spouse dies, they will not lose their joint savings or their home.

As a matter of faith, we believe that we need to protect all of our citizens. It is our duty. And religiously, it is our obligation. As citizens, we have a duty to protect one another -- even if we don't understand or relate to each other's experiences. As a matter of faith -- we are called to care for one another because we are all children of God. And as a Christians, we follow Jesus' commandment to love one another.

We don't believe unequal treatment belongs in our state. Who are you or we to judge others. If you veto AB 849 -- you will be upholding and perpetuating discrimination in our state. We urge you, on behalf of both of our children, family and friends to please sign AB 849 into law.

Sincerely,
Robert and Sandy
#####, CA

So thank you mom and dad for writing this. For standing up for what you believe -- and most importantly for loving me for who I am.

Posted by Bryan Harding

Southridge High School in Beaverton has canceled a play about the story of Matthew Shepard, after the principal deemed the sexual content and the play's use of profanity offensive.

"The Laramie Project" was in production at Southridge High School when Principal Amy Gordon decided to put a stop to it. Gordon would not comment. Imagine that.

The play chronicles the true story of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay college student, who was killed seven years ago in Laramie, Wyoming. The production — which has been performed at hundreds of schools across the country including at Century High School in Hillsboro — pieces together the events surrounding the killing through the reactions of numerous residents of Laramie.

Members of the theater community are charging that the play is under attack because it features a gay character, not because of its sexual or vulgar content.

Wade Willis, Southridge theater arts director, chose the play for its educational value and the challenge it would present student actors, he said.

"Everything I hear about presenting something 'controversial' is that you have to put forth all sides," Willis told The Oregonian. "You can't be more complete than this in presenting multiple points of view."

But Maureen Wheeler, a spokeswoman for the school district, said the play is considered controversial because it contains profanities and sexual content.

She also said Willis failed to have the selection reviewed by the school's principal in keeping with the district's controversial materials policies.

Willis said he is holding a community meeting at the high school on Wednesday night to hear reactions from parents, students and community members.

At Century High School, theater instructor Bill Johnson said "The Laramie Project" met initial resistance from school officials. It eventually ran after profanities and one sensitive scene were removed.

"We looked at it from a discrimination standpoint," Johnson said. "It's a murder story and the victim happened to be gay, and that's why he was killed. Why is this any different from Anne Frank, who was killed for her religion, or 'Romeo and Juliet'?"

via 365gay.com

Visit The Matthew Shepard Foundation

Big surprise huh? We feel compelled to respond to the ridiculous post on NW Republican (second item in their post) that is riddled with inaccuracies. Let's review.

"In other ICKY news we have a new group in Oregon hosting a "Stick It To Minnis" event."

First of all, this 'new group', Basic Rights Oregon, has been around since 1988 and is Oregon's largest statewide GLBT advocacy group. Since Basic Rights Oregon came onto the scene they have successfully defeated a large number of anti-gay ballot initiatives that were brought on by the notoriously hateful, Oregon Citizens Alliance, which has disappeared in a cloud of scandal.

These are a bunch of radical homosexual activists that border on being Nazis. They are upset that the political process does not bring them what they want and by golly they want to oust speaker Minnis or burn the house down trying.

Now this is one of my favorites... "Radical homosexual activists that border on being Nazis". Quite a sharp tongue there -- don't you think? If I recall correctly the Nazis were responsible for the torture and murder of SIX MILLION Jews as well as 25,000 homosexuals. NW Republican's comments are hugely out of line and 'deplorable'.

As far as calling Basic Rights Oregon and their base 'radical homosexual activists'... If you think that the actions of Oregon's gays and lesbians have been radical as far as civil rights movements go - take History 101 if you want to learn about radical activists. This is NOTHING. How do you classify fighting for basic human rights and protections as radical? Give me a break.

These radical homosexual activists are so bad that even Senate President and lesbian senator Kate Brown (D) calls their behavior "deplorable."

Two problems here in your statement. First off, Senate President Peter Courtney never said what you claim he did above and Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown is not a lesbian. Also - Kate Brown's statement did not say that Basic Rights Oregon was 'deplorable' as you have portrayed it. The article said that the personal attacks were 'deplorable' - never citing where they came from.

Minnis is one of the nicest people you will EVER meet. I have been on opposing issues of her before however I have found nothing but total honesty and candor with her. She is just plain "Good People." And really does not deserve this.

Minnis is one of the nicest people? Wow. Why don't we ask the tens of thousands of gays and lesbians across our state how they feel about that. How they feel about having their rights and protections under the law as Minnis thwarted the democratic process. As them how they feel about being denied hundreds of rights. Ask them how they feel about their own children not being protected under the law. Then ask them this. How do they feel about Karen Minnis repeatedly blocking legislation that would have granted them most of those rights? How about changing the House Rules (one that had been in effect for over 140 years) in order to prevent a committee pull by not only the House Democrats - but as well as her own Republican caucus?

But then again that is what evil and ugly people do. They like to attack the good people of the world. That is nothing new and has been going on since the beginning of time.

Exactly. You are proving your own 'point'. You are lashing out at gay and lesbians who are simply trying to protect their families and end discrimination in Oregon. As a political power in the State of Oregon, it is their duty to get people in elected office that will fight against discrimination and hate. Karen Minnis perpetuates this hate and discrimination. Hence why she is named as a target that needs to be defeated in her re-election bid.

Lastly - As someone who railed against what happened in Multnomah County with gay marriages, she showed her true hypocritical ways. Interestingly enough, her actions during this past legislative session didn't square with Speaker Minnis' statements in the voters pamphlet submitted in favor of Measure 36.

"Process subverted. They didn't hold any public hearings. They didn't give any advanced warning. Their actions were arrogant and wrong. The Multnomah County Commission purposefully subverted the public process." - Speaker of the House Karen Minnis (Voter's Pamphlet, P 82)

"House Speaker Karen Minnis was the first state official to respond. She blasted the Multnomah County commission: 'I think they circumvented due process. They made a decision and went forward with it without any public hearings, without any review by the state legislature who sets state policy and without consulting the citizens of Oregon. Minnis said she expected the Oregon legislature to address the issue in its next session."OPB 3/3/04

To donate to Basic Rights Oregon - click here.

Posted by Gay Rights Watch

Thanks to The Victory Fund for bringing this to my attention. It is along the lines of what I discussed last Thursday...

The Governator is apparently unaware that members of the California legislature are elected by, well, the people of California, duh. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's editorial board slams Schwarzenegger's excuse for vetoing the marriage equality bill - which is that it does not reflect the will of the people. "How the heck did he think this bill came to be in the first place? Lawmakers -- elected ones -- passed it. But we suppose some processes are less convenient to respect than others, making this is a distasteful, transparent case of political pandering."

Read it: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Posted by Bryan Harding