Posted on 07/17/2005 1:46:29 PM PDT by mathprof
IT was the sort of confession that a decade ago might have been scribbled in a teenager's diary, then quietly tucked away in a drawer: "Somewhat recently," wrote a boy who identified himself only as Zach, 16, from Tennessee, on his personal Web page, "I told my parents I was gay." He noted, "This didn't go over very well," and "They tell me that there is something psychologically wrong with me, and they 'raised me wrong.' "
But what grabbed the attention of Zach's friends and subsequently of both gay activists and fundamentalist Christians around the world who came across the entry, made on May 29, was not the intimacy of the confession. Teenagers have been outing themselves online for years, and many of Zach's friends already knew he was gay. It was another sentence in the Web log: "Today, my mother, father and I had a very long 'talk' in my room, where they let me know I am to apply for a fundamentalist Christian program for gays."
"It's like boot camp," Zach added in a dispatch the next day. "If I do come out straight, I'll be so mentally unstable and depressed it won't matter."
The camp in question, Refuge, is a youth program of Love in Action International, a group in Memphis that runs a religion-based program intended to change the sexual orientation of gay men and women. Often called reparative or conversion therapy, such programs took hold in fundamentalist Christian circles in the 1970's, when mainstream psychiatric organizations overturned previous designations of homosexuality as a mental disorder, and gained ground rapidly from the late 90's. Programs like Love in Action have always been controversial, but Zach's blog entries have brought wide attention to a less-known aspect of them, their application to teenagers.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Later ping out - there was a previous article or two about this on FR, and IIRC it was a hoax. Anyone remember?
Holy Toledo, who cares!?!?!
Don't remember. There are a number of organizations dedicated to helping people who aren't happy with a homosexual identity. I think their effectiveness is dependant on the willingness of the person to participate, though.
Whether there was a hoax or not, the fellows at the New York Times are aghast that this might actually take some of their little teenage friends out of action.
I don't know if it is a hoax or even another NYT embelished story to achieve sensational results.
(remember the homosexuals have been giving them grief over the "there are no bisexuals" story)
I do know this, if this kid is under 18 parents DO HAVE COMPLETE LEGAL AUTHORITY to send their child to a facility for treatment of the mental disease of homosexuality.
There is nothing anyone can do to legally stop it. (short of the child applying for emancipation and that is very very very very very very difficult to obtain)
The Times agenda is all about ennobling gays and demonizing Christians as bigots.
It's sickening.
I'm told by my two teenage granddaughters that this is becoming quite common with their classmates in high school.
I find myself wondering if it isn't one of those new fads the kids are connecting with because of all the sympathetic ink that homosexuals are getting of late.
Nowadays, with society's warped sense of morals, it's a badge of honor and waaay cool.
I have read the blog posting and the comments. EVERY SINGLE PSYCHOLOGIST, including child psych's. who posted on the blog, were in favor of and supported the kid "knowing" he was gay when he was 13 - if he had murdered someone at 13, these same psych's would have insisted he not be tried as an adult because his moral judgment is not properly formed yet..
Except that homosexuality is not *legally* recognized any more as a mental disorder (no matter what one might think of it privately). If the kid got a friendly lawyer on board who was interested in taking it as a test case, I think the parents would find it very hard -- legally -- to make their child submit to treatment for something that is -- legally -- supposed to be a non-disorder.
That's all assuming this story is not a hoax, of course.
DSM until it's most recent edition classified homosexuality as a disorder. Everything the kid describes is in line with a disorder. Why should it not be treated as such?
So what you are saying is the New York Times is very happy this kid will find out, if, he is really queer and just confused.. or NOT... < /sarcasm >
Although it was many, many moons ago, I still remember when I was 16. My mind was on school, sports and my "garage band." I didn't have much time to sit around pondering whether I was "born gay" or not.
...and of course, w/ the LMSM constantly pushing their liberal viewpoint/anti-family/pro-aberrant lifestyle to re-enforcing that "itch".
"I see my hands signed up":
Since Jun 11, 2005
Well, Freepers for one, who do not wish to see America turned in to another Sodom. Therefore, it is important to know who the enemy is, and where he is infiltrating.
Noob.
Oh, this was done 10 years (yikes! Its been that long!) ago when I was in Middle School.
It was a cheap ploy for attention and as I recall most kids dropped it when it became played out.
I often wonder if a child like this knows the response they'll get before hand (such as: my parents are going to send me to a program for gays) and decide to "come out" as a form of rebellion.
I thought my teenage years were weird but kids today are pressured to grow up too fast. Its sad.
It's interesting that this is even considered news. It speaks volumes for the MSM's agenda.
I'm all for letting them go after each others rectums. Darwin't law will prevail. They are eliminating themselves. It will happen. Obviously, they can't procreate. That gene will die out of the species.
..not necessarily, The Universities will always churn out more than enough liberal Lawyers/social science majors.
I did a search:
Love in Action International
http://www.loveinaction.org/
Love In Action International exists to be a Christ-centered ministry for the prevention or remediation of unhealthy and destructive behaviors facing families, adults, and adolescents.
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