Lesbian Rehab: Hate in Action

[Liv]

Some of you whom have followed my writings throughout the years will know about the "lesbian rehab" incident. Some of you don't. We never really elaborated on it because at the time we were so sickened by the idea that I think the we just wanted to put it out of our minds. Fast Forward 10 years, and I had to do some research on the place for some non-greensboring writing I was doing. Suddenly the past is back. Me and Shan can laugh at it now, and say "how sad" for our family and friends without suffering too much emotional recall these days.

So in case you're wondering, the place which is nicknamed "Camp Exodus" is "Love in Action International" in Tennessee. Go on, have a laugh. 10 Years ago, it was a small off shoot of a ministry Shannon's best friends were associated with which was concentrating on reforming lesbian, or glutenous (fatties) young women into wholesome, skirt below the knee Christians, who only go "down" to pray. It's where Christian families who suddenly find out that their children our gay, pay to send their kids, as if they were drug addicts or alcoholics.

Of course the intervention was interesting. They showed up at Shannon's work with a brochure, a contract to sign and airplane tickets for her to leave the next day.

It's still hard to believe, even to this day, that people we considered family and friends acted in such a way. I feel sorry for the thousands of teenagers out their being shoved on a plane because of their sexual orientation.

In October 2005, the father of 17-year old DJ Butler drove him to the camp in handcuffs.[15] In February 2006, Tennessee authorities, unwilling to pursue further actions against Love in Action, closed the case via

When Shannon came home after the "intervention," which ended up disgusting her, I clearly remember the words that came out of my mouth: "Can I come?"

See, when you fly in several dozen lesbians to a camp in the middle of the backwoods of Tennessee, and what really do you have? A healing prayer group of church-girls, or, more opportunity to find someone who understands you, and your true self? I'm not sure, but it sounds like a fantasy to some... including the creepy christian people who run the place. Unlike Alice in Wonderland this is one looking glass I'm glad we never walked through.

[shannon]

Oh yeah, that little incident. Uh-huh, that was an interesting part of the journey. Oh the things that accompany loving Liv. Funny how one single decision changes life forever. I still resent the fact they thought I was fat

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

You ever see "Saved!"? They discussed this sort of "rehab" place. IIRC, they nailed it by saying that those places existed to soothe the feelings of the family, rather than to do anything positive for the poor gay kids that were sent there.

It's all rather sad... I set them alongside the "Hell House" idea in my mind. The straight-laced, hellfire-brimstone Christian set sees how the mainstream does things like rehab centers for alcoholics, or haunted trails at Halloween time, and they try to emulate those things with their own spins. Only they fail because on the sexual frontier, they are out of step with human nature... they fail on the Halloween area because what they think is scary has been turned into rather bland old-hat stuff by modern horror writers.

[Sanjuro]

An outrage!! A lesbian camp?? Someone needs to go down there with a lot of videotape to expose them. I VOLUNTEER!!!


Seriously though (pubescent masturbatory comments aside) that's pretty awful. It seems all this would do is cause the kids to resent the parents when they discover that their love is indeed conditional. Of course it could perhaps do far worse by damaging a kid's already delicate emotional state as an awkward teenager.

[Liv]

According to the video above the aforementioned "refuge" (rehab) aspect of 'Love in Action' has been discontinued. Though if Sanjuro was a smart man he'd start his own Lesbian refuge in his local neighborhood.

[Sanjuro]

Though if Sanjuro was a smart man he'd start his own Lesbian refuge in his local neighborhood.

I'm surrounded by college girls where I live, so it kinda already is.

[BecauseHeLives]

You people have no idea what hate really is.

[Sanjuro]

You people have no idea what hate really is.

You really need one of these: (dat way hims can gets aww da attention wittle baby wants!)

Open in New Window

[Liv]

Maybe we should get a new one "I survived Lesbian rehab."

[A Person]

I'm inclined to say that it isn't hate or even conditional love, but a misguided expression of love.

If you put yourself in the position of a parent that thinks homosexuality is an evil then a homosexual child represents your failure. A loving parent could no more ignore it than they could ignore anything else 'wrong' with their child.

If they see it as learned behaviour i.e. a 'lifestyle choice', like an addiction then intervention in the same way as a parent might put their child in a drug rehab camp would not be an act of hate.

If they see it as a disease then what loving parent wouldn't try everything in their power to 'cure' it.

Unfortunately it's seeing homosexuality as an evil, that is somehow separate from the child and could be removed from them, that is the problem.

I see it as similar to left-handedness which was also considered an evil just a couple of centuries ago. Our very language testifies to the fear people once had of it: 'sinister' = left handed, 'dexterous' = right handed. Even the word 'right' suggests then the opposite is 'wrong'. Parents with a left-handed child did their best to eradicate it or at least hide it for the child's benefit.

We see this as misguided and foolish now and while left-handedness can be inconvenient it's accepted and often celebrated as a sign of creativity (likely equally spurious) and I expect that in a hundred years the worry about sexuality will seem similarly foolish and misguided and parent's will celebrate their child's gift at interior design even if they put orange throw cushions in a crimson room.

Not that we should wait a hundred years of course.

The only solution is for the parents to come to accept that something they fear is an integral part of their child and not harmful to them. Ironically it's the fear that's harmful, not the thing that's feared.

[Liv]

I agree with you, but that doesn't absolve their responsibility.

I'm not a perfect parent, but I try very hard to be one. I may make a wrong decision, but I accept the responsibility for the decisions I make. The problem with what your saying is you're assuming that parents whom handcuff their children and drag them off to be reformated have educated theirselves in any other way than talking to other Christian friends or clergy. In that lies the crime. Ignorance is not an excuse for bad parenting.

I can only speak personally from my observation and my personal situations with friends and families, but very few of the people who have "parented" us have even to this day tried to educate themselves or understand in detail why they could have been wrong.

If you put your hands over your ears and pretend not to listen, that just as well might be hate, because you don't love your children enough to know why they made a decision you don't agree with. That's abuse. That's childish, and that's bad parenting.

[shannon]

Geez, that figures: I'm left handed. Worse than that I have created the next left handed generation as well.

[A Person]

Ignorance is not an excuse for bad parenting

No argument

However I was presenting an explanation rather than an excuse. Parents who, through their wilful ignorance and reliance on faith and delusions, allow a child to suffer and die in agony may well love that child. Unfortunately in their ignorance and delusions they mistakenly think they are doing the best thing for the child.

It's appalling and it makes no difference whether their delusion is thinking homeopathic remedies will cure eczema, prayer and anointing will cure a disease, exorcism will cure homosexuality or beating a child with a rod will raise him as a loving caring adult. In all those cases the parents acts are evil and society has a duty to protect the child, but we should not assume the parent does not love the child.