I've always been of the belief that "love" and "hate" are probably the two most overused words in the English language, and I've never been more sure of the first part than after reading about an organization called "Love in Action." LIA is another one of those gay "de-programming" organizations that tries to turn gay people straight, but the major difference is that they work specifically with teenagers -- in other words, kids who aren't legally independent yet and therefore don't have the option of just walking away if they decide that the organization's rules, methods, and/or mission is complete and utter bullshit.
I first read about it this morning on Pandagon, and found another mention by Daily Kos shortly afterward. The "story" seems to be making the blogosphere rounds because one kid has apparently been keeping an online diary of his LIA experience, and it's one of the saddest, most awful things I've ever read. I'm not quite sure how to handle it because the kid's a minor, and I don't want to play any part in him potentially getting in any trouble with the LIA Gestapo, but really, you've got to read this:
I haven't been on a computer, phone, nor have I seen any friends in a week almost-- Soon. Soon, this will be all over. My mother has said the worst things to me for three days straight... three days. I went numb. That's the only way I can get through this. I agree, if you're thinking that these posts might be dramatized.. but the proof of the program's ideas are sitting in the rules. I pray this blows over. I can't take this... noone can... not really, this kind of thing tears you apart emotionally. To introduce THIS subject... I'm not a suicidal person... really I'm not.. I think it's stupid - really. But.. I can't help it, no im not going to commit suicide, all I can think about is killing my mother and myself. It's so horrible. This is what it's doing to me... I have this horrible feeling all of the time... I wish this on no person...
Go to the Daily Kos post and get the inside poop on just how fucked-up this organization is. I'm not always in agreement with Andrew Sullivan on a lot of things, but we see eye to eye on one thing -- this amounts to child abuse. And how this organization can cloak its actions in the motive of Christian "love" is beyond me.
8 comments:
I am near tears for this kid. It's disgusting, at best, the way they're treating these kids. Yes, let's basically beat the gay out of them, because it's that damn easy to choose the people to whom we're attracted. Fucking asshats.
Judging from your previous post, all we need to do for this kid is take him to see Angelina Jolie in a vinyl bustier.
This sucks. :(
Love means never having to say....
... well, shit, I've got nothing.
Reminds me of what Vonnegut said in one of his novels: "Please, a little less love, and a little more human decency." No wonder the book burners hate him.
what I can't fathom is how can a mother come to the point of hating her child so much, to accept the abuse? who convinced her that this was OK, that the end will justify the means? (sounds like Gitmo!) Our children do things which really push the limit, but our love for our children should meet the limit - we might really get ticked at the bad decisions they make (and being gay is not a decision most kids want to make, if it is a decision at all!) but love the child none-the-less.
Yeah,
This one just gets the blood boiling. What kind of parental love is pushing your child to the brink of suicide? The parents should be put in jail (kind of the reverse of what they are putting their kids through, huh?) and the founder of LIA should be...well I won't even go there.
I imagine the parents honestly think they're doing what's best for the kid, but Christ, how on earth do parents get just that brainwashed? I mean, sure, they think they're saving him from hellfire, but it's hardly compassionate to ship your kid off for reprogramming and to teach him to hate who he is. How screwed up. And the fact is, these camps make millions off of the backwards notion that these kids need to be (and can be) "fixed."
"...parents honestly think they're doing what's best for the kid..." As a parent whose children really have pushed the limits, and on occasion passed it, I cannot understand the ability of any loving parent to think this type of decision is good for the kid, (even if the parent was not aware of the physical abuse used, much less the mental abuse of being made to hate your inner self). I may feel like beating the bloody pulp out of them, but I recognize this does nothing good for them, and does bad for our relationship. I have to let them make wrong/bad decisions some times, and make them live with it. At 17, this young man is old enough to be given that opportunity, rather trying to "reprogram" him.
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