Come and join Refuge to cure all your addictive behaviours!

[Kairi Li]

http://www.asafeplace.org/

Short version: gay kid comes out to parents, gets thrown into 're-education' program.

Long version (ganked from the post to MetaFilter): "If I do come out straight I'll be so mentally unstable and depressed it wont matter.. I'll be back in therapy again. This is not good--"
Teenage boy comes out to parents, sent to straight camp. Refuge, located in Memphis, TN, is a division of Love in Action, Intl, a program created to treat "addictions" like homosexuality. Run by John Smid, parents can ship their kids there in hopes that particular brand of Jesus will cure The Gay. The program's rules are . . . interesting. Kids may be placed in virtual isolation at any time (not allowed to communicate with others except in writing, and only when "absolutely necessary"), must be accompanied by a parent at all times when off-campus (even to the restroom), and undergo a "False Image" search every morning to ensure they are not carrying any articles that may interfere with their "affirmed gender identity". Not that we're supposed to know any of this--the rules are sent to the parents with the note to keep them from the child.

The boy is inside the program now. A protest is being held outside the facility--Cherry Blossom Special covers it here.


Taken from http://www.livejournal.com/community/danger_army/90051.html

Just when I thought Religion cannot be more f**ked up... This IMO should be illegal.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=7428306 &Mytoken=20050604221047

Just read the blog of that poor kid, religion seems to do nothing but supressing people and making sure they follow the rules with no freewill of their own so they can become just as narrowminded like any other religious person.

No offense to anyone who is religious, but really, If this is what religion does to people, then I rather not have it...

[Matt Cruea]

While I wouldn't do anything like that and I think it's dumb, the parents do have the right to raise their child however they'd like.

However, the child also now has A) Good reason to hate his parents, and B) Good reason to sue them for emotional damages ten or so years down the line.

[Matt Alan]

While I wouldn't do anything like that and I think it's dumb, the parents do have the right to raise their child however they'd like.

However, the child also now has A) Good reason to hate his parents, and B) Good reason to sue them for emotional damages ten or so years down the line.

I applaud you sir.

[Cefaclor]

"religion seems to do nothing but supressing people and making sure they follow the rules with no freewill of their own so they can become just as narrowminded like any other religious person."

I think Im going off on a tangent here, but on one hand religion is a form a stability and order and peace. On the other its a way to make people comform to the ways of society. To make you a zombie person!!! gasp* Iits just the way society works. And its not just religion, its your parents, the media, everyone!!! THEY'RE ALL AGENTS OF MANIPULATION! AAAAaaaA!


...
yeah, so anyway :D

[McCorvic Sucks]

I've known some kids who've been thrown into those "re-education" camps. Who needs to try and make the religious right seem evil when they do all the work themselves?

And while I'd say that parents have a "right" to raise their kids the way they want, I'd say these camps are VERY abusive mentally (and pssibly physically?). You can claim all you want that parents have a right to beat their kids with extension cords to beat the devil out of them...but those parents also deserve to be in jail.

[Yami no Kitsune]

He's 16. In the UK he'd be considered an adult, so this is not a child we're talking about. This kid is practically grown up, and even if he wasn't I don't understand why any parent would do that to their child... EVER. "Oh my God, you're not right! You need fixed!" How could anyone say these things to their child who they brought into the world and loves them?

Never mind about religion, that's just sick. And the kids are told not to talk about their "therapy" and the parents are told not to ask about it either. That tells me that stuff they don't want the outside world to know is going on.

[Tom]

I saw that page yesterday. I can't believe a parent would subject their child to something like that. I feel sorry for the kid and pray that he doesn't come out of there a fucked up mess.

As far as religion goes though, I don't believe religion itself is a big problem. Religion doesn't do this to people. People are already like this. It's what people do to religion that is a problem. They use religion as a tool and a shield to give themselves false reason to do whatever they want to do.

[McCorvic Sucks]

As far as religion goes though, I don't believe religion itself is a big problem. Religion doesn't do this to people. People are already like this. It's what people do to religion that is a problem. They use religion as a tool and a shield to give themselves false reason to do whatever they want to do.

Truth. People do the same for anything too...poltics, science, ect ect. They get so involved in a belief that they decide to suspend all reason and punish all non-believers.

We all just have to learn to never take ourselves that seriously.

[ClymAngus]

Remember we love you, you only think the way you do because Satan has gotten into your head and in his endless battle for souls he will stop at nothing. We will keep you away from those who would seek to poison your mind, starve you if we have to, keep you awake. We will make your thoughts right again however long it takes. We are pacient, because we know we are right. You are incapable of helping your self, you are weak.You don't even know your ill. So we will help you think correctly again and when it's all over and done, you will thank us. You will be corrected.

All sounds above board and tickety-boo to me, so where do I sign up?

[fukkatsu]

I think more then anything the ignorance of people in this frightens me the worst. I think religion could be a wonderful thing if people didn't use it and abuse it. That goes for everything else in the world as well. Fear is a scary thing and because of the parents fear they have sent their child to be mentally scarred and now he will never be able to have a normal relationship with them. It is all sad really.