(no subject)
Feelin' gay? Get repaired (as you can well see has happened to the "ex-gays" in the photographs accompanying The New York Times piece) and be a heterosexual again! Or just get really depressed and kill yourself.
That's essentially the premise of these homosexual reparation ministries: if we can't fix you, we'll definitely harm your mental health enough to keep you out of commission (or the voter lines).
The New York Times ran a story yesterday on a homosexual reparation ministry, and today Salon ran a story. Both stories mention "Zach," a gay teenager from Tennessee who was sent to one of these ministries unwillingly by his parents. His blog is here (check out the ministry's rules): http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=7428306&Mytoken=20050604221047
One question: It's obvious that these groups are taking part in "therapy." No matter what words they remove from their Web sites or how they attempt to cover their asses, these groups are selling themselves as helping institutions -- indeed, their national group is known by the acronym NARTH, for National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality. So the children's protective agencies (and mental health licensing agencies) of states in which these ministries operate should immediately hold investigations to ensure the ministries are meeting state regulatory standards.
What kind of parent sends a kid into any sort of rehab without first making sure there are licensed medical professionals trained to deal with his or her child's needs on the grounds at all times?
That's essentially the premise of these homosexual reparation ministries: if we can't fix you, we'll definitely harm your mental health enough to keep you out of commission (or the voter lines).
The New York Times ran a story yesterday on a homosexual reparation ministry, and today Salon ran a story. Both stories mention "Zach," a gay teenager from Tennessee who was sent to one of these ministries unwillingly by his parents. His blog is here (check out the ministry's rules): http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=7428306&Mytoken=20050604221047
One question: It's obvious that these groups are taking part in "therapy." No matter what words they remove from their Web sites or how they attempt to cover their asses, these groups are selling themselves as helping institutions -- indeed, their national group is known by the acronym NARTH, for National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality. So the children's protective agencies (and mental health licensing agencies) of states in which these ministries operate should immediately hold investigations to ensure the ministries are meeting state regulatory standards.
What kind of parent sends a kid into any sort of rehab without first making sure there are licensed medical professionals trained to deal with his or her child's needs on the grounds at all times?