Petition to demand Congress investigate ex-gay "gulags"

[kweerwolf]

As many of you are probably already aware, a 16-year-old Tennessee youth has been forced by his parents to enroll in a fundamentalist-based "ex-gay" ministry called Refuge (which is affiliated with James Dobson's Love in Action group).

A number of threads have been started on the plight of Zach, such as this one: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3833616

Over the past few years we've seen a proliferation of such programs as the religious right continues to insist - erroneously - that sexual orientation is a choice. Today young people such as Zach are being forced to enter these programs where they undergo mental and physical abuse at the hands of a leader who has been quoted as saying he'd rather see a child commit suicide than leave the program and return to "the gay lifestyle."

I believe Congress should conduct an investigation of these anti-gay programs and protect the rights of young people from the kind of parents who would send a son or daughter there and from the kinds of psychologically harmful and damaging abuse conducted by ex-gay programs.

To that end I have started an online petition. If you are so moved to check it out and sign it, the petition is located at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/xgay1111/petition.html

[karlrschneider]

1. Signed (No. 2)

..

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. done

[Bill McBlueState]

3. would it be better to contact a particular representative?

You might do better contacting a sympathetic member of Congress rather than addressing the petition to "US Congress" as a whole. Or a member of the Tennessee legislature, if there are any queer-friendly members.

You could have a big effect, but try to get one or two legislators on your side, then they can make your concerns known to the rest.

[kweerwolf]

6. I considered sending this to Al Gore since Zach is from Tennessee ...

... but in the end I felt it might be better to leave it addressed to the the Congress since these programs are all over the country. I will, however, be contacting Gore's office directly (as well as other members of Congress) and expressing my concern about this issue.

I'm in Missouri and will be sending it to my Rep and Senators (not that it will do much good to contact Kit Bond and Jim Talent-less about it).

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Al Gore is NO LONGER a member of the Hill

[kweerwolf]

8. Oh d'uh! What was I thinking of?

LOL ... I knew that, but it was just so automatic to connect Gore with Tennessee.

In the parlance of the young folk: my bad!

:dunce:

[yankeedem]

9. How about sending it to Barney Frank

and any other gay members of Congress you can find, like David Dreier /snark

[libnnc]

4. Kick this, dammit.

signed and done.

[ck4829]

5. kick

[Lilyhoney]

10. BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER

I am truely sorry for what is being imposed on Zach.

But on a lighter note you should watch the movie "But I'm A Cheerleader". It is about sending the gay youth to a school to reform them. Also the movie "Saved" is well put together. Both are comedies but I think that the message being sent is serious.

We can spend only so much time being angry at the religious right so spend a few hours laughing at them.

[kweerwolf]

11. I've seen "But I'm a Cheerleader" ...

... and yes, it is hysterical in places. It took me a couple of viewings before I realized how "suggestive" the butch cardboard silouhette cutouts were. (Check out the one of the guy holding a gun on the kneeling figure and you'll see what I mean.) "Saved" is pretty good, too.

One other film that deals with religious attempts to turn gays straight is "Latter Days" in which a young Mormon missionary is sent off after being caught kissing a gay neighbor. It's far from a comedy, but it is worth a look.