Alert reader Regan brought this story to my attention. The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has concluded it’s investigation and announced allegations of child abuse at Love In Action are unfounded.
The story at SoVo contains little new information except director Smid claims the allegations were never described to him.
John Smid, executive director of Love in Action, said the allegations were never described to him but he assumed they involved a complaint of psychological abuse.
Gotta say, as a former DCS worker here in Los Angeles, Tennessee DCS is totally wacked. Perhaps Tennessee Family Courts don’t recognize “emotional abuse” as a valid category, but, despite all of its other flaws, California DCS would have closed that “refuge” down.
Idiots.
This is it? Don’t they need to issue a report? Or at least some sort of public statement? Somehow this seems incredibly slipshod. I sincerely hope that there will be more information coming out.
The usual practice is not to issue a public report (on privacy grounds).But, how utterly predictable.* LIA hides behind “It’s the parents who decide”,* DCS(TN) is, I don’t doubt, very wary about stepping into religiously-inspired programs even if they are claptrap and even if they do bend 95% of their clients out of shape (we’re talking buckle of the bible belt here), and* the person at whom this is all directed is unlikely to be in any position to refuse or make trouble. Nope, we only get to hear from them years after it’s all blown over.This simply indicates that stronger guidance is needed from the professional bodies (and, as Jodi mentioned, this does alter how a DCS will respond if the grounds for intervening are better defined). Even if that is forthcoming, some parents will still select to do this type of thing to their children. What we need is the numbers of that type of parent to be minimal.The important outcome from all this is, IMO, having had Exodus revealed as an organisation that has no qualms about clients who are forced (let alone coerced) to attend. A change in the Supreme Court, an Opinion overturned… and next we’ll be talking about adults being forced into programs. Just like they were not that long ago.Choice? — yaah, shure (that’s for Daleea…)[And now we also see where the “Adolescents are too young to make a choice to be gay” statements from NARTH/Throckmorton/FOF end up.]
What, they’re done already? This stinks of a whitewash.
This is terrible; believe me, if I could, I’d adopt the child and actually show these parents what being a parent is *REALLY* about – ensuring that the child grows up and becomes the best he can be given his abilities.
Maybe he’ll find support from a caring family out there, willing to take him, after the torture he will be experiencing at this brain washing camp he has been sent on.
The problem may be simply that the Welfare and Institutions Code, or whatever similar controlling law guides TN DCS, doesn’t have a section covering “emotional abuse” as does the California code.
In California, the WIC has, off the top of my head, seven subsections, that detail what constitutes abuse. (WIC section 300, I believe.) One of those is emotional abuse. It’s really hard to prove in court, even with the the lower standard of burden the guides Family Court. However, locking a bunch of 14 to 17 year olds up in a church for weeks on end, telling them how horrible they are for being gay, makes a pretty good case for such abuse.
At least it does in Los Angeles….
Now the one thing I’m a little confused by is if the kids at the LIA brainwashing camp go home daily or weekly. How involved are the parents in the LIA program?
I was in Memphis this weekend for the protests and to perform and speak about my experience in the “ex-gay” movement, and no one was that surprised that the investigation came up empty.
Children do not have rights. Bottom line.
But the stigma of this investigation will always be there, regardless of the outcome. Yes, we are innocent until proven guilty in the US, but in reality, once someone is investigated, they live with a stain.
Something may not be illegal but that does not make it moral. Once this story spreads further into the main stream media, decent Americans of all stripes will be shocked to hear of teens forced to attend identity changing programs.
Okay here’s where the problems come in and (possibly) why the TN DCS didn’t proceed any further.
Even here in Los Angeles, Emotional Abuse is a tough one to prove. If a kid is being well fed, cared for, parents show appropriate concern, aren’t beating them or sexually molesting them, then just calling the kid evil for being gay might not be enough to remove the kid from the home.
DCS — here in LA in DCFS — despite the popular conception, doesn’t like to remove children from homes. They try to do everything possible to keep children with family or family members, even friends of the family, all in an effort to keep as normal a homelife as possible for a kid.
In Zach’s case, by all appearances, his parents took excellent care of him, he did well in school, and didn’t have any problems with the law or the like. Dropping him off daily at a Summer Camp for Bigots — the social worker on the case would really need to go to bat to show that it was bad for the child.
When I was doing case work, I would have fought for this kid and the others there. I — and anyone else out there — can make a strong case that what his parents are doing is psychologically disruptive and damaging, and would have martialed a bitch load of facts, figures, and testimony to make the case stick. I know I could have gotten him out of there for at least 72 hours, the amount of time between detaining him and the time everyone would appear before the judge. Beyond that though, it’s really a tough call.
I said before that another avenue to pursue would have been filing a complaint with the state licensing board. I really doubt that LIA has any of the necessary permits or licenses to operate as a therapeutic center. Even claims to pursuing pastoral counseling must meet some minimum requirements in TN. Might or might not work, but it would tie them up in investigations for a while.
Ok, I hate to say it, but I do kinda agree with the State on this one.
I don’t much like the idea that the State would come in and say “I don’t agree with the religion you are teaching your kid. I think it’s damaging to his psyche. I’m taking over here”.
That just opens up things for the State to say the exact same thing to churches that are supportive of their gay kids (“I think these pro-homosexual teachings are encouraging your child into dangerous behavior. I’m taking over here”)
When deciding things of a religious nature, I think it’s always best to assume that the religion supported by any power structure will probably not be one that’s looking out for my best interest. When my father (a Penticostal minister) was toying with the idea that the church should be more political, I asked him, “Dad, when they decide to pick what religious beliefs the government is going to support, do you really think they’re going to be yours?” After that he pretty much opposed any efforts to connect church and state.
I tend to agree, Timothy. Although I believe ex-gay treatment can be very harmful, I suspect it would be very difficult to prove that it leads to the emotional abuse indicators, depression and suicide ideation, described in The Blade article . The ex-gay ministry defense could be that these were pre-existing conditions and are not caused by their faith program.
I wonder if anything will ever result from the DSC spokesperson’s observation that Love In Action’s program may require licensing. I don’t know anything about Tennessee’s requirements for practicing psychological or pastoral counseling, but it doesn’t seem that LIA or its staff hold any type of certification (other than a drug addictions counselor).
RE: Timothy
The issue isn’t about state interference with religious practices, it is about the action of offering the service, the issue is the forceful detention of the child, the exposure of the child to mental and verbal abuse at the hand of unqualified people.
If a religion wishes to practice a ‘deflowering ceremony’ on a 12 year old girl, should the state stand back, and allow a child to be sexually violated? of course not.
It is the instance here; there is a child being abused at the hands of people, WHO the parents KNEW would subject their child to unacceptable verbal and mental harassment; I don’t know about you, but its a pretty open and shut case.
The parents knowing allowed a third party to abuse their child, therefore, the parents should lose rights to their child(ren) and LIA to be shut down and any other camps like that, to be kicked out of Tennessee – demonstrate once and for all that child abuse is NOT wanted.
Tennessee seems to be progressive in some areas where protection of public health and welfare is in direct opposition to religious practice.
Tennessee has some of the strongest legislation against taking up serpents.
It is not just Tennessee. Courts have often stepped in to protect children from religious practices. The court’s view is that religion’s practices that may harm a minor are not permissible. and therefore could not have consented. I am not sure if/how this would play in an ex-gay setting as this is a lot less clear than say forcing Pentecostal children to receive vaccines or forcing children of Jehovah’s witnesses to receive blood transfusions
This is really a grassroots effort- I’ve been working hard to spread the word of this petition in support of regulating the behavior modification industry, which places that practice reparative ‘therapy’ sometimes fall into. It’s a small step, but perhaps will bring us closer to ending the abuse that goes on in this booming yet unregulated industry. Please help our youth become empowered, not stifled and abused!
Please sign and spread the word as much as possible!
See for description and other info on End Institutionalized Child Abuse Act of 2005 (Hr 1738) here:
https://www.nospank.net/g-miller.htm
Please sign Petition ! ! ! !:
https://www.petitiononline.com/hr1738/petition.html
Are you a Mental Health Professional/Child Mental Health Advocate or concerned Parent, here is a sign-on letter in support of Hr1738:
https://www.unmarriedamerica.org/emancipation/legislation/pinto-letter.htm
(Youth one soon to come)
Article written By Allison Pinto, Phd on the topic
“Exploitation in the Name of Specialty Schools”
https://www.nospank.net/pinto.htm
Taskforce of mental health professionals who are concerned:
https://cfs.fmhi.usf.edu/cfsnews/2005news/A_START.html
“New York Times Underplays Boot Camp Abuse, Lack of Success”
By: Maia Szalavitz
https://www.stats.org/record.jsp?type=news&ID=510