FREE ZACH--Gay Tenn. teenager held in brainwashing camp--

[Douglas Carpenter]

Here is the story about the camp :

http://www.mikeditto.com/archives/kudos_to_queer_action_coalition


A Tennessee-based religious organization euphemistically called “Love in Action” is running a brainwashing camp for gay kids.


"“shaming sessions”, where the clients have to, once a day, describe in emotional detail “sinful activities” they’d partaken in…these sessions were then extended to having to describe these things in front of 50 or 60 people on “friends and family” nights, where the family was encouraged to shame them, not be supportive."


Here is 16 year-old Zach's blog:


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

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It takes about two minutes to sent up an account and send him a message of support.




--------------------------FREE ZACH NOW!!----------------------------

This was just posted on his website:

FREE ZACH!
Start writing now--Media info below


Congressmember
Marsha Blackburn
Email Address: [email protected]

Congressmember
Harold E. Ford, Jr.

Email Address: [email protected]

City of Memphis
Mayor Willie W. Herenton

Web Form: http://www.cityofmemphis.org/framework.aspx?page=554

Memphis City Attorney
Sara Hall

Email Address: [email protected]

Memphis Chamber of Congress

R. Marc Jordan

President and CEO

Email Address:

[email protected]

Suzanne Dangerfield

Executive Assistant to the President

Email Address: [email protected]



John Threadgill

Chief Administrative Officer

Email Address: [email protected]





Memphis City Schools Board of Education


Stephanie Gatewood
District 1

Email Address: [email protected]



Deni C. Hirsh
District 2

Email Address: [email protected]


Patrice Jordan Robinson
District 3
Email Address: [email protected]

Michael Hooks, Jr.
District 4

Email Address: [email protected]

Dr. Jeff Warren
District 5

Email Address: [email protected]



Carl Johnson, Sr.
District 6
Email Address: [email protected]

Tomeka R. Hart
District 7

Email Address: [email protected]

President:
Wanda M. Halbert
At-Large Pos. 1

Email Address: [email protected]

Vice-President:
Sara L. Lewis
At-Large Pos. 2

Email Address: [email protected]

The Office of the Honorable Al Gore
2100 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

-----------------------MEMPHIS MEDIA LIST----------------------------

SPREAD THE WORD!

WHBQ TV 13 – (FOX)

[email protected]

WLMT TV 30 - (UPN)

Eyewitness News:

News Room E-mail
[email protected]

Jim Turpin
News Director
[email protected]

Bridget Lovelle
Asst. News Director - Editorial
[email protected]

WMC TV 5 - (NBC)

Peggy Phillip, News Director

[email protected]

Mike Truett, Assignment Editor, Nights

[email protected]

Brad Seessel, Assignment Editor, Days

[email protected]

Jeramia Trotter, Assignment Editor, Weekends

[email protected]

WPTY TV 24 - (ABC)

Eyewitness News:

News Room E-mail
[email protected]

Jim Turpin
News Director
[email protected]


Bridget Lovelle
Asst. News Director - Editorial
[email protected]

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[OneBlueSky]

2. significant discussion already underway here . . .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3833616&mesg_id=3833616

[evlbstrd]

3. Not just Zach. Free them all!

Does anyone remember Anita Bryant, former Miss America and orange juice spokesthing?
She proposed gay re-education camps in the 70's. Gay people at the time joked that they'd like nothing more than to put together in a campground setting.
It's not a joke now.

[DBoon]

4. I promise never to call these people fascists again

they are starting to look a lot more like the khmer rougue.

[MnFats]

5. Good God (no irony intended!) This place is a fuggin' Gitmo ...

...for gay kids, or kids who simply haven't figured out what's what in their lives.
...this is an obscenity. the idea that young people could be forced into this against their will....this should be stopped.
in the morning I'm going to start hitting up as many of the listed addresses as I possibly can.
.....Gulag.
.....as a church member and a parent i can't imagine the cruelty inflicted on one's own children. it's the CAMP and people behind it who are sick.

[Beware the Beast Man]

6. Excellent work. Thanks!

I really feel for this kid right now. Did any of you read the e-mail of rules he received? It's terrifying.

[tmorelli415]

12. Is this for real?

he's been held hostage by fundamentalists since January, but his parents and the wardens don't know he's posting pleas to the national media on his blog? It may be legit, but could also be sponsored by the anti- Love in Action activists as a way to make their point. It makes me a little uncomfortable if he really is a 16 y/o boy broadcasting his sexuality on the Internet to be used for a public cause. I'm not sure any 16 y/o boy knows what he's getting into when he does this kind of thing.

[Beware the Beast Man]

15. That crossed my mind as well, but

even if it is anti-LIA protestors, the fact that such a place even exists is repulsive.

[johnaries]

7. They need to be investigated by TN DCS.

Here's the contact info for the Shelby County Regional Administrator;

Antionette Holman
[email protected]
170 North Main Street, 4th Floor
Memphis, TN 38103
[phone] or 578-4024
Fax: [phone] or [phone]
Counties Include: Shelby

According to the website, "Emotional Abuse includes verbal assaults, ignoring and indifference or constant family conflict. If a child is degraded enough, the child will begin to live up to the image communicated by the abusing parent or caretaker."
http://www.state.tn.us/youth/cps/whatis.htm
These "shaming sessions" sure sound like they qualify to me!

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. SIGN THE PETITION TO FREE ZACH!!

SIGN THE PETITION TO FREE ZACH

Here is the link:

http://www.petitiononline.com/FeeZach/petition.html

[silverojo]

9. What this kid needs to do

The moment this bullsh*t is done, he's got to pack his stuff and run away. I'm serious, he couldn't be in worse danger than he is right now. There are non-Jesus-junkie shelters out there, where he could stay till he's an adult, and study for his GED in the meantime. Then get a job, and wait several years to throw his parents in a hellhole nursing home...being sure to introduce his latest boyfriend to them, first. These bastards DO NOT deserve to have a bright kid like this!

[newyawker99]

14. Hi silverojo!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[undergroundpanther]

16. When you run away

They call the police and chase you with dogs

I was"treed" when I tried to run away from the mental hospital.I left because of the behavior mod staff was doing,it was unbearable and if Xack splits,they might go after him.

Kids have no rights, evidences as when thier parents can ship them off to mental hospitals that subjecvt them to psychological torture to make them"be good..This is for your own good evil.

Likewise Gay reducation camp is from looking at the"program"just like the behavior modification programs for youth and young adults at mental hospitals,These fascist conditions exist for EVERY adolesent in mental hospitals sans the religion rationalizing for it.

I spent over 6 months in a little isolation room because I wouldn't obey the staff...After I was let out, I was drugged up on thorizine and forced to sit at a table and stay awake on an empty deathly quiet unit everyday with nothing to do,(the other kids were in school) or be forced back into the room or forgo dinner.It was hell and I have PSTD for it.. I cannot stand plain white walled rooms to this day.
Also at a hospital I was at they did have a sexual reducation class tthat was triggering and horrifying to me.Because I confewssed to my therapist at the time I had no gender and I was not female. I kept my mouth shut about gedner for years.But I could not pretend forever.

This is how these hellholes operate. Look to the mental health consumer movement and disability rights they know how to fight these pigs better than anyone.

http://www.mindfreedom.org/
http://www.ragged-edge-mag.com/
by state:
http://my.webmd.com/hw/mental_health/shc73.asp

This has been going on a long long time folks under different guises.

[AlienGirl]

10. This is just horrifying

It's horrifying that this can happen in our country, but even more horrifying to me that his *parents* chose to do this to him. I am a parent, and I can't imagine doing something like this to try to change the essential nature of my kids. (Even if they were voting Republican or something.) :scared: It truly boggles my mind.

Tucker

[Must_B_Free]

11. Sessions of salivating over detailed descriptions of gay deviance?

how kinky - so it's like a vicarious christian porn shame orgy.

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. more articles about Zach and camp horror

The Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/10/20406/0177

The Republic of T: this includes several links about Zach's case including a video clip from about the program from WMCTV:

http://www.republicoft.com/index.php/archives/2005/06/11/more-on-zacks-story/


WMCTV-Memphis report: click on "Scared Straight"

http://wmctv.com/Global/SearchResults.asp?qu=scared+straight&x=17&y=9