US police accused of paying evangelical couple to turn a gay woman straight

[cleanhippie]

A LESBIAN, who was ordered last year by a court to undergo hospital therapy for her drug addiction, wound up instead in the clutches of an evangelical couple, who were allegedly paid $600 by Bartow County Sheriff’s Department to “cure” her of her homosexuality.

--snip--

The lawsuit also alleges:

At all times relevant to this action, it was the normal procedure, practice and custom of Defendants Bartow County, Brown, and Clark Milsap to harass homosexuals taken into custody, to mandate that homosexuals taken into custody refrain from living as homosexuals, and to forbid them from maintaining any homosexual relationships.

http://freethinker.co.uk/2011/05/28/us-police-accused-of-paying-evangelical-couple-to-turn-a-gay-woman-straight/

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Are the the beliefs I am supposed to respect?

[MineralMan]

1. Nope. You needn't respect those beliefs.

Did someone suggest that you did need to respect them?

Christianity is not a unified religion. It has thousands of sects, each of which has its own beliefs in many different areas.

Some of those beliefs seem to me to be far from the teachings Christianity is supposed to be based on. But, I'm an atheist, so I think it's all superstition anyhow.

[cleanhippie]

2. And there lies the problem.

Did someone suggest that you did need to respect them?


Yes, we are told every day that we must respect people religious beliefs.


Christianity is not a unified religion. It has thousands of sects, each of which has its own beliefs in many different areas.

Which of those different beliefs am I supposed to respect?

[MineralMan]

3. Since you have freedom of religion, you may freely

choose which beliefs to respect.

Nobody can tell you how to think.

[cleanhippie]

4. Yes, I know that.

My point is, that while we ALL may agree that beliefs such as Harold Camping's rapture prophecy deserves no respect, we all do NOT agree that ALL religious beliefs deserve no respect. Everyone seems to think that THEIR beliefs deserve respect, but any belief beyond that is obviously nonsense.

For me, beliefs stand on their own merit. If they are unable to stand up to scrutiny, are hypocritical, delusional, harmful, hateful, exclusive, etc, than I give them no respect at all. And from my point of view, all beliefs stemming from any organized religion meet one or more of those criteria, yet I am supposed to somehow ignore that and be "tolerant" and "respectful"?

[struggle4progress]

5. ... Sheriff Clark Milsap denies all allegations concerning the incident, and laughed when confronted

by local newspaper the GA Voice. He said: 'I haven’t been served (with papers). But, no ma’am, that is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard in my life.' County Commissioner Clarence Brown also declined to comment on the suit because he had not yet seen it ... Ms Booker was arrested and charged later that year for allegedly damaging a police car. She has been in custody ever since.
Lesbian claims police 'took her to evangelical gay conversion therapists instead of drug rehab'
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:38 AM on 27th May 2011
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1391354/Lesbian-claims-police-took-evangelical-gay-conversion-therapists-instead-drug-rehab.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

... The lawsuit, filed May 13 in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia by Amanda Booker, names as defendants Bartow County, Bartow County Commissioner Clarence Brown, Sheriff Clark Milsap and sheriff department employees Mark Mayton, Nathan Gibbs, Pam Ploof and Amanda Pedifer. Individuals Gary Allen Covington, Chris McDowell and Donna Dupree McDowell are also named as defendants ... Attorney Anthony Perrotta, who represents Booker, said ... that Booker has been incarcerated in South Georgia at Pulaski State Prison since October after the Bartow County Sheriff’s Department arrested her and charged her for, among other things, damage to a police vehicle. “She’s not doing well. She’s not getting the care she needs for her drug addiction. She’s hurting,” he said ...
Lawsuit: Sheriff’s department took lesbian drug addict to evangelist instead of rehab
by Dyana Bagby
May 26, 2011 10:26
http://www.thegavoice.com/index.php/news/georgia-news/2703-lawsuit-sheriffs-department-took-lesbian-drug-addict-to-evangelist-instead-of-rehab

[The Magistrate]

6. And Georgia Sheriffs, Sir, Are To Be Believed Without Question In All Things....

[struggle4progress]

7. No, I should not think so. Nor should I think that people, who have drug addiction problems

and theft convictions and an alleged history of damaging public property, are to be believed without question in all things

Unlike many people who post here, I am unable to discern much about the actual facts in such a case, by psychic means or by a quick glance at a couple of articles taken from the Rome News-Tribune and the Georgia Voice



... Booker is currently serving part of a 10-year sentence for a theft conviction. She was apparently on probation in April last year when her family — after being granted a court order — called the Bartow County Sheriff's Office to have her committed to a psychiatric hospital for drug addiction treatment ...
Lesbian Sues Sheriff's Office
May 27, 2011
http://cartersville.patch.com/articles/lesbian-sues-sheriffs-office

[The Magistrate]

8. Religious Families Always Respond So Well To Homosexual Children, Sir

A ten year sentence for theft has an odd air to it, one would definitely want to know more. The circumstances as set forth now smack of deliberate official persecution.

[Leontius]

9. State of Georgia felony theft sentence is one to ten years.

[The Magistrate]

10. So What Draws Ten As Opposed To One, Sir?

The factors are not always related to the severity of the crime, to put it mildly.

[struggle4progress]

11. ... According to Tony Perrotta, attorney for Amanda Booker, the primary goal of the firm is to help

is to help their client gain release from a Georgia state prison ... Booker is currently jailed on theft by taking charges and not due to be released until October 2014. Her attorney said the incarceration is all part of the lawsuit his firm is building ...
Woman: Bartow deputies tried evangelical ‘cure’ to turn her straight
by Lydia Senn, Staff Writer
1 day 17 hrs ago
http://romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/13462606/article-Woman--Bartow-deputies-tried-evangelical-%E2%80%98cure%E2%80%99-to-turn-her-straight?instance=home_news_lead_story