Love In Action

Love In Action, or LIA, is an ex-gay, Christian ministry founded in 1973 by Frank Worthen, John Evans, and Kent Philpott. [ [http://www.loveinaction.org/default.aspx?pid=103 History] retrieved April 14, 2007] After Evans's friend Jack McIntyre committed suicide out of despair about his inability to change, Evans left the project and denounced it as dangerous. He was quoted by the "Wall Street Journal" (April 21, 1993) as saying: "They're destroying people's lives. If you don't do their thing, you're not of God, you'll go to hell. They're living in a fantasy world."

Shortly after founding the group, Philpott wrote "The Third Sex?", which claimed that his patients had successfully changed their sexual orientation through prayer. Some of his patients challenged these assertions; however, Philpott stated it was God's will that the book be written. Four members of the group, including Evans, filed suit for misrepresentation. Shortly after, Philpott had the book removed from the market.

In July 2005, Evans wrote a letter to current LIA director John Smid regarding the controversial activities of LIA. [http://www.waynebesen.com/columns/2005/07/love-in-action-co-founder-my-ministry.html]

Beginning in late 2005, the Tennessee-based Love in Action facility was the focus of a legal dispute which was settled with a compromise.

Zach Stark controversy

In June 2005, a 16-year-old Tennessee boy, Zach Stark, posted a blog entry on his MySpace site, part of which includes:

Somewhat recently, as many of you know, I told my parents I was gay... Well today, my mother, father, and I had a very long "talk" in my room where they let me know I am to apply for a fundamentalist christian program for gays. They tell me that there is something psychologically wrong with me, and they "raised me wrong." I'm a big screw up to them, who isn't on the path God wants me to be on. So I'm sitting here in tears, joing" () "the rest of those kids who complain about their parents on blogs - and I can't help it.Fact|date=August 2008

The program Stark noted is a Love In Action-run camp known as Refuge. The subsequent protests drew both extensive local media attention and international interest, with individuals from Europe, America, and elsewhere getting involved.

Attention has also focused on the rules of Love In Action which, like most Christian camps, includes dress codes and bans on several forms of communication with the outside world and television. In a May 30 entry on Stark's blog, he posted the rules of the Refuge program. Under the heading Hygiene, it says, "1. All clients must maintain appropriate hygiene, including daily showering, use of deodorant, and brushing teeth twice daily."

In addition to the nature of the rules themselves, opposition to the course focused on Starkbeing sent to the camp against his wishes and against a background of existing concerns over ex-gay ministries such as Love In Action.

Stark's original two-week stay in the Love in Action program was extended to eight weeks. On August 1, Stark deleted his old material and began a new blog, which began with the following paragraph:

This isn't going to become my life. I won't let it. There's more to me than this. I've erased the original blogs. I know they're still out there somewhere, but the originals aren't. I haven't been able to see all of the news, newspaper, magazine, etc. articles and such, so I don't know exactly what to say. Currently I feel annoyed towards a lot of things. Love In Action has been misrepresented and what I have posted in my blogs has been taken out of perspective and context. I don't take back the things I've said, nor am I going to pretend like it never happened. It did. I refuse to deal with people who are only focused on their one-sided (biased) agendas. It isn't fair to anyone. I'm very frustrated with the things going on in my life now, but everyone has their issues. Homosexuality is still a factor in my life--- it's not who I am, it never has been. Those of you who really know me, know that homosexuality was always there but it didn't run my life, and it will not now.Fact|date=August 2008

On August 14, Stark updated his blog, stating that LIA had not pressured him into doing anything and he got along well with most of the clients there. He said his parents no longer let him hang out with girls as friends because it was unhealthy and that his father had asked him to stop blogging.

Allegations and investigation

A Tennessee investigation against the camp began shortly after Stark's story appeared online. As of June 28 2005, the investigation has been dropped, with Tennessee officials citing a lack of evidence of child abuse at the facilities. "Department of Children's Services dispatched its special investigations unit to the facility, and after conducting a full investigation, determined that the child abuse allegations were unfounded," Rob Johnson, an agency spokesman, told the Associated Press. [cite news | first=Rose | last=Palazzolo | title=Ex-gay camp investigation called off | date=2005-06-28 | accessdate=2006-04-11 | publisher=ABC News | url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=878912&page=1 ] Campaigners for the Queer Action Coalition who aim to have LIA close down, have made allegations of corruption. On September 12,2005 the Tennessee-based Love in Action facility was determined by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health to have been operating two "unlicensed mental health supportive living facilities.cite news | first=Eartha Jane | last=Melzer | title=Gay teen to be released from Tenn. ex-gay facility | date=2005-07-22 | accessdate=2006-04-11 | publisher=Washington Blade | url=http://www.washblade.com/2005/7-22/news/national/gayteen.cfm ] LIA stopped accepting the mentally ill and dispensing medications and, in February 2006, the state of Tennessee ceased legal action. [cite news | first=Ben | last=Popper | title=Love in court | date=2006-02-10 | accessdate=2006-04-11 | publisher=Memphis Flyer | url=http://www.memphisflyer.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A12034 ]

Love in Action sued the state of Tennessee for discrimination against their ministry. [http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3546] The suit was settled [cite web
title=Agreed order of dismissal
url=http://www.loveinaction.org/media/documents/Dismissal.pdf
accessdate=2006-11-06] on October 27, 2006. Tennessee agreed that Love in Action would not need licensing as a mental health facility, and LIA agreed to make sure none of its employees administered or regulated the medication of its clients. The state of Tennessee was told to pay Love in Action's legal fees.

Follow Up

In June, 2007, LIA discontinued the Refuge program. [cite web|title=Exodus Ex-Gay Boot Camp Discontinues Live-In Youth Program|url=http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/2007/07/exodus-ex-gay-boot-camp-discontinues-live-in-youth-program/|publisher=Ex-Gay Watch|date=2007-07-01|accessdate=2007-07-02]

On July 5, 2007, Love in Action announced the initiation of "Family Freedom Intensive", a monthly four-day program for parents with teens struggling with "same-sex attraction, pornography, and/or promiscuity." Teenagers who decide they would like to join their parents may be considered for inclusion. [cite web|title="Refuge" Becomes "Family Freedom Intensive"|url=http://www.loveinaction.org/default.aspx?pid=148|publisher=Love In Action|date=2007-07-05|accessdate=2007-07-12]

As of 2008, Zach Stark has accepted his homosexuality and appears in the documentary "This Is What Love in Action Looks Like". [ [http://planetout.com/news/article.html?2008/05/12/1 "Can gays, 'ex-gays' find common ground?"] ] [ [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0853155/ "This Is What Love in Action Looks Like"] ]

Other Controversies

* In Tennessee in 1995, a 16-year-old gay male sought legal emancipation from his parents because they were forcing him to attend reorientation counseling with a Memphis psychologist, Dr. Duff Wright. They intended to send him to either Love in Action, or another similar program. The Memphis Circuit Court judge agreed that the boy would be harmed by this treatment and indicated that he would sign the emancipation order. In a settlement agreement, the parents abandoned their plans to send the boy to treatment. [cite news
first=Eartha
last=Melzer
title=Tenn. opens new probe of ‘ex-gay’ facility: Experts say children should not be forced into counseling
url=http://www.washblade.com/2005/7-1/news/national/tenopen.cfm
publisher=Washington Blade
date=2005-07-01
accessdate=2007-08-28 ] In April 2005, Wright lost his license to practice as a psychologist, due to a get-rich-quick scheme that resulted in an $81,000 loss to a client. [cite web
url=http://www2.state.tn.us/health/licensure/displaypdf.asp?profcode=1410&licen=888&thedate=4/13/05
title=Consent Order (In the matter of Duff R. Wright, Ph.D., Respondent)
accessdate=2007-08-28
date=2005-04-13
publisher=State of Tennessee, Department of Health]

* In October 2005, the father of 17-year old DJ Butler drove him to the camp in handcuffs.cite news
first=Ben
last=Popper
title=Love in Court: Gay-to-straight ministry and the state go to court
url=http://memphisflyer.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A12034
publisher=Memphis Flyer
date=2006-02-10
accessdate=2007-08-28 ] In February 2006, Tennessee authorities, unwilling to pursue further actions against Love in Action, closed the case.

References

External links

* http://www.loveinaction.org - Love in Action's Official Web Site