MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog

Return of the Green Pebble

By Keith Adams

Last year I had a major manic attack at the end of which I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Throughout the manic episode, which lasted several months, I blogged, and, even posted an essay on this site. Now, fully medicated, and stable, I’m learning day by day, how to live a full life despite the illness.

In a blog entry What Happened Part V – An Encounter With the Void, I describe how I stumbled upon meditation – without at first recognizing it as such – to get me through a horrible night. And in an earlier posting on this website, I wrote an essay called The Green Pebble, recalling how the object I used for meditation took on even more meaning for me afterwards as it led me into discovering a link to my father, and, perhaps, a greater sense of spirituality in my own life.

Spiritual cross-training

A few years ago, through the gifts of desperation and drug addiction, I had the luxury of unplugging from the rat race and immersing myself into a recovery community in South Florida. Not only did I devote myself to the principles and practice recovery, but I was also drawn, intuitively, to a variety of complimentary practices and exercises that I felt would help in my recovery.

Some thoughts on spirituality and anger

Although anger has always been part of the human condition, it may be closer to the surface in GLBT conversations around spirituality and religion than anywhere else in our lives.  It's understandable that anger arises when we experience injustice.  Additionally, modern society seems to give us more opportunity than ever to experience irritation and annoyance.  Traffic, relentless negativism in the news, instantaneous communication that provides us with the opportunity to respond to one another before we’ve had the opportunity to reflect on what we’re communicating…. 

Charles W. Socarides, M.D. (1922 - 2005)

The busy-ness of the holidays has made it easy to miss the passing of noted anti-gay psychoanalyst Charles Socarides.  He was 83 and died on Christmas Day.  The author of books with titles like Homosexuality: A Freedom Too Far, Socarides devoted his professional life to keeping alive the days when psychiatry preyed on the unhappiness of GLBT clients by offering the promise of heterosexuality, if only queer people would stay in analysis long enough.  It was a great racket for shrinks; since gay people aren't sick, they can't get well.  Socarides claimed a "success" rate of about 35%, just high enough to guarantee that our people furnished a very good livelihood for the docs.

Socarides claimed that homosexuality was caused by castraing, angry mothers and cold, distant fathers.  This helped maintain great anxiety among the parents of GLBT folks, since the theory made them responsible for the gayness of their kids.  In an irony shared by many right-wing politicians, Socarides' own son, Richard, is gay -- and was President Clinton's liaison to the GLBT community.

Socarides' work helped make psychoanalysis a sure laugh-line for queer audiences in plays like Angels in America.  While his work lives on in the ex-gay ministries of the religious right, his views were rejected years ago by the vast majority of his professional peers.

"Reparative Therapy" Camp Loses in Court

The story of Zach of LIA/R has long since taken on a life of it's own, to the point that I haven't been tracking it very closely for a while now. So I missed the news this weekend that LIA/R failed to clear its first major hurdle in its lawsuit against the state of Tennessee, as a judge refused to allow LIA/R to continue "treating" people.

A federal judge has refused to allow Love In Action ministry, which counsels gay clients to turn straight, to continue treating people who are mentally ill and require prescription medication.

An injunction was sought against an order from the state Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, which found that the group's two Memphis facilities were controlling patients' access to prescription medication and thus needed to be licensed as a mental health facility.

Love In Action International Inc. has sued the state to oppose being required to get a license. It claims that the facility did not restrict access to medication but kept it in a central location to prevent theft and tampering.

Representatives from LIA/R say they're still hopeful that the courts will rule in their favor. And they could be right. After all, the Salvation Army found a judge to say it's just fine for them to get government funds and discriminate on the basis of religion and sexual orientation. If LIA/R can't find a similar judge in a state as "red" as Tennessee, then don't even deserve to be wingnuts. They'd have to be something dumber.

LIA/R Gets One Week Reprieve

It look likes Love In Action/Refuge (LIA/R) — the “reparative therapy” facility Zach’s parents sent him to when he came out to them — is getting a one week reprieve.

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities has backed down on an order closing a facility that claims to turn gays straight.

The department now is giving the Love In Action facility an additional week to apply for a license or the order will be carried out.

The state contends the group needs a license for the services the group claims to provide and gave it until September 23 to comply. (story) Love In Action Executive Director John Smid said the organization is trying to meet the state’s requirements. but refused to go in any details.

Not much more information than that, I’m afraid. It sounds as if the state of Tennessee is trying to give LIA/R a chance to get their act together. On one hand, it could be that they’re trying to be fair to LIA/R (*shudder*). But it could be that Tennessee is a conservative enough state, that officials are sympathetic enough with LIA/R’s mission to give them a fighting chance to stay open.
Further updates as events. warrant.

Tennessee to Ex-Gay "Ministry": Shut Down

It’s finally happened. The state of Tennessee is ordering Love In Action/Refuge (LIA/R) to shut down it’s “reparative therapy” facilities.

The state Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities has ordered the closing of what it calls two unlicensed personal care facilities run by a Christian group that counsels gays to give up homosexuality.

The state inspected two facilities in Memphis on Aug. 19 and determined Love In Action International Inc. was providing housing, meals and personal care for mentally ill patients without a license, according to a subsequent letter to the organization from the Department of Mental Health.

The department gave Love In Action until Sept. 23 to cease operation of the facilities and apply for a state license.

…If the organization were to continue operating the facilities past the Sept. 23 deadline, it would face criminal penalties that include fines of up to $500 and six months in jail for each day the facilities are determined to be in violation of state laws, Potter said.

Of course, it’s not over yet. As of yesterday LIA/R was still in operation, and they have until Friday to shut down and apply for a license. So we’ll have to wait and see how this unfolds.

Meanwhile, Peter Toscano — a former LIA/R client — has an interesting post up about how LIA/R president John Smid is apparently a minister in his own mind, but not much more.

But John Smid never attended seminary. In fact, the highest degree he holds is a high school diploma. He was handed the title of “Rev.” by Germantown Baptist Church.

John Smid, who never took psych 101 or any college-level counseling course, denounces the American Psychiartic Association’s professional assessment of homosexuality. Not only has he been running a mental health facility without a license, he has done so without the training.

John Smid, who never attended seminary or even audited an undergraduate Bible class, publically expounds on what the Bible has to say about same-gender loving people and false images.

Peter’s seen LIA/R from the inside, so I’m guessing he knows whereof he speaks.

I have to admit, I’m astounded at the possibility that what started as a few blog posts by a scared teenager grew into a blogswarm and then into a media story, and could possibly close down this facility. I’m glad I could play whatever role I might have had in it. Twice now, as a blogger, I’ve been able to play a small role in helping bring media attention to stories that might have otherwise been neglected; Rashawn’s and Zach’s.

Of course, blogging only helps spread the story around, but it can also help move people to action. As Zach’s story spread around the web, more and more people heard it, and some of the took the action of blogging it themselves, alerting their media to the story. As a result, some people got on the phone to the Tennessee Department of Health, and starting the balls rolling in the investigations that just might end up shutting the place down.

Though it’s entirely likely that LIA/R will claim victim status if it’s actually forced to close, and that they might remain open or find a way of reopening if forced to close, I still count this as something of a victory, in terms of using the web to shed light on operations like LIA/R, and to force a change in the way they operate. And because it’s happened once, it can happen again. So, maybe it’s created the possibility that some other gay teenager somewhere might escape having his/her psyche mauled by operations like LIA/R. If so, then it’s definitely worth it.

Via Gay News Blog.

"Reparative Therapy" Facility to Close?

It's been a while since I posted anything about Zach's story, mainly because since his return home I felt it necessary to back off and give him whatever space he needed to work out what he's experienced. Since then, a discussion about whether Zach was controlling his blog or not broke out on a previous post. Zach's blog is now temporarily disabled.

But's that's not what this post is about. It's about the other side of the story, which involves LIA/R being investigated by the Tennessee Department of Health. This evening I got an email from EJ, which linked to his post concerning the outcome of that investigation. The news for LIA/R is not good.

Wapo and the Wacko

The hubby, who's becoming more web savvy, turned me on to this story when I got home this evening. "Did you see who got profiled in the Post?" he asked. I hadn't, so he pointed me towards the Post's profile of "reparative therapist" Richard Cohen.

   

   

"I'm a heterosexual and I want to give somebody hope. I want to say, 'I did it, you can do it, too,' " said Richard A. Cohen, one of the best-known reparative therapists, who practices out of a book-lined office in his home in a modest Bowie neighborhood. Cohen, 52, identifies himself as a former homosexual. He lectures widely, has written three books and serves as president of Parents, Families and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX).

More From Zach

A reader alerted me that Zach has updated his blog again, adding to his first post after his return from LIA/R. I've read through it several times now, and I don't have any doubts about it's authenticity. He sounds like a 16 year old who's been through and is still going through a tough time, particularly at home, and is still sorting it out and trying to find his way through.

It sounds like things haven't necessarily gotten better at home either. His comings and going, his communications and his blogging in particular -- which his father says he doesn't want Zach to do anymore -- are closely monitored by his folks now.
 

Reading it makes me wish there was something I could do. But I don't what that something could be. Maybe send him a message and hope it doesn't get lost in the hundreds of others he's undoubtedly getting? I just don't have any answers here. I just wish there was something I could do to make his situation better.