How does something like a "Pray the Gay Away" camp still exist?
That's always the first question on people's lips when yet another story of a gay person being put through this torture comes up. It comes up so often, you'd think people would stop asking why it happens.
Whether it's family forcing abusive treatment on their teenage child, or whether the gay person elects themself for it, if someone wants it badly enough--these camps ARE available. As public acceptance of LGBTQ folk continues to skyrocket, there are some who double-down in desperation. And when bigots get desperate, people get hurt.
Meet Sarah. She 17 and a lesbian. Her coming out did not go as planned. Her family has remanded her to one of these conversion camps, this time in Texas. She's not allowed phone calls, letters, or internet access. No visitors allowed, either. She tried to leave on her own, but was rounded up by the staff, returned to camp, and punished. Sarah has been 100% severed from the outside world.
Except she isn't without hope. We can help.
Sarah's cousins, one of whom is 'SUPERGIRL' star Jeremy Jordan, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to sue for Sarah's immediate release. The legal bills to do this are staggering. They've only just begun, and the bills have already exceeded $20,000. All the money goes toward the release efforts.
Help Sarah any way you can, either through donation or through sharing her story. Make sure Sarah knows--when she's released someday--that the world didn't forget about her.
And if you're interested in learning more about the ongoing practices of these camps, the depths to which they'll sink, and the extreme perseverance of those who have suffered it, check out Garrard Conley's memoir of his ex-gay therapy, BOY ERASED, released just last month.
