I know a few kids in the past few years (since 2007) who were sent to "pray away the gay" camps. I do not know the outcome. I begged the parents not to do it. I know one place was Love in Action. Another one of my kids was sent to Fundie TBS because he had sex with his long term gf more than once. He wasn't even a "playa."
I am ashamed to say my cousin did this with his son about 12 years ago. What a stigma he placed directly on his sons back. Not only did this young man already feel different but then being sent away to a Catholic Religious camp or whatever you called it, did not help him at all. He cried every day he was there until our grandmother stepped in and said if they did not take him out of there she was. Go Gramma. (I so loved that woman, way ahead of her time, another Elenore Roosevelt)
They picked him up the following day.
This all happened because his older brother (my age-51) was gay and died of aids back in the early 80's. His brother was very flamboyant as were many back then in and around the Boston, P-town area, he was a bit promiscuous and possibly died from having unprotected sex. Does this mean only gay people were subjected to this, hell no, hetero's were just as susceptible to aids if having sex was done unprotected.
I tried to tell him that his son had no choice in the matter of his sexual preference, like I had no choice in mine. I am heterosexual and know I did not choose this.
I remember growing up with my cousin (his older brother), he was a big guy 6'4" about 225lbs., good looking (could have had any girl he wanted, they were throwing themselves at him) and had a great personality. I asked him all the questions a guy would asked another guy about being gay ( our houses were practically on top of one another), he said basically that it was really no different then I when I was first developing my desires for women, he was desiring men and it went on from there. This man never dated or had sex with a women, I know this. Yet even though he lived his "life" truthfully, the weight of being rejected by the people he loved most became the juggernaut that killed him. His anger he turned against himself.
I know about anger turned against one self.
Thank god our family (grandma)finally got through my cousins (younger brother) head, that he needed to accept his son as god intended him to be. There is nothing wrong with my cousins son and there never was, being gay is not a disease or a handi-cap it is just another human being, "being"
human.