The whole thing is abusive, don't you get it? Aside from any factors like privacy, physical abuse, etc., the fundamental child abuse that goes on in the Straight locations that are still open is known by several names: coercive persuasion, thought reform, mind control, brainwashing and behavior modification. There may be some differences in the specific definitions of these words, however, the point is that even if you take away all the physical abuse and the more glaring civil rights violations, you still have the fundamental violation which is, in fact, child abuse as well as a violation of human rights: the violation of the mind.
We most certainly went wrong in the way we handled what happened at Straight. You want to tell me I'm asking the wrong question, and then ask me to answer another one: what can we do now...? Well why don't you answer that question yourself with your creative and intelligent mind. You want to know if protests work? Go protest.
The kids who are recently out, whether they want to drop the subject, or they don't see the trouble at all, are uneducated. Their wish to drop the subject is not unsurprising considering how much anyone in this country gives two hoots about anyone else suffering child abuse or hunger or whatever. However, this does not excuse them from their responsibility. The ones who don't get it? They need education. The ones who do and are too tired or broken to do anything about it? They need healing and to be reminded of their obligation.
Why is it that that one boy who was sent to Love In Action to "cure" him of sexual proclivities towards the same sex generated instant national outcry and in-person demonstrations, and yet so many of us know what is going down in Straight locations that still exist, and we just don't do anything? Yes, life is busy. Yes, we are tired, to various degrees. Yes I am telling all of you that you are capable and damn well morally obligated to make a damn phone call or write a letter this week to someone somewhere regarding institutional child abuse. Be creative. I'm not going to list all the motherfukkin things you could do. And a huge thank you to webcrawler, as you are clearly already concerned and taking a little time from your already jam-packed life to do what you can about Pathways. And Antigen can save it with the "dedicated inactivist" shit, because having fornits is a tremendous action on this subject.
