InterstateQ.com

T.W.O. condemns ex-gay youth camp

Ignite Student Outreach, the possible ex-gay program running a possible ex-gay camp I first posted about on Friday, has now been condemned by Truth Wins Out (TWO), an organization founded by long-time and well-respected gay activist Wayne Besen:

Truth Wins Out strongly condemned a new “ex-gay” Summer camp today as possibly coercive, mentally destructive and harmful to vulnerable youth.

“Exodus International has a disturbing track record of forcing youth against their will into bootcamps and we are concerned that teens will also be coerced into this summer camp,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “This is life imitating art, as a the movie ‘But I’m a Cheerleader ‘ is now about to become reality with this odd camp.”

Indeed, one of the camp’s bizarre leaders is Justin Lookaboo and another is ex-gay spokesman Alan Chambers. TWO will investigate this camp and work to free youth from these puritanical prisons disguised as “summer camps.” src

I had received an invitation to attend Ignite Student Outreach’s summer camps in 2007; one of the camps will be held at Ridgecrest, NC, a camp run by Lifeway Christian Resources (which is, thanks to Weave for the following info, owned by the Southern Baptist Convention). The speakers at the camp include Alan Chambers and Scott Davis, ex-gay leaders of Exodus, International and Exodus Youth respectively, as well as well-known right-winger Justin Lookadoo.

On Friday, after publishing my post on Ignite Student Outreach, I contacted TWO asking if they had any information on the camp. I’ll be talking to Wayne Besen either tomorrow or Monday.

Thanks to Maria for the shout out on her blog post concerning the subject.

More info coming soon.

Click here for the most up-to-date & past posts on Ignite Student Outreach

Technorati Tags: ignite student outreach, ex-gay, exodus, exodus youth, alan chambers, scott davis, justin lookadoo, truth wins out, two, wayne besen