A gay pre-med student from Arkansas has been "forced" into therapy to cure him of homosexuality.
According to his friends, Bryce Faulkner, 23, was preparing to come out to deeply religious family when his mother discovered emails to his boyfriend, who lives in Wisconsin.
He was then given an ultimatum of being kicked out on the street or going into ex-gay therapy, a controversial "cure" for homosexuality through prayer.
Gay rights activists say it does not work and can be emotionally devastating.
Friends say the college student was left with no choice, as his parents took away his phone, his car and his money.
Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk, his boyfriend Travis Swanson, 24, said he was "very worried".
Swanson said: "Bryce was taken to this place on June 15th. The last time I spoke with him was on that day around 4:30am.
"He called me and was crying uncontrollably saying, 'You should have heard the mean and hateful things they said about me. They made me read out loud passages from the Bible'.
"One of the last things he said to me before falling asleep was, 'Promise me you will be strong for me and for us'."
Swanson believes Faulkner may be at an Exodus International ministry in Florida.
He said a friend of the family had heard Faulkner would be in Mississippi for three weeks and then in Florida for 14 months.
Exodus International has six ministries and 16 churches in Florida. Swanson believes Faulkner may be at one in Pensacola.
The church movement promises "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ".
Peterson Toscano, who has campaigned against so-called homosexuality 'cures' after spending 17 years in ex-gay therapy, told PinkNews.co.uk: "Like in the UK, so much of the ex-gay treatment in the US these days, especially for young people, happens under the radar through Christian counsellors, church youth programs and summer camps.
"Parents can wield tremendous pressure on college-aged children, threatening to withhold funding or even to disown their own children unless they submit to the 'de-gaying' process.
"Through the over 1,000 ex-gay survivors in the US and UK I have met through www.beyondexgay.com and in my travels, I have seen firsthand the devastating emotional, psychological and spiritual damage these 'treatments' and theories inflict on people, often derailing their personal and professional development for years.
"The fruits of these so-called treatments are depression, confusion, isolation, and a damaged sense of self. When parents insist that their child receive these unsound and unregulated procedures, they not only harm their relationship with their own child, but also open up their son or daughter to the potential of personal harm."
To support the campaign to find Bryce Faulkner, visit savebryce.ergonomicalministries.org
Source.
According to his friends, Bryce Faulkner, 23, was preparing to come out to deeply religious family when his mother discovered emails to his boyfriend, who lives in Wisconsin.
He was then given an ultimatum of being kicked out on the street or going into ex-gay therapy, a controversial "cure" for homosexuality through prayer.
Gay rights activists say it does not work and can be emotionally devastating.
Friends say the college student was left with no choice, as his parents took away his phone, his car and his money.
Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk, his boyfriend Travis Swanson, 24, said he was "very worried".
Swanson said: "Bryce was taken to this place on June 15th. The last time I spoke with him was on that day around 4:30am.
"He called me and was crying uncontrollably saying, 'You should have heard the mean and hateful things they said about me. They made me read out loud passages from the Bible'.
"One of the last things he said to me before falling asleep was, 'Promise me you will be strong for me and for us'."
Swanson believes Faulkner may be at an Exodus International ministry in Florida.
He said a friend of the family had heard Faulkner would be in Mississippi for three weeks and then in Florida for 14 months.
Exodus International has six ministries and 16 churches in Florida. Swanson believes Faulkner may be at one in Pensacola.
The church movement promises "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ".
Peterson Toscano, who has campaigned against so-called homosexuality 'cures' after spending 17 years in ex-gay therapy, told PinkNews.co.uk: "Like in the UK, so much of the ex-gay treatment in the US these days, especially for young people, happens under the radar through Christian counsellors, church youth programs and summer camps.
"Parents can wield tremendous pressure on college-aged children, threatening to withhold funding or even to disown their own children unless they submit to the 'de-gaying' process.
"Through the over 1,000 ex-gay survivors in the US and UK I have met through www.beyondexgay.com and in my travels, I have seen firsthand the devastating emotional, psychological and spiritual damage these 'treatments' and theories inflict on people, often derailing their personal and professional development for years.
"The fruits of these so-called treatments are depression, confusion, isolation, and a damaged sense of self. When parents insist that their child receive these unsound and unregulated procedures, they not only harm their relationship with their own child, but also open up their son or daughter to the potential of personal harm."
To support the campaign to find Bryce Faulkner, visit savebryce.ergonomicalministries.org
Source.
Also -- and IANAL so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong -- I don't know if the police would get involved because this isn't exactly a kidnapping. Going by the letter of the law, he wasn't forced into this. Parents are not obligated to provide for adult children, and if adults want to be supported by their parents, the parents can attach whatever strings they choose, no matter how shitty those strings are.
Once again though IANAL so I'm basically talking out of my ass here.
WHAT THE FLYING FUCK!?
That is a sterling example of fantastically shitty parenting. Well, fantastically shitty human behavior in general, actually.
quotation marks should so be at the word "cure" instead.
I hope he is found and I hope he's freed from that pain soon.
I "agreed" to seeing a "Christian" therapist (not an ex-gay one specifically, and he actually had legitimate psych credentials, but not LGBT-friendly by any stretch) in order to not be disowned after being outed for the second time. Thankfully he was more incompetent than malevolent.
If Bryce is anything like me, it may be a bit of "maybe if I at least try and still fail they'll have to admit they're wrong." Unfortunately it's a lot more likely that they'll just blame him for not trying "hard enough."
since he had money to take away, I think it's safe to assume that he had a job and therefore it's also safe to assume that he was paying for his own phone and car. while his parents could legally kick him out of the house, they certainly couldn't legally take things away that belonged to him. and even if he wasn't paying for the car and the phone, wouldn't taking away his money technically be stealing?
idk maybe I'm missing something, but this is all too wtf for me.
My parents would probably do this if they found out I was bi too. ugh I just feel terrible that anyone else has a family like mine...it's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
I only wish the same thing could happen for you. :[
I'm still too scared to tell my mom I'm bi, though. Even if she's okay with the co-worker, I don't know she's ready to handle if her baby girl isn't heterosexual. Gah.
I loved that bitch, and O'Hara is my girl.
God, I just pray that his friends can get him out of there. It would be a miracle if he didn't come out of this with tremendous emotional trauma. I hope his friends can get him through this, even if they can't physically storm the facility and rescue him.
Shit, that's where my homeschool materials come from. Now I know why they're filled with a special brand of crazy.
Things like this make me sick to my stomach.
Maybe he should grow the fuck up, get a job, take loans and provide for himself--- instead of pretending to have been "forced" to go to ex-gay prayer shit, simply because he doesn't want to be "cut-off" from the money.
Honestly, I know PLENTY of people who have taken loans for school, have jobs, pay their own living expenses... all ON THEIR OWN WITHOUT MOMMY AND DADDY.
I think the parents are ridiculous, but I feel like the MAN wasn't forced to do anything.
IA. It's not like he knew he'd be kicked out at X age and had time to financial prepare.
Anyway, I'm sorry you had to go through with that, bb. :(( *hugs*
I'm confused about this campaign, though. They find him...and then what? They can't exactly make him leave and I doubt this program will let them get in contact with him at all.
You're 23. Grow a pair. Go get a friggin' job.
How exactly do you suppose he should do that?
He currently has a job that is apparently, in some way, tied to his parents, so I'd say that if he gets kicked out of his house he's lost any chance of a reference. And besides that, job applications ask for telephone numbers and usually for addresses as well. What's he supposed to put if he's kicked out of the house? He can't put his home phone and his cell has been taken away.
It's not like he can just walk into a fast food place and say "Hire me!" And even if he did have job references and valid contact information, given the current economy, it's not like he would have been able to find anything instantly.
That he didn't is most likely a result of being in med school and being unable to pay for it on his own. While some people may think that once your turn 18, you are now independent, colleges do not see it this way. You are financially dependent on your parents until you're old enough to be declared independent or get married. If his parents are as rich as this article implies, the college may have been expecting his family to foot the entire bill.
Now, he may have thought he could lie or survive his way through the therapy to maintain his financial support, but his friends and boyfriend are now becoming increasingly worried that the program they put him in is in is actually hardcore as hell due to the lack communication with him..