Save Zach
International - 21/06/2005
Before I start, I would like to point out that this article is not about religion. It is not about homosexuality. It is not about who is right and who is wrong. It is about acceptance, tolerance and free will.
I’m gay. My parents are Christians. They don’t agree with my lifestyle. I respect their beliefs. We generally don’t do anything to make life difficult for each other. All-in-all we get along better than a lot of other families.
Recently I was sent a forwarded e-mail with a link to an online petition. I don’t usually bother to read these things, but this time I did. I read the petition and then the online blog of a teenager in the USA by the name of Zach. Zach recently came out to his parents – a difficult time for any gay person. Gay teenagers have a difficult enough time worrying about whether their peers will accept them – without having to worry about whether their own family will accept them.
Instead of accepting Zach for who he was, his parents forced him to apply to a "fundamentalist Christian program for gays". Zach got hold of the rules to this program and posted them to his blog. They are deeply disturbing.
The teenagers are taken out of education (presumably to remove them from "external influences") and attend the "Love in Action" program each day. For two to three days they cannot communicate to anyone – not even family. Then for the duration of the program:
- They are searched every morning upon arrival for "False Image" concerns
- They cannot use computers or communication devices (e.g. phones).
- They cannot communicate with their friends (unless the program facilitators approve it)
- They must be with a parent/guardian at all times while not on campus (including visits to public toilets)
- They cannot watch TV, movies or listen to secular music (not even classical)
- They cannot leave a certain area within the city
- They cannot wear particular brands of clothing or accessories
- They are forced to adhere to outdated social rules such as treating women differently
These are only a handful of the strict rules.
What I find most disturbing are the rules for the parents (which Zach was not supposed to see). They state, "Your client is not allowed to talk to anyone outside of your home including friends or family. Do not tell client who has called for them or who is asking about them."
Christians (are supposed to) believe that God gave us a free will. God could make it so that we never "sin", but instead gives us the choice to live our lives how we want to. Certain sections of "Christianity" are now taking it upon themselves to ignore what God gave us and attempt to take that free will away in what could be described as nothing other than a brainwashing exercise.
These teenagers’ lives are taken away from them – friends, family, education. They are forced to live without privacy and to expose their inner-most secrets to strangers.
What kind of message is this sending to teenagers about acceptance of other cultures and lifestyles? What kind of message is this sending to teenagers about freedom and choice?
Zach laments in his blog, "I wish I had never told them. I wish I just fought the urge two more years... I had done it for three before then, right? If I could take it all back, I would, to where I never told my parents things and they always were mad at me-- It's better than them crying and depressed cause they will have no grandchildren from me. It's better than them telling me that there's something wrong with me. It's better than them explaining to me that they ‘raised me wrong’."
Sign/view the online petition to "Save Zach".
View Zach’s blog
Read the rules (Entry in Zach’s blog)
Love in Action website
Update: After reading the application form, I start to wonder whether it's more Zach's parents who are taking away his free will. The application form is written in a way that suggests that the "applicant" is a fully willing participant of the program.
Update 2: According to this report, Love in Action is now under investigation by the Department of Children Services.
Update 3: More Save Zach sites
Update 4: Unfortunately the investigation into Love in Action has been called off.
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