Tenn. Finds Nothing Wrong With Ex-Gay Camp

MEMPHIS, TN () -- Associated Press reported Monday that the state of Tennessee claims to have found no proof of child abuse from a Christian group, Love In Action International, that tries to "convert" gay teens to heterosexuality.

The group runs a program they call Refuge in which they by instilling strong Christian beliefs into young teens believe they can prevent them from acting on their homosexual desires. The state Department of Children's Services decided to look into the program last weeks after allegations of child abuse from gay advocacy groups.

"DCS dispatched its special investigations unit to the facility, and after conducting a full investigation, determined that the child abuse allegations were unfounded," said Rob Johnson, an agency spokesman.

According to a spokesman for the program, John Smid, the allegations were never described to him but he assumed they involved a complaint of psychological abuse.

"We understand people don't have control over what they feel, but we teach them they are able to control what they do," Smid said. "We don't have to act on those desires, even if we feel them."

The story of the program unfolded as "Zach", a 16-year-old from Bartlett, Tenn., told in his Blog that his parents were sending him to the camp. The boy said that his parents "tell me that there is something psychologically wrong with me. ... I'm a big screwup to them, who isn't on the path God wants me to be on. So I'm sitting here in tears ... and I can't help it."

Nobody has so far been able to confirm if "Zach" really exists, or if the story told in the web log is really true. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association both have said this kind of therapy can be emotionally harmful, leading to depression and self-destructive behavior.