Zach
Stark,
the
Tennessee
teenager
who
blogged
about
his
parents’
negative
reaction
to
his
coming
out,
may
soon
be
released
from
Love
in
Action,
the
religious
facility
that
has
been
working
to
change
his
sexual
orientation
since
the
beginning
of
June.
Early
last
month,
a
Love
in
Action
administrator
said
that
two
male
teens
in
the
program
were
both
enrolled
for
six-week
stints
in
the
“ex-gay”
camp,
and
last
week
in
an
interview
broadcast
on
the
Christian
Broadcasting
Network,
Zach’s
father,
Joe
Stark
confirmed
his
son’s
identity
as
one
of
Love
in
Action’s
clients.
“We
felt
good
about
Zach
coming
here
…
to
let
him
see
for
himself
the
destructive
lifestyle,
what
he
has
to
face
in
the
future,
and
to
give
him
some
options
that
society
doesn’t
give
him
today,”
Stark
said.
“Until
he
turns
18
and
he’s
an
adult
in
the
state
of
Tennessee,
I’m
responsible
for
him,
and
I’m
going
to
see
to
it
that
he
has
all
options
available
to
him.”
A
Los
Angeles-based
psychologist
took
issue
with
the
father’s
statement.
“It
appears
that
both
Mr.
Stark
and
the
LIA
director’s
public
comments
are
highly
defensive
and
indicate
that
their
concern
is
less
for
the
child’s
well-being
and
more
for
their
own
purposes,”
said
Paul
Chimubulo
said
via
e-mail.
“The
sort
of
homophobia
they
espouse
has
been
shown
to
be
rooted
in
anxiety
and
a
feeling
of
threat.
…
The
gay
child’s
expressions
are
recognized
and
interpreted
as
injurious
to
the
parent’s
sense
of
self.
With
the
publicity
this
has
gathered,
the
father’s
internal
anxiety
and
feelings
of
threat
over
his
son’s
gay
identity
must
really
be
ratcheted
up.”
It
is
not
yet
known
what
effect
the
Love
in
Action
experience
has
had
on
Zach,
who
initially
blogged
that
his
parents’
reaction
to
his
coming
out
was
driving
him
to
suicidal
thoughts.
Zach’s
story
has
triggered
global
media
coverage
about
efforts
to
change
sexual
orientation,
about
the
“ex-gay”
movement
that
supports
these
efforts,
and
about
the
conflicts
that
sometimes
arise
when
parents
have
strong
negative
reactions
to
news
that
their
child
is
gay.
Blogs
on
the
Web,
the
gay
media,
the
Memphis-area
media
and
mainstream
national
news
outlets,
including
the
New
York
Times,
have
covered
Zach’s
story.
In
Memphis,
Queer
Action
Coalition
formed
and
held
educational
demonstrations
and
has
engaged
Love
in
Action
staff,
the
media
and
the
community
in
dialogue
about
reparative
therapy
and
its
methods.
One
facet
of
the
public
discussion
has
hinged
on
the
legality
and
ethics
of
offering
counseling
to
treat
homosexuality.
As
a
consequence
of
the
publicity
around
Love
in
Action,
the
Tennessee
Department
of
Health
began
an
investigation
and
notified
the
unlicensed
group
that
it
appeared
to
be
functioning
illegally
and
could
potentially
be
referred
to
the
county
district
attorney
for
prosecution.
According
to
a
report
in
the
Memphis
Commercial
Appeal,
Love
in
Action
executive
director
John
Smid
said
that
Love
in
Action
would
change
its
program
to
remain
unregulated
by
the
state.
But
Andrea
Turner,
spokesperson
for
the
Tennessee
Department
of
Health,
said
Love
in
Action
has
not
yet
told
the
state
how
it
plans
to
come
into
compliance
with
the
law.
A
staff
member
at
Love
in
Action
said
he
could
not
confirm
or
deny
reports
that
the
facility
planned
to
send
clients
to
an
off-site
facility
for
drug
and
alcohol
treatment.
A
Blade
request
for
an
interview
with
Love
in
Action
administrators
was
declined
because
the
administrators
were
busy
preparing
to
attend
Exodus
International’s
Freedom
Conference
in
Asheville,
N.C.,
this
weekend.
Exodus
International
bills
itself
as
the
“largest
Christian
referral
and
information
ministry
dealing
with
homosexual
issues
in
our
world
today.”
Exodus
refers
parents
to
Love
in
Action’s
program
for
minors.
Hundreds
of
people
from
across
the
country
are
scheduled
to
attend
the
Freedom
Conference
and
participate
in
workshops
and
individualized
counseling
sessions
designed
to
help
them
out
of
being
gay.
Rev.
Jerry
Falwell
and
Alan
Chambers,
president
of
Exodus
International,
along
with
Christian
musician
Dennis
Jernigan
and
Dr.
Nancy
Heche,
mother
of
the
actress
Anne
Heche,
whose
lesbian
affair
was
the
subject
of
tabloid
headlines
for
months,
are
expected
to
address
the
conference.
