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Website Threatened By Parents Who Forced Son Into "Ex-Gay" Therapy

The story of Bryce Faulkner, the young student who recently disappeared and who is thought by his friends to have been forcibly taken to an "ex-gay" ministry, has gotten a lot of attention and sympathy on queer and feminist sites recently. Faulkner's boyfriend, Travis Swanson, and gay rights activist Reverend Brett Harris have created a website to publicize their concerns and ask LGBT communities and allies for help in finding him. Faulkner's parents are apparently not happy about the site, and have now threatened a lawsuit if it's not taken down, according to Swanson. PinkNews reports that Swanson told them that "Bryce’s parents both called me and left messages threatening lawsuits and have contacted Rev. Harris saying the same thing. They said they want [the website] removed immediately. They have been informed that the only way that will happen is if Bryce tells me face to face alone that he wants it down."

Faulkner was apparently preparing to come out to his family when his mother discovered emails to Swanson. His parents then gave him a choice: go into "ex-gay therapy," or get kicked out of the house. Swanson and Faulkner last talked in the early morning hours of June 15th, just before he was taken to the ministry, which Swanson believes to be an Exodus International facility in Pensacola, FL. Exodus International preaches "Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ," and is perhaps the most well-known advocate of "ex-gay therapy," a form of treatment which has been condemned by gay activists and professional therapists alike.

http://carnalnation.com/content/12814/1 ... ay-therapy

Activist Starts Website for Gay Man Who Vanished into 'Ex-Gay' Therapy

Friends of an Arkansas man have started a campaign and website to find 23-year-old Bryce Faulkner after they say he was sent unwillingly to an "ex-gay" therapy ministry:

Bryce "Faulkner, 23, was preparing to come out to deeply religious family in Arkansas when his mother discovered his emails to his boyfriend, Travis who lives in Wisconsin. Bryce was given an ultimatum of being kicked out of his family and put out on the street or going into ex-gay therapy. Before Bryce disappeared his boyfriend Travis recieved one last phone call on June 15th 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’.' Travis said. Travis believes Bryce 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. His friends have created a ‘Save Bryce’ web campaign to find out where the student is."

This story has more than a few similarities to the 2005 story of a teen named Zach who sent out a cry for help on his MySpace page before being sent away to a "Love in Action" "ex-gay" reparative therapy camp.

http://www.soulforce.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6506