This cutie is Jeremy Jordan, and he’s currently starring in CBS’s Supergirl. He’s originally from Texas, and most of his family still lives in Texas. While there are parts of Texas that are fun and hipster and liberal, I get the feeling that Jeremy’s family doesn’t live in those parts of Texas. No, they live in the area where gay people are still supposed to be shunned, where it’s still a terrible thing to have a gay relative. Jeremy’s 18-year-old cousin Sarah went to her high school prom with a girlfriend. So Sarah’s parents sent Sarah to a conversion-therapy camp to “pray away the gay.” Jeremy has decided to do something about it by using his celebrity. He posted this on Facebook:
I can’t believe beautiful, smart, incredible kids like my cousin Sarah are still being told that being gay is wrong. But it’s worse than that for Sarah… She’s been placed at a remote boarding facility to help “pray away the gay” for a year with no communication to the outside world. She may not be able to see it now, but please show her how much she matters and take a stand to help us free this wonderful young woman and welcome her back to a world of love and acceptance.
Jeremy has made several Facebook posts about Sarah, and he’s set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the lawyers needed to basically bust Sarah out of this “camp.” Jeremy is trying to raise $100,000 for the legal fees and there are already $54K in donations. You can see the GoFundMe page here.
Gay conversion therapy and gay-conversion camps have been around for several decades, but in 2015, President Obama made a big statement against the practice of “conversion” after a young transgender kid committed suicide following her parents’ failed attempts at “curing” her. The Obama administration has taken steps to ban conversion therapy for minors. I think what’s tricky in Sarah’s case is that she’s legally an adult (she’s 18) and there might be some question about a legal adult being held against her will in what seems like a gay-conversion cult?
Update: Some sites list Sarah’s age as 17, and some have her age at 18. What’s not being disputed is that Sarah is being kept there against her will. She even tried to run away and she was “caught.”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Wait – this girl is 18? How can she be “forced” into a conversion therapy program?
I believe she is still in high school. That is the grey area.
When you have miserable family members, and feel like you have no other place to go – probably pretty easily. She’s probably spent her life hearing that being gay was inferior and wrong, so there’s probably a certain amount of self-loathing thrown in because of the family.
there was a story on one boy who was kept after his 18th birthday against his will. initially, people went down to get him out and the camp prevented them from having any access to him and, later, they basically lied to the kid to the point that when he was finally freed, he initially told the friends who tried to get him out for over a year to take a running leap. there’s a documentary on him somewhere
Through the sheer pressure and weight of expectation from her family and community.
If you have no money of your own, no home to flee to and will be cut off from everyone you know and love there really is no choice. You can be any age and be ‘forced’ to participate in this because fundamentalists ensure their kids – especially women – have no lifelines outside of their circle.
Christian fundamentalism is so insidious. Most people have no idea how bad it is.
OMG, this is just so sad and infuriating at the same time.
I read she was 17? Would be great if the publicity for that case would be used to shut them down for good.
Um if she’s 18 that’s kidnapping. So, instead of calling lawyers they should just call the Policy/DA. But, if she isn’t 18 and her parents put her there then lawyers are definitely the way to go. So sad.
She’s 17 now apparently and has to stay until she’s 18. This is so awful.
These conversion camps and their ilk need to be banned. They are horribly abusive and I can’t imagine the trauma this young girl is going to be going through having to spend a year at such a place. I hope she runs far away as soon as she can, to a place where she can be who she really is, and be loved and appreciated for that. This is where religion crosses the line into evil imo.
This is so upsseting, what kind of faith can encourage this kind of behaviour ? They’re alienate their child.
If she’s 17 she can’t be released without parental consent.
He seems shady for airing his family out in public.
Shady for asking people to help save your family? Desperate people will do anything to help a loved one.
I don’t agree with celebrities exposing their family members. Everything is not for the public.
+1
Poor girl. All of these awful camps need to be made illegal.
I usually hate when celebrities air their personal life, but this is not like that. He absolutely should use his celebrity to shine a light on these horrible places and help his cousin. I hope this gets bigger and more people hear about it.
Um please explain how is he shady for trying to release her from being kept against her will at a “conversion therapy camp” and bringing focus to a despicable practice ?
She’s a minor. Her parents clearly want to pray the gay out of her. This person I’ve never heard of exposes it all on social media. The public is outraged. Now what? She may or may not be able to be emancipated from her parents but by the time it happens she’ll be 18.
There are parents who pimp there kids out. There are parents who molest their kids. Should we not call them out because the kids are minors and the parents clearly want to do these things?
Some things shouldn’t be kept quiet. These camps are abusive, twisted and incredibly damaging.
You do realize there is no way to pray the gay out of her right, and that this is abuse? I’m blown away that you can’t even think about this logically.
Wrong. He seems like a hero. I have zero complaints about this. And I complain about a lot of nonsense.
no. shady is what his family IS DOING to the girl.
see, keeping shit in closets and “protecting’ the family image is exactly what is wrong with this world. you don’t PROTECT abuse. this is abuse.
yes, everything is for the public. if you aren’t doing anything dodgy, you have nothing to hide.
You seem like the kind of person who would protect a rapist in your family because you don’t want to “air out your family in public”.
I’m being completely serious.
THIS^
@Ineedanap although I understand you are upset about DPL’s comments, it’s kind if harsh to automatically suspect she would harbor a rapist. C’mon people, lets not lose our heads. Jeez!
@ Carol
DPL did say that she “I don’t agree with celebrities exposing their family members. Everything is not for the public.” So yes it’s safe to assume that DPL would “harbor” a rapist.
I didn’t want to make that leap but exactly! Jordan is trying to help his cousin by shining light on a horrible practice that needs to be banned ASAP. But nooooo let’s continue to sweep evil under the rug under the guise of not airing dirty laundry.
He is not the family member who initially put this story on Facebook but obviously his celebrity drew more attention to the situation.I am just curious if his cousin had been falsely convicted of murder and he used his celebrity to bring attention to her case would that be “shady”?If his cousin had been raped by her father and the DA refused to take the case and he used his celebrity to bring attention to that injustice would that be “shady”?
My guess is he’s tried to help in other ways, and this was a last resort. IMO he’s attempting to rescue her from an abusive situation, and raise awareness for the issue which many other kids have to face.
I agree. Typically with family, you’ve spoken to them, and have tried other avenues before you go public. I do believe that there are times you must stand up for your beliefs when you believe what is happening is wrong. Not everyone agrees, which is ok, but I applaud him for doing what he thinks is right.
What?! He should be airing this dirty laundry. Her parents should accept her for who she is, not force her to some religious camp where she will have to hide her feelings and pretend she’s straight. Someone needs to help this girl. F@ck the family.
Right. And children who were molested should be told they were dreaming because airing it would be SO embarrassing to the family. What on earth are you thinking? These people have placed THEIR CHILD in an abusive prison camp where she is being told daily that her identity and feelings are reprehensible and sinful in the eyes of God. And you are worried about the PARENTS?
Didn’t see your post before making mine – completely utterly agree.
I’m guessing you’re a look-the-other-way-we type.
Better to keep everything proper in public no matter how devastating things are in private huh?
you actually think this is shady? sometimes airing family business is the only way to prevent and stop abuse. this young woman is being shame daily for something she has no control over. at least one family member is willing to try to help her
parents who abuse their children are not the ones to worry about. most people don’t need to hide and don’t fear that their treatment of their children will be made public.
if your actions don’t bear scrutiny, then maybe you are doing something wrong.
If this was me being held against my will I would want someone like him to stand up for me, even publicly.
I know everyone is mad at you but I had a similar reaction – but my issue is that the wording seems to imply that she doesn’t know about these efforts, which makes sense if she’s locked in some insane conversion camp. Obviously what her family is doing is horrible and I cant even comprehend their thinking but as a normal teenager she may not be comfortable with this getting a tonne of attention once she is out (hopefully soon) and finds out. I don’t know, maybe she’s aware of it and ok with it. Even supportive attention of this magnitude can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to such a personal subject and family.
She wanted to take her girlfriend to Prom so she more then fine with people knowing she gay. Receiving a lot of supportive attention will actually be good for her when she gets out. It will be a reminder that it’s ok to be who she is and that there is nothing wrong with being gay, which is the opposite of what she being told in this camp.
What? He is the shady one? Do you have any idea the harm that these places do to young LGBTQ people? Honestly – it is child abuse, pure and simple.
What’s shady is the parents doing this to their children, the people running these camps, and the fact that this is even allowed. Attention being drawn to it is a good thing. When it’s abuse or discrimination, “Celebs, keep it private” shouldn’t apply.
Abuse thrives in isolation. You are perpetuating the notion that one should turn a blind eye and “keep it in the family.”
A profoundly toxic notion to harbor.
So you believe that he should allow his cousin to be mistreated for the sake of keeping up appearances? Not sure why you think his families privacy is more important than a young girls health and safety, but you’re entitled to your opinion.
.
that’s not shady for airing this. these conversion groups are notoriously abusive and do things to not only hold these kids captive, they try to block the kids from any knowledge that people are trying to get them out. Going public is a smart move but he’d have better luck if he could post the name and location of the facility. She’s in the country so he may be able to go with a public official for a welfare check to see if she wants to remain incarcerated or leave knowing she has someone to protect her from being forced back into captivity.
She is definitely a minor. Extended family are trying to get her emancipated/released.
These people make me sick. Believe what you want to believe. Stop forcing others.
The fact parents do this to their kids is beyond me. Parents are supposed to love and protect their kids unconditionally, this is so sad. I hope she is able to get away and live a long, happy and peaceful life.
All of our local news is saying she’s 17. Even in the cool liberal parts we still have these backwards fools
I hope she falls in love with a fellow inmate.
She has a girlfriend that’s why they sent her away she wanted to take her girlfriend to prom.
Have you seen But I’m A Cheerleader?
It probably sounds tactless to make light of something that is actually claiming lives to this day… but it’s a satire about a gay conversion camp, and sadly more than a decade later it’s still relevant. The movie was my solace while attending a conservative high school that wouldn’t even let us start a GSA (we had to call it “Diversity Club”). Anyway, that’s the plot exactly.
GREAT movie. and exactly what I thought of when I read this story.
But I’m a Cheerleader is one of my favourite movies! So funny and cute! And Ru Paul!
FREE SARAH
Sometimes parents sacrifice their children on the altar of their ideology.
+1. And societies allow the well-being of children and families to be sacrificed on the altar of parents and guardians’ ideologies because ‘religious freedom’ (for the parents, of course), ‘under 18’, ‘state’s rights to have separate little rules’, and ‘don’t tell parents how to raise their kids.’ It would be great if conversion camps didn’t exist altogether, but making it illegal to send minors to these places in all 50 states is definitely a step in the right direction. I hope this girl has a good support system once she’s out and is able to get out of there quickly and unscathed, but even more importantly, this needs to be banned so no kid or otherwise vulnerable person is shipped to a place like this against their will.
+100000
I hope this poor girl is able to get legal help quickly, and that she has a good support system when she’s finally free.
Being gay is not a disease that needs curing. When will everyone learn this?
Please don’t paint all Christians with the same brush. I’m Christian and my church welcomes gay people and has gay clergy. It’s right-wing Christians who believe that being gay is a sin.
Disgusting. I was watching a 20/20 special last night on the LDS church and while they’re an extreme example it just frustrates me what people will subject their flesh and blood kids to follow some imaginary moral code.
If this is a good girl who listens to her parents, does well in school, and makes you proud with her actions then it doesn’t freaking matter who she kisses and brings to prom.
If all her goodness is negated because of that then just sign the emancipation papers and start praying to get the ‘perfect’ daughter. I hope she’s helped and gets distance from her parents till stability can be achieved.
@gnat– I edited my post. I was certainly not trying to paint all Christians that way. I’m Catholic myself, and certainly, I know there are plenty of religious folks who are perfectly welcoming to gay people.
I was just thinking of the fundamental Right wing junk I see.
Oh, right, they make me so upset, too. They make everybody think all Christians are like that. Didn’t mean to be defensive.
This is one of those cases where I genuinely don’t get it. I’ve encountered people who, upon learning a child is gay, put them out of the home and basically just say, “I won’t be around you anymore.” While I abhor that and think it’s awful, even that is better than this. At least those people don’t force through a process like this.
I’m not sure how anybody can believe that conversion therapy can actually work. It’s the equivalent of sticking one’s fingers in your ears and basically just going “I can’t hear you.” I’ve actually met celibate gay people (it’s somewhat common among Mormons) who basically accept that they have these attractions and that they should not act on them, ever. But even they don’t claim that they can actually become straight – they know they can’t, and trying to do so is unreasonable. But this is…genuinely something else. I’m glad somebody is calling attention to this.
Believe it or not, I know plenty of Right Wing Christians, the ones that give religion a bad name, who truly believe you can pray to God for salvation from the sinful feelings of homosexuality. And there are many “saved” lesbians/gays who claim that God turned them straight. I’ve read their stories, and it’s just complete hogwash.
I cannot believe in God who thinks love between two people is sinful. I just can’t.
We really need to make it easier for kids to emancipate. There ought to be a stop-gap measure, like a temporary restraining order, while a judge sorts through the situation. Keeping kids imprisoned while they wait for the wheels of the justice system to turn can have disastrous consequences (thinking of all the kids who have attempted or committed suicide in these camps).
If ‘gay conversion’ is acceptable because she’s a minor and that’s what the parents want, how far does this go? There are places in the world where it is believed that having sex with a man ‘cures’ lesbians and gay conversion therapy has about the same level of support as that among reputable medical personnel. I assume it wouldn’t be OK with you if the parents arranged for her to be raped so where do you draw the line? As far as I’m concerned she is being subjected to an ongoing mental and spiritual attack that is just as unacceptable.
Sorry, this was meant to be part of the thread under comment 8.
I just put it together that there are two Jeremy Jordans. I should know better than to read before coffee. Totally agree, those “camps” should be outlawed. In my area there is a mega-church that has a general “pray it away” philosophy regarding anything that’s regarded as a defect in mental health, including depression, homosexuality, PPD, PTSD, etc.. And if they do seek medical help, they’re encouraged (coerced) into seeing a church-approved dr. NO THANKS.
I’m horrified this is a thing in our country. For chrissakes, it’s on the level of CO$ brainwashing!
This family is no different than the Duggars. Both nasty religious families think nothing of destroying their kids to promote their so-called religion. I’m pretty sure God doesn’t agree with this stupidity.
I have had such a crush on Jeremy Jordan.
OK I just read on the daily mail that she was taken out of the camp. And the camp is saying they don’t adress sexuality. Good, she’s out!