[Lnc-business] Fwd: Resolution wording suggestions. Please forward to list.

[Justin O'Donnell]

Ms. Lynch has asked me to forward this message regarding the proposed 
resolution to the List for all members to read.

---
Yours in Liberty,

Justin O'Donnell
LNC Region 8 Representative
Chair- LPNH Platform Committee
www.justinodonnell.me

Renew your membership today at https://www.lp.org/wethepeople/?f=jod !

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Resolution wording suggestions. Please forward to list.
Date: 2019-04-10 15:23
 From: Siobhan Lynch <trish at lovinganarchy.com>
To: jeff.lyons at lp-mass.org, jeff.lyons at lp.org, justin.odonnell at lp.org, 
alex.merced at lp.org

As someone who is one of the people Jeff talked to about this issue,
and a survivor of this "therapy" myself, I want to suggest a couple
things.

First of all, this is not an issue that specifically affects the LGBT
community. The business of conversion therapy grew out of harmful,
abusive and unethical practices that have taken place since the 70's
in the name of the drug war. Then they expanded out into "curing"
psychiatric disorders (including eating disorders, ADHD, post
traumatic stress disorder (a girl who was abused by her brother was in
KIDS/Straight for 13 years held against her will), autism, etc) - and
also LGBT people. I personally was labeled as a "sexual compulsion",
and spent nearly two years tortured against my will, starved, beaten,
raped, humiliated, could not go to the bathroom by myself, read
ANYTHING (even a milk carton), or use a blanket at night - even when
it was COLD (I may masturbate if I did.) We could only speak when
given permission. We were deprived of sleep, and kept suggestible.

A little info here: http://thestraights.net/gop.htm - and this goes to
a huge crux of the matter.  These places have long been shielded and
even supported by people in our government. Republicans and Democrats
alike (in 2008, we tried to get a bill passed to just allow kids to
talk to their parents without being monitored, which would have put a
nail in their coffins.)

We testified at GAO hearings, won a few lawsuits, but not until the
LGBT community became a crux of this was there any movement, and it in
my opinion is all virtue signalling.

If I had my druthers, I'd widen the scope of this - ANY treatment that
uses the above techniques which were given to The Seed (the first one
of these places for drug use, but many never did drugs, and they never
turned anyone away, no kid was ever "normal") by George HW Bush and is
in the vein of brainwashing should ever be performed on ANY child.
Ever.

Also on the "conversion therapy" - here is some writing I did on the 
matter.

https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/reparative-therapy-is-bad-medicine-even-if-it-works-wcz/

There's also a movie they don't want to be distributed publicly I sent
to Jeff last night that I can send individually to LNC members if
asked.

And the movie "Over the GW" which was about the place I was in
specifically, years later when it all fell apart and the group of kids
was small. Made by my very good friend Nick.

I agree with Caryn Ann that the practice is harmful in and of itself
particularly to LGBT kids who can't change their identity any more
than I can swap a foot off my body, but this is a Liberty issue that
has ties into forced psychiatry, the drug war, and everything that we
as Libertarians stand against. It is such a large issue, and to see
the LP address even a part of it has been my dream for the 23 years I
have been a part of the LP.

Thanks for listening.

-Trish