Ecuador not only has the greatest amount of biodiversity per square kilometer of any nation, it also has over 200 ex-gay torture camps that attempt to “cure” lesbians and other GBTs through battering, sexual abuse, starvation, sleep deprivation, threat of rape, constant ridicule, getting their “patients” to dress like prostitutes, and throwing urine on them.
At age 24, Paola Ziritti’s parents sent her to a “forced confinement” clinic in the capital of Ecuador. After they heard about the abuse suffered there, her parents had to fight the clinic for over a year to get her back. When they finally succeeded, it took six months of therapy to start to heal Ziritti from the trauma she experienced there. Oh and, she’s still a lesbian—so, so much for that.
The upside is that Ziritti’s official complaint against her treatment helped Ecuadorian activists pressure the government to close 27 such clinics, but over 200 of them still remain throughout the country.
There’s currently two petitions against the clinics (one which has been signed by over 80,000 people in 124 countries). While 30 LGBTs have come forward with their horror stories from the torture camps, there’s no telling how many LGBTs have not been able to escape and how many parents look forward to sending their kids to them in the future.
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the crustybastard
I’m sure these rape camps have nothing to do with Christianity.
scribe31
@the crustybastard: what you mean Jesus didn’t preach
raping the gay away?
RayneNikole
Wow, the picture looks like a monty python sketch gone wrong and the story itself is not much better.
That’s just wrong. I am not a religious person but i am pretty sure most religions especially Christianity never said “rape and abuse out the gay.” Doesn’t most say love and compassion for even the non believers/sinners?
Marjorie
If the camps have nothing to do with Christianity then why does the man in the picture appear to be wearing religious garb and holding a bible? Religious groups have to accept some responsibility for perpetuating the belief that homosexuality is wrong. The beliefe is rooted in many religions, both Christian and otherwise.
Max the Communist
And now to the real heart of the story–for Americans, at least. How many of these camps are linked to Exodus International or other institutions run by right wing fundamentalists in America? How many of them receive funding and /or “moral support” from the Christian right in the US? Who’s church do I have to set up camp outside of with a megaphone to drown out the preacher by trumpeting these atrocities to the so-called faithful?
Because, frankly, this is what they intend for LGBTQ Americans. They should be made to know the ugliness of what they do.
Melanie
@RayneNikole: Yes yes it did. Most people tend to skip that part.
Asbel Garcia
I’m a gay rights supporter as well as a writer, and I’ve been wanting to write a story about ‘straight camps’ when I clicked this link and read it, I nearly threw up. It’s just that horrible.