A former foster child is claiming he endured years of mental abuse at the hands of staffers at the Christian children’s home he lived in, reports the Miami Herald.
In court documents, the man (whose name is being kept private), recounts how, at age 16, he confessed he was gay to the head of His House Children’s Home in Miami. The director then dragged him to a remote location, cried uncontrollably and screamed, “How could you do this to me?”
After that, things went from bad to worse: The teen was expelled from his Christian school, forbidden to speak with his best friend, harassed by staffers and other kids, denied access to beneficial programs and made subject to repeated attempts at “conversion.”
“They always told us that God is love, but I guess there’s no God there,” the victim, now 19, wrote of his stint in the group home.
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Hearing his plea, the private foster-care agency that oversees His House asked the Department of Children and Families to investigate. But DCF Inspector General Christopher T. Hirst said the treatment the teen suffered didn’t violate any laws.
Even before the anti-gay harassment began, the young man already had more emotional baggage than most of us could bear: He was first remanded to foster care at age 10, when his mother was charged with beating him. While in the system, he was molested by another youth, who was later arrested.
To hear the folks at His House tell it, though, the kid lived the Life of Reilly: “All children at His House are treated with great love, respect and dignity regardless of their sexual orientation,” says His House founder Jean Caceres-Gonzalez, the woman the teen claimed first accosted him about being gay. “Harassment by other kids or staff members is not tolerated, and [it’s] dealt with immediately. This child was no different. He fully enjoyed a safe and loving home.”
Sure, because there are just sooomany heartwarming stories about orphanages.
Guillermo3
Good ol’ Leviticus!
2eo
These people take in kids and punish them. Yet it is gay people who are the threat, it makes you sick.
David Gervais
If anyone in the area is able to do so, please put the man in touch with the ACLU.
Ogre Magi
I am soooooooo sick of christians
MK Ultra
we dont allow muslim sharia law here so why allow the christian version? Put them in jail. No one gets a freebee at abuse because of their religion.
Ste
@Ogre Magi: Makes as much sense as saying “I am sooooo sick of homosexuals”. Bigotry is intellectual laziness.
The Village Elder
The violence committed by organized religions is evil incarnate. The christian right bleats about about liberals, gays and womens rights just the same as their muslim counter parts do in other places. Spare us all from these foul bastards. As for the boy whose abuse has most recently come to light I hope you find comfort. As you grow and heal from the harm done to you please realize that you are not alone. Sue the living shit out of the bastards and use the money to do good for yourself and others. Taking their money away is one way to hurt them. Exposing their evil as you have is another. I wish you well kid.
Guillermo3
@The Village Elder: I agree[mostly]
with your take on the religious right,The Village Elder
[thought that was MY title],and love your words of compassion &
encouragement for the boy.However,speaking as a current atheist and
ex-Christian,I have to quarrel with your condemnation of all organized
religion.Historically,more than enough evidence of evil done in the name
of faith,obviously.But just as much evidence of good intentions and of
good accomplished.I think that religion is like every other endeavor of
us HUMAN ANIMALS :a mixture ,often simultaneously and in contradiction,of
good/evil/judgment/mercy/compassion/punishment/love/hate/inclusion/
exclusive tribalism/aggressive competition & political striving/peaceful
passivity.Nothing is Pure.
Shannon1981
Ahh, Christians. Loving Christians doing the lord’s work again.
DarkZephyr
What happened to this boy is reprehensible. I am so tired of self righteous people. Not every Christian is like these people however, and I think its just as wrong and self righteous to lump all Christians together when some do wrong. That being said, I think that the director of that house needs to face legal consequences. There many people today who use Christianity as an excuse for heinous bigotry and abuse.
Guillermo3
@DarkZephyr: DarkZephyr,Thank you!
You said what I was trying to say in my comment #8,but sucintly
and much more effectively.
Cam
“”
But DCF Inspector General Christopher T. Hirst said the treatment the teen suffered didn’t violate any laws.””
____________
Actually they are receiving state funds…so yes they did if they were forcing religious beliefs on the kid that he didn’t want.
They can’t be arrested but they sure as hell can lose their funding and HE sure as hell can sue them for emotional distress.
BayAreaHomo
“DCF Inspector General Christopher T. Hirst said the treatment the teen suffered didn’t violate any laws.”
So there are no laws against assault in Florida? Interesting.
USC Trojans Fan
Oh please at anyone give us this bull about “NOT ALL CHRISTIANS” of course…not all of anything is one way. There’s probably healthy minded good people in any bad organization, but we judge the majority of the folks in that institution. To even DARE suggest that an overwhelming majority of hate, violence, and DEATHS gay people have endured throughout time has not been directly at the hands of Christians (and other organized religions) is disgusting. And you should feel ashamed to approach a crowd of LGBT and tell them to blindly lie and say the people who have been responsible for discriminating against them, were in fact not those people at all.
The only thing that infuriates me more as an LGBT than homophobia is religious gays attempting to get LGBT to be complacent and sugar coat the harms of religious institutions on our community. That’s both giving a pass to homophobia, will questioning the intelligence of gay people.
Scott Johansen
@USC Trojans Fan: Here! Here! I’m so tired of living in a society where it’s completely taboo to ever question religion and the many damaging and consistently constant horrible actions of religious people. Why is religion so sacred to talk about? Why is it we must all be so sensitive to walk on egg shells when discussing the long streak of vile actions committed by so many religious people? Your religion was a chosen belief system, that has yet to be proven, by you. I didn’t choose it. I want nothing to do with it. And I owe you zero ounce of respect for aligning yourself with the Church crowd, many of whom fight against my LGBT communities civil rights. And you want to know something else? not nearly enough religious folks denounce the discrimination promoted by many a members of their religion. Very rarely do you see them ever speak in masses about how so much of the Church promotes so much hate for our community. We owe you nothing. You made your bed, lay in that reputation.
JayHobeSound
In the mid-1980s the Florida Legislature changed the law remoing state oversight of orphanages, reform schools and rehabilitation houses if the organization claimed a religious exemption. The TampaBayTimes just published an excellent three part series on just how corrupt the religious con-artists are allowed to be in Florida – receiving thousands of dollars in state funds per child yet free of Dept of Children and Family Svcs oversight.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/religious-exemption-at-some-florida-childrens-homes-shields-prying-eyes/1258390
Shannon1981
@USC Trojans Fan: You are so right. Well said! I am so sick of that “but not all Christians are like that!” cop out. Take your religion away from these lunatics and stop these atrocities in the name of your god, and then maybe we can talk. Until then, STFU, xtian defenders!
Guillermo3
@USC Trojans Fan: Dear USC Trojans[no enz?]
Fan,
Please learn how to write a coherent sentence.
Guillermo3
@Shannon1981: Oh,Shannon1881!
Sorry to see you back…You’re such an obvious bore.
Couldn’t you be content with opening a theme park,maybe
“Atheiy World”_it could be located next to Dollywood or Bibleland.
Michael
The RWNJs in America are the Taliban. Period. These types of people should have no influence over children.