Not very amusingly...

[highlyeccentric]

The same day I decided my one-woman Gloria Jeans boycott could be waved in order to stalk xxlucyferxx, Mercy Ministries (for whom the GJs chain fundraises) made the papers again. Basically, after all that ruckus last year, no one has properly followed up any of the former residents' complaints; two Mercy houses have closed, but there are attempts in the pipeline to open a new one in Perth; and these people are *still* going about their sneaky, lying business. Ruth Pollard has an opinion piece to that effect.

Lucy, I was wrong when I said I thought Mercy only do young mothers' programs in Australia. They also treat eating disorders, depression, drug and substance abuse, and other mental illnesses. With, y'know, bible study and exorcisms and heavily restricted acess to actual medical help. The only thing they don't advertise that they do in Australia is Straight Camp, which they definitely do run in the states. But I have seen the entrance application forms, and they ask if you've been involved in 'witchcraft or lesbianism', so I can't imagine it's much fun to be a lesbian or a wiccan in a Mercy house.

The really sad thing is that the Mercy employees probably do genuinely believe they're doing good work. That creeps me out no end.

Comments

[sjazzmreow.livejournal.com]

Mercy Ministries fills me with so much rage and disgust I can't even articulate it. Or, I could, but not without a lot of yelling and swearing and ranting about common sense and cruelty and how the brain actually works and why, exactly, it takes so much work to be a freaking practicing psychologist.

Not only does it make me want to boycott Gloria Jeans (not hard, as never actually been to one), but to protest outside them as well. Ugh.

[rxgra.livejournal.com]

Wait, wait, wait: we actually have Straight Camps in Australia? I didn't know that the madness had spread this far. I think there are more important things to pray away than "the gay", even if I were a praying man.

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

We don't, that's what I'm saying. To the best of my knowledge, no one's running specific straigh camps here. Mercy houses and i'm sure other insititutions probably double in that role if you happen to be there for other reasons, but no dedicated straight camps that I've heard of.

[rxgra.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought you were saying Australia does have a Straight Camp, but not one run by Gloria Jeans.

Terribly sorry for that confusion! Now get off my lawn! (sorry. I'd link you to my writing, but you being a professional academic you'd rightly tear apart my flimsy, disjointed and non-existent arguments about films).

[k-navit.livejournal.com]

"'witchcraft or lesbianism'"

'cause everybody knows they go together like peanut butter and chocolate.

(wtf)

[phrasemuffin.livejournal.com]

My mother plum refuses to believe that Gloria Jeans is evil. Of course, I couldn't actually remember why they were evil when I was trying to tell her, so that probably didn't help. All I could think of was "they support Hillsong" which, to her, sounded like I was just being creedist I think. Must remember Mercy Ministries when I bring it up next time she asks if I want anything from there.

[iremos.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the straight camp thing caused a scandal a few years ago. A poor gay kid blogged about his experiences there in secret. He was put there by his parents.

It's a disgusting practice.