Restoration Path

The organization was founded in 1973 by Frank Worthen, John Evans, and Kent Philpott in Marin County, California, just north of San Francisco.{{cite web |url=http://www.loveinaction.org/default.aspx?pid=103 |title=History |website=Love in Action |access-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307024609/http://www.loveinaction.org/default.aspx?pid=103 |archive-date=March 7, 2007}} In 2010, Tommy Corman became the Executive Director of Love In Action. In March 2012, Love In Action changed its name to Restoration Path.{{cite web|url=http://restorationpath.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/March-2012-Color.pdf |title=Name Change |first=Tommy |last=Corman |date=March 2012 |publisher=Restoration Path |access-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724195707/http://restorationpath.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/March-2012-Color.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2012}} In October 2012, David Jones became the executive director of Restoration Path; as of August 2018, he remains the Executive Director.{{Needs update|date=August 2021}}{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

On July 5, 2007, Love in Action announced the initiation of Family Freedom Intensive, a monthly four-day program for parents with teens "struggling with same-sex attraction, pornography, and/or promiscuity". Teenagers who they would like to join their parents may be considered for inclusion.{{cite web |title=Refuge Becomes Family Freedom Intensive |url=http://www.loveinaction.org/default.aspx?pid=148 |publisher=Love In Action |author=Alexandra Clair Stancil |date=July 5, 2007 |access-date=2007-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618012146/http://www.loveinaction.org/default.aspx?pid=148 |archive-date=June 18, 2008}} As of 2018, there is no mention of this program on the Restoration Path website.

As of October 2019, both the organization's website and Facebook page were offline. According to the California Secretary of State, the organization has been dissolved.{{Cite web |url=https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/Detail |title = | California Secretary of State}}

After Jack McIntyre, a friend of co-founder John Evans, died by suicide because of his inability to change, Evans left Love in Action and denounced it as dangerous. He said: "They're destroying people's lives. If you don't do their thing, you're not of God, you'll go to hell. They're living in a fantasy world."{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/10/i-was-19-gay-and-ready-to-be-cured-by-conversion-therapy |title=I was 19, gay and ready to be 'cured' by conversion therapy |last=Hicklin |first=Aaron |date=June 10, 2018 |website=The Guardian |access-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610070829/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/10/i-was-19-gay-and-ready-to-be-cured-by-conversion-therapy |archive-date=June 10, 2018}}

John Smid recounts becoming a Christian in 1982. He found that his religious conviction was incompatible with his homosexuality. He entered into a relationship with a woman and married. In 1986 he joined the leadership of Love In Action, eventually becoming executive director. Smid left LIA in 2008.{{cite web |last=Smid |first=John |title=A Letter Of Apology |url=http://www.gracerivers.com/apology/ |date=March 4, 2010 |work=Grace Rivers |access-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711120953/http://www.gracerivers.com/apology/ |archive-date=July 11, 2011}} In 2011, on his website, he stated that homosexuality is an intrinsic part of one's being, and that "change, repentance, reorientation and such" cannot occur, and noted that he had "never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual".{{cite web |url=http://www.gracerivers.com/gays-repent/ |title=Where is the repentance? |first=John |last=Smid |publisher=Grace Rivers |date=October 7, 2011 |access-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501064518/http://www.gracerivers.com/gays-repent/ |archive-date=May 1, 2012}} On November 16 2014, John Smid married his same-sex partner, Larry McQueen.{{cite web |url=https://www.memphisflyer.com/MemphisGaydar/archives/2014/11/17/former-ex-gay-leader-marries-his-same-sex-partner |title=Former Love In Action Leader Marries His Same-Sex Partner |last=Philips |date=November 17, 2014 |website=Memphis Gaydar |access-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123211641/https://www.memphisflyer.com/MemphisGaydar/archives/2014/11/17/former-ex-gay-leader-marries-his-same-sex-partner |archive-date=November 23, 2014}}

In June 2005, a 16-year-old Tennessee boy, Zach Stark, posted a blog entry on his MySpace site, part of which includes:

Somewhat recently, as many of you know, I told my parents I was gay.... Well today, my mother, father, and I had a very long "talk" in my room where they let me know I am to apply for a fundamentalist christian program for gays. They tell me that there is something psychologically wrong with me, and they "raised me wrong." I'm a big screw up to them, who isn't on the path God wants me to be on. So I'm sitting here in tears, joing {{sic}} the rest of those kids who complain about their parents on blogs - and I can't help it.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/fashion/sundaystyles/gay-teenager-stirs-a-storm.html |website=The New York Times |title=Gay Teenager Stirs a Storm |first=Alex |last=Williams |date=July 17, 2005 |access-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529183546/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/fashion/sundaystyles/gay-teenager-stirs-a-storm.html |archive-date=May 29, 2015}}

The program Stark noted is a Love In Action-run camp known as Refuge.

On August 14, Stark updated his blog, stating that LIA had not pressured him into doing anything and he got along well with most of the clients there. He said his parents no longer let him hang out with girls as friends because it was unhealthy and that his father had asked him to stop blogging. Stark has since accepted his homosexuality, and appears in the documentary from director Morgan Jon Fox, entitled This Is What Love In Action Looks Like, which features an exclusive interview with Stark about the controversy.{{cite web|last=Beifuss|first=John|title=Memphis-based film unfurls with pride at San Francisco festival|url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jun/18/memphis-based-film-unfurls-with-pride-at-fest/|work=The Commercial Appeal|accessdate=2011-06-21}}

A Tennessee investigation against the camp began shortly after Stark's story appeared online. As of June 28, 2005, the investigation was dropped, with Tennessee officials citing a lack of evidence of child abuse at the facilities. "Department of Children's Services dispatched its special investigations unit to the facility, and after conducting a full investigation, determined that the child abuse allegations were unfounded", Rob Johnson, an agency spokesman, told the Associated Press.{{cite news | first=Rose | last=Palazzolo | title=Ex-gay camp investigation called off | date=2005-06-28 | accessdate=2006-04-11 | publisher=ABC News | url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=878912&page=1 }} On September 12, 2005, the Tennessee-based Love in Action facility was determined by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health to have been operating two "unlicensed mental health supportive living facilities".{{cite news | first=Eartha Jane | last=Melzer | title=Gay teen to be released from Tenn. ex-gay facility | date=2005-07-22 | accessdate=2006-04-11 | publisher=Washington Blade | url=http://www.washblade.com/2005/7-22/news/national/gayteen.cfm |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060331174447/http://www.washblade.com/2005/7-22/news/national/gayteen.cfm |archivedate = 2006-03-31}} LIA stopped accepting the mentally ill and dispensing medications and, in February 2006, the state of Tennessee ceased legal action.{{cite news | first=Ben | last=Popper | title=Love in court | date=2006-02-10 | accessdate=2006-04-11 | publisher=Memphis Flyer | url=http://www.memphisflyer.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A12034 }}

In 2005, Tommy Corman, the spokesman for Love In Action, said the facility did not need to be licensed because it was "not doing anything therapeutic".{{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2005/07/18/ungay/ |title=Turning off gays |last=Benjamin |first=Mark |date=July 18, 2005 |website=Salon |access-date=December 12, 2021}}

Love in Action sued the state of Tennessee for discrimination against the facility.{{cite web |url=http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3546 |title=ADF attorneys take action for Love in Action |date=September 30, 2005 |website=Alliance Defense Fund |access-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060104170923/http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3546 |archive-date=January 4, 2006}} The suit was settled on October 27, 2006.{{cite web |title=Agreed order of dismissal |url=http://www.loveinaction.org/media/documents/Dismissal.pdf |access-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927012629/http://www.loveinaction.org/media/documents/Dismissal.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2007}} Tennessee agreed that Love in Action would not need licensing as a mental health facility, and LIA agreed to make sure none of its employees administered or regulated the medication of its clients. The state of Tennessee was told to pay Love in Action's legal fees.

In June 2007, LIA discontinued the Refuge program.

The 2012 book The Miseducation of Cameron Post, the debut novel of American author Emily M. Danforth, was inspired by the Stark controversy. The book was adapted as a 2018 film with the same name.{{cite news |last=Sittenfeld |first=Curtis |title=The Best Novel About a conversion camp Ever Written |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/02/the_miseducation_of_cameron_post_by_emily_danforth_a_conversation_between_the_writer_and_novelist_curtis_sittenfeld_.single.html |work=Slate |date=February 8, 2012}}

The program is described in the 2016 book Boy Erased: A Memoir by Garrard Conley. The book was adapted in 2018 as Boy Erased, a film directed by Joel Edgerton starring Lucas Hedges.

{{reflist}}

{{portal|Christianity|sexuality}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721221302/http://www.loveinaction.org/ Love In Action], archived site

Category:Organizations in the ex-gay movement

Category:Christian parachurch organizations

Category:LGBTQ and Christianity

Category:Christian organizations established in 1973

Category:Conversion therapy organizations