Jenna’s Story is someone I’ve known to be courageous in her daily fight to be true to herself as a member of the LGBTQ community.

Disclosure of names have been edited to remain anonymous; to protect individuals from discrimination.

Jenna’s Story can be found in “Parallel Waterfront” Part Two “Storm Chaser” Available @Amazon and Barnes & Noble in ebooks and paperbacks.

Not long ago many organizations began to acknowledge the long term damaging effect of words in power of religious abuse towards LGBTQ Communities; to treat people of LGBTQ Community in a religious movement as an “evil spirit addiction” that needed to be cleansed, repent of great sins, to rid bad spirits of great evil; to go as far to chant in what one would be called to “Chant in Religious Tongue” in a sole purpose to rid the demons . The “Strong Hold Effect” they call it in some religious groups of faith is a way to tear down the fabric of one’s emotional and physical wellbeing, to treat people of LGBTQ as people in need of saving of their soul.

This wouldn’t be considered a traditional prayer group because it requires members to prayer chant among other religious members as well to chant in a circle over someone who identifies themselves as LGBTQ without permission from the individual to rid something they are compelled to remove like demons in circumstances that resemble an exorcism.

The Human Rights Campaign Link to Conversation Therapy carries similar situation as to Jenna’s Story.

https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy

“The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity”

So-called “conversion therapy,” sometimes known as “reparative therapy,” is a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Such practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades, but due to continuing discrimination and societal bias against LGBTQ people, some practitioners continue to conduct conversion therapy. Minors are especially vulnerable, and conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.

To date, Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Delaware all have laws or regulations protecting youth from this abusive practice. A growing number of municipalities have also enacted similar protections, including cities and counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Florida, New York, Arizona, Wisconsin and other States soon Followed. 

In August of 2013, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California’s law, which was signed by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown in 2012. In May of 2015 and again in February of 2016, the United States Supreme Court let stand decisions of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding New Jersey’s law, which was signed by Republican Governor Chris Christie in August of 2013. In February of 2015, a NJ Superior Court judge ruled that misrepresenting homosexuality as a disorder violates the state’s consumer protection laws. Additionally, in June of 2015, the jury in that case found a conversion therapy provider liable for consumer fraud and ordered the provider to pay the plaintiffs for refunds and damages.

In February 2016, the Human Rights Campaign, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Southern Poverty Law Center filed a consumer fraud complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against People Can Change, a major provider of conversion therapy. The complaint alleges that People Can Change’s advertisements and business practices which claim they can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity constitute deceptive, false, and misleading practices and can cause serious harm to consumers, all in direct violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The complaint urges the FTC to take enforcement action to stop these deceptive practices and investigate all practitioners making similar claims.

Some right-wing religious groups promote the concept that an individual can change their sexual orientation or gender identity, either through prayer or other religious efforts, or through so-called “reparative” or “conversion” therapy. The research on such efforts has disproven their efficacy, and also has indicated that they can be affirmatively harmful. Beyond studies focused solely on reparative therapy, broader research clearly demonstrates the significant harm that societal prejudice and family rejection has on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, particularly youth. Furthermore, there is significant anecdotal evidence of harm to LGBTQ people resulting from attempts to change their sexual orientation and gender identity. Based on this body of evidence, every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has issued a statement condemning the use of conversion therapy.

To continue reading article follow link provided above.

You can find more on list of government, nonprofit, and well establed members of community didicate in their own words against the dangers of conversion therapy.

Jenna’s pleas to connect with her mother with an overabundance amount of strain to have a better relationship becomes bitter as if her love for LGBTQ is branded by her mom obsession and compulsions to rid demons.

Jenna

You are lowering my self esteem. I feel like committing suicide because of it. I can’t take anymore stress. You know my struggles. Its affecting my job and my self-worth. If I could change who I am don’t you think I would? All the hatred in this world, why would I want to be a target of hatred? Why can’t you just love me for who I am?

Your prayer group dictates every decision you makes. Don’t let this church destroy the loving heart felt mother I use to have. Saying you love me are simply words that don’t speak from heartfelt emotions. You use to validate my feelings. The time we use to spend together are gone. You pushed me away because of who I am.

Words from Mom 

I’m very concerned about your talk of suicide. Your trying to change your god given image into something it’s not! Thoughts of suicide are caused by trying to be something that you cannot attain. Jerimiah 29:11 tells us the moment we are born God has a plan for us. Honey when you change the plan and can’t succeed you open the door to the enemy to destroy you.  John 10:9-10. Regardless of what your going thru Jenna I will never stop loving you and for you. Please don’t be mad but I must stop enabling your homosexual life. I will pray for you to lead the righteous path to our Lord Jesus Christ. I will pray for you to find the Lord, claim it and repent for your sins.

Words from mom

Jenna, I spent time in the word putting things together to you. My dear friend has the message bible and I liked it and used it, so I bought one for you, and along with that sent you the book about “Strong Holds”. These books and the letter were sent to you from my heart to yours to try to help you. You took them to a “secular” counselor who doesn’t know the Lord so of course he says ” it’s not the way to do it”. Do you really think he loves you more than I do?

You can’t ask me to stop loving you! But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds, the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.  2 Corinthians 4:3&4

Jenna

I gave all the letters and box you sent to me to my counselor. The first letter he read he looked at me with empathy. Shoving bible versus down my throat only hurts me more. My counselor was worried that the energy I put into you just loving me for who I am is making me depressed and suicidal.

All bibles say they were edited from original bible and that God is great loving God who also forgives everyone. Why do you keep insinuating that I’m going to hell? We all sin and you are judging me even though you tell me your judging the sin, not me? God said “judge others and you will be judged the same. Christ died for our sins. Through Christ we are washed of our sins. All those believe will pass through the gates of heaven through Jesus Christ.

Words from mom

Jenna, it deeply hurt me for you to say that I’m judging you and not the sin. Your flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. Knowing you lost your eternity as the wages of sin is spiritual death. Romans 6:23 How could I stop loving you and praying for you? Jesus loved the sinner but judged the sin. Matt 23:13-33 How else can you reconcile unless you understand that Jesus loved the sinner but judged the sin. I know how confused you you must repent, accept the Lord Jesus Christ.

Words from writer

Jenna came to me with the box of stuff her sent her, a bible, the book on strong holds and a pamphlet on conversion therapy. In spit of all Jenna’s efforts have her mom to love her unconditionally for who she is she hasn’t succeeded. If anything her mom treats her as if her love for me as a lesbian couple is an sinful addiction, banning any contact or desire for validation and love unconditionally. Every contact is screened through text and ends with the prayer group and we/I will pray for you.

Words from writer

We decided in that moment to place the bible, the stronghold book and the conversion therapy pamphlet back in the box. We then placed a copy of the Human Rights Campaign article and affidavits regarding conversation therapy into the box along with the items sent to Jenna and mailed it back to her mom. We felt very much validated from our community.

Words from writer

I’ve heard more than my share of bible verses from Jenna’s mom than I’ve done my whole life. This whole concept of religious moral freedom I admit, I get agitated at times thinking about all this saying to myself “hasn’t Jenna suffered enough?” How could her mom do this to her? All this nonsense of strongholds. Why can’t she just love Jenna for who she is, her daughter they have to pray and chant over.

I found myself on many occasions wondering “who made them the righteous leaders of all religions? What makes their religious beliefs more true than others? There’s so many different bible versions out there. What makes one more to the true gospel than another?”

But one thing I’m certain is Jenna is a great person, with great spirit and loves unconditionally. She certainly is quite the crusader.

Marsha