Sat. May 28, 2011
Atlanta, GA -
A lesbian says she was taken for gay conversion therapy by a Georgia county sheriff's office instead of a psychiatric hospital for court ordered drug abuse treatment.
In a lawsuit filed on May 13, Amanda Booker alleges that officials of the Bartow County Sheriff's Department violated her constitutional rights when she was taken to a private residence for ex-gay conversion therapy.
The suit claims a sheriff's official paid three individuals using county funds to watch the 25-year-old and "convert her from being a lesbian." Chris and Donna McDowell described as evangelists were allegedly paid $600 to "covert" Booker.
Further, the suit alleges that instead of transporting Booker to Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital, sheriff's department officials harassed her over her sexual preference and took her to the individuals' homes.
"At all times relevant to action, it was normal procedure, practice and custom of defendants Bartow County, Brown, and Milsap to punish homosexuals and persons holding different religious beliefs," alleges the lawsuit.
Booker is serving part of a 10-year sentence for theft conviction. After being granted a court order in April, her family contacted the Bartow County Sheriff's Office to have her committed to a psychiatric hospital for drug addition treatment.
The lawsuit seeks a monetary award to be determined by a jury. Booker has yet to received treatment for her drug addiction.
Read more on the story in The GA Voice.
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