"Facts: Evergreen has never advocated aversion shock therapy and has never had an office in Ogden nor a van with an Evergreen logo. The only office we've ever had is in Salt Lake City, which we opened in February 1999 (and later moved to a second office in 2005). Because these stories were so widely circulated, in the summer of 2000, the Provo City Police and the Chief Investigator for the Utah Department of Commerce (who handles state licensing) investigated the claims of these stories. The police spoke with those who provide the stories on their Web sites and performed an investigation at BYU and at the Evergreen office in Salt Lake City. After a thorough investigation, they could not corroborate any of the facts of the story and closed the investigation."
Anyone know anything about this? I have heard a lot of rumors about Evergreen continuing aversion therapy after it ended at BYU in the late 70s early 80s. Anyone have any info on that supports any claims either for or against?
Great link, but I don't know how he can still feel this:
"But he doesn't blame the church, one that he says is quintessentially American."
"The Mormon Church gave me a great deal," he said. "They gave me the high standards that I still live by. They gave me an attitude that I can accomplish anything within my ability if I work at it."
The lesbian woman that SLCabbie has written about had the shock-torture done at BYU in the early 90s. That indeed was still going on in the 90s despite what anyone claims to the contrary.
I'm just guessing, but it could be that the people that opened the Evergreen office in Salt Lake City in February of 1999 are some of the same people that developed and participated in aversion therapies in other settings (BYU, for instance).
I think Evergreen was developed to put one layer of deniability between LDS anti-gay activities and the media. Evergreen is a direct result of BYU, Dallin Oaks, and others catching flak for their activities in the late 1970s and 1980s.
The way the Evergreen disclaimer is worded bothers me. The company itself, in its 1999 incarnation *may* be able to claim that it never used electroshock as part of its therapy, but the intolerant Head Honchos probably did so in the past.
As for there never having been an Evergreen van trolling for gay guys to pick up for "treatment" -- could be the same story. There were roundups of gay persons at BYU and environs in the 1960 and 1970s.
Evergreen's website still claims to offer treatment that complies with LDS teachings, and they still take most of their referrals from mormon bishops and mormon counselors.
Someone with more insider knowledge should take a look at the founders of Evergreen, at the current Board of Directors and company officers. Overlap with past torturers of gay people should show up.