While boyfriend Travis Swanson struggles to free 23-year-old Bryce Faulkner from less-than-voluntary seclusion at an ex-gay boot camp, Faulkner’s antigay family members and a couple of friends appear to be conducting a Facebook campaign in support of Faulkner’s ex-gay reprogramming.

First, Faulkner’s mother Debra twice convinced Facebook to shut down a Facebook group that sought to locate and support her son. (Previous TWO stories.) Now two alleged friends or family members of Faulkner have started a closed Facebook group in support of his isolation and ex-gay re-education. The group introduction says:

Bryce Faulkner is many things to many people, but to Michael and myself he will always be one of the most caring, loving, generous people we have ever been blessed to know.

Contrary to what many people have heard, Bryce is not missing nor does he need to be saved or rescued. Bryce is safe, healthy and, most importantly, happy. Recently, he chose on his own accord to separate himself from the distractions from life that he believed were pulling him away from God. Seeking a spiritual reformation away from the worries and struggles of daily living, Bryce is in an environment where he has said he has come closer to the Lord than he has been in some time.

As recently as two days ago, Michael and I were both able to visit with Bryce. He appears to us as if a burden has been lifted from his shoulders, and he is at peace for the first time in a long time. Bryce was optimistic, joking and laughing through the majority of our visit. His outlook on life is something we admire and many strive to achieve, but he realizes there is still more to sort out as he plans his future.

The group description does not identify the group creator or Michael.

The claim that Faulkner is happily enjoying the isolation and amateur-led, shame-based counseling sessions that are typical at Exodus International boot camps is dubious: Numerous former ex-gays including Zach Stark have emerged from such boot camps to say that they were not there voluntarily and did not enjoy their stays, contrary to claims by relatives.

Swanson, for his part, continues to refute false information that has been released by Debra. In a lengthy interview with Quest, Swanson says: (Read More)

Parents of 23-year-old Bryce Faulkner have gone public on Fox News to declare that Faulkner is doing “fine” and voluntarily submitting to “Christian counseling.” Fox News failed to obtain a statement directly from Faulkner and failed to disclose Faulkner’s location.

(Faulkner is pictured at top center with friend Travis Swanson, far left, and other friends.)

Debra Faulkner, of El Dorado, Ark., falsely characterizes Faulkner’s concerned friends as people who were “pulling him” toward homosexuality. “He just wants to take some time and figure out what he wants to do with his life.”

The parents claim that Faulkner has released the following statement from seclusion: “Every decision that I’ve made has been based solely upon my beliefs and I have not been manipulated or coerced by anyone to do anything.”

Bryce’s friend Travis Swanson, 24, disagrees. (See previous TWO story.) He said the pair had been pursuing a happy relationship, mostly via Skype with occasional personal visits, until Debra gained access to her son’s e-mail account and discovered Bryce’s secret.

According to Fox News:

The next time they spoke, Swanson said, Bryce was inconsolable.

“He was crying really, really bad, I mean, like uncontrollably crying,” he said. “He said [Bryce's parents] made him read quotes aloud from the Bible and said that he’s going to hell.”

The following day, Swanson said he received a text from Faulkner indicating that his parents wanted to take him to a “place in Pensacola” to address his sexuality. Swanson would later call the Union County Sheriff’s Department to say that Faulkner was being taken against his will by his “fundamental Baptist” parents.

The Fox News story greatly exaggerates the number of ex-gay affiliates of Exodus International to “roughly 250 local ministries.” Fox also misleadingly tells readers that president Alan Chambers has two children — concealing their adoption. Exodus International refuses to issue an official policy opposing coerced or involuntary participation in its programs; Fox News did not inquire about this.

Hat tip: XGW

Update, July 21: According to pinknews.co.uk, the parents of Bryce Faulkner are threatening to sue friends and youth-safety advocates that set up a web site to locate and protect Bryce from further abuse by an ex-gay re-education center.

A Wisconsin man, Travis Swanson, claims that last month, his 23-year-old boyfriend, Bryce Faulkner, was economically blackmailed by his parents into entering an “ex-gay” boot camp. Swanson believes that Faulkner is in a ministry in Florida, where the ex-gay organization Exodus International is headquartered.

When Faulkner’s family found out their son was gay, they reportedly told him to enter an ex-gay program or lose financial support.

“Sadly, Bryce Faulkner is not an anomaly,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “Ex-gay organizations commonly use coercion to recruit new clients and often play on the fears of parents. We hope that he is found and escapes this boot camp before he is brainwashed and emotionally scarred.”

A Facebook page and website were set up to help locate Faulkner.

“We will do our best to help find Faulkner and end the psychological abuse that young people face as a result of being forced into such damaging programs against their will.”

Faulkner was a pre-med student from Arkansas. He was reportedly about to come out to his fundamentalist family when his mother found email correspondence with Swanson. If you know of his whereabouts, please contact Truth Wins Out.