'Pray away the gay': Teen forced to stay at religious facility by parents

A US teenager is allegedly being held against her will at a 'pray away the gay' religious facility in Texas.

Her famous cousin Jeremy Jordan has launched a social media campaign to highlight to the public the plight that his 17-year-old cousin currently faces.

The CBS star alleges that his cousin, Sarah, has been forced by her parents to attend a Christian boarding facility in a remote area outside Austin, after she took her girlfriend to prom.

When Sarah was sent to the facility remains unclear however proms are typically held in warmer months before the school year ends for the summer.

In a tweet the star said: “My amazing friends & fans, PLEASE help us save my sweet gay cousin Sarah who’s trapped at a boarding facility in TX.”

In a later post to Facebook he wrote, “I can't believe beautiful, smart, incredible kids like my cousin Sarah are still being told that being gay is wrong. But it's worse than that for Sarah... She's been placed at a remote boarding facility to help "pray away the gay" for a year with no communication to the outside world.

“She may not be able to see it now, but please show her how much she matters and take a stand to help us free this wonderful young woman and welcome her back to a world of love and acceptance.”

In another post he adds: 'My cousin Sarah, like any other teenager, loves a shameless selfie... Its just sometimes hers includes another girl... You can't see it, but the caption of the photo on the left reads "Merry Christmas from two kids in love." It BREAKS MY HEART this sweet young girl who's only "issue" is loving another girl has been sent to a facility for "troubled teens." News flash, folks, there's nothing wrong with her.'

It is alleged that Sarah is staying at a state-licensed residential facility called Heartlight Ministries located in Texas.

A spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services told the New York Daily News that she was not able to discuss whether the agency is investigating the claims however they did confirm that the teen was at the facility.

On their website the facility claims, “For 25 years, we’ve provided a safe haven for positive change. Our residential setting offers struggling teens an atmosphere to develop healthier patterns during the most troubling times.”

The facility also claims to house around 56 kids and employs more than 40 staff members on a 150 acre setting.

A Go Fund Me page has been launched by her “extended family” in order to raise funds to free the teen from the facility.

'Sarah’s parents, who believe that homosexuality is a sin and abnormal, sent Sarah away against her will to an East Texas Christian boarding facility for troubled teens to “pray away the gay,'' says the GoFundMe page which aims to raise funds for Sarah's legal expenses.

According to the GoFundMe page, Sarah's parents sent her to the 'pray away the gay' camp after she and her girlfriend went to prom together. The page describes it as 'Bible-based therapy' for her 'disease'.

The page has raised over $65,000 to date and says that legal bills have already totaled $20,000.

Any money that is raised and left over will go to Sarah's college fund.

In the southern state of Texas, a teen who is not yet 18 can be remanded to a residential boarding facility against their will according to the Go Fund Me Page.

News break – June 10