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Jeremy Jordan Is Trying to Rescue His Cousin, 18, From Gay Conversion Camp

Jeremy Jordan
Jeremy Jordan

Jeremy Jordan is coming to the aid of a family member in need. The Supergirl actor took to social media on Sunday, June 5, with a plea for fans to help him and his family raise funds to release his cousin Sarah from a Christian boarding facility in Texas.

“I can’t believe beautiful, smart, incredible kids like my cousin Sarah are still being told that being gay is wrong,” the 31-year-old actor wrote in a post to Facebook. “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.”

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Jordan and his family have since set up a GoFundMe account and raised close to half of their $100,000 goal to help with growing legal fees. According to the page, 18-year-old Sarah’s parents sent her away when she attended prom with her girlfriend.

Jordan’s social media message even reached Arrow star Colton Haynes, who came out publicly as gay last month. The 27-year-old actor shared Jordan’s message, tweeting, “This absolutely breaks my heart. Pls help Jeremy Jordan’s cousin be her true self.”

Related: PHOTOS: Hollywood's Gay Power Couples

Haynes also donated $5,000 to the cause.

According to Jordan, Sarah’s extended family has tried to win her release through the legal system, but the fees involved have so far reached approximately $20,000, and will only continue to grow until the hearing in July.

“Not only does this type of ‘therapy’ not work, mental health professionals from organizations like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have found it to be psychologically damaging, especially for minors,” he wrote on the GoFundMe page. “And Sarah has been told that she must stay in this facility for a whole year. So instead of being surrounded by friends and extended family who love and support Sarah for who she is, she’ll be isolated in a place where the fact that she is gay is treated as a sin and an illness.”

Related: PHOTOS: Gay Celebrities' Coming Out Stories

But the cause, Jordan explained, goes beyond just Sarah’s case. “If we free Sarah we can help show that it’s not OK to try to make gay teens straight by sending them away and using the threat of God against them,” he concluded.

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