Camp Shame

Mormonism has always had a complicated relationship with America. This episode traces the religion from persecuted frontier movement to powerful Utah institution. From Mormonism’s westward expansion and Indigenous dispossession, to their eventual effort to shed its outsider status and enter the American mainstream, Kate charts how that transformation cemented Mormonism’s focus on gender, sexuality, and eventually, conversion therapy.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conversion therapy, often thought of as a bygone practice or bunk science, is alive and well– especially in the secretive niches where institutions and cultural conversations have enabled it to continue flourishing. In Season 2 of Camp Shame, host Kate Kelly, a queer ex-Mormon who was excommunicated from her own community, will trace the rise, fall, and shifting identity of conversion therapy in a state uniquely positioned in the crosshairs of this practice: Utah.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conversion therapy, often imagined as a bygone practice of bunk science, is alive and well– from church pews to therapists' offices, state capitols to college campuses. Backed by professionals, and faith leaders, this snakeoil “cure” is sold as hope.
Welcome to Camp Shame: Season 2, hosted by activist, legal scholar, feminist, and queer ex-Mormon Kate Kelly. This season, we’re telling the stories of Mormons who’ve undergone conversion therapy, the cultural climate that helped conversion programs survive, and why this shame-fueled ill continues to thrive
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Camp Shane is back… and as dysfunctional as ever. Kids are running around unsupervised, counselors are dropping out like flies, and medical supervision is pretty much nonexistent. After an accident that leaves a child in critical condition, Camp Shane’s cover is blown. A state investigation reveals what Shaners have known all along, and this time, David won’t get away with it.
References:
The Epic Family Feud Behind an Iconic American Weight-Loss Camp for Kids
‘Hoping for a good summer’: Emails give insight into state office’s investigation of weight-loss camp
Connecticut weight-loss camp surrenders license after state investigation
Camp Investigation Finds Serious Health, Safety Issues
State Investigating Youth Weight Loss Camp in Kent After Abrupt Closure
Fat Talk: Parenting in the age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith
Camp Shane—one of America’s longest running weight loss camps for kids—promised extraordinary results. Campers who began the summer in heavy bodies were often unrecognizable when they left. In a society obsessed with being thin, it seemed like a miracle solution.
But there were some dark truths behind Camp Shane’s facade of happy, transformed children. Kids were being pushed to their physical and emotional limits as the family that owned Shane turned a blind eye. More than 50 years after its founding, host Kelsey Snelling is bringing the real story of Camp Shane to light.
In this eight-episode series, she unpacks and investigates stories of mistreatment and reexamines the culture of fatphobia that enabled a flawed system to continue for so long. Along the way, she reveals and weighs the heavy price of shame.
Subscribe to Camp Shame so you don't miss an episode and follow us on Instagram @CampShame
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though Camp Shane is falling apart, kids still love spending their summers there, largely because of the limited parental supervision and endless romantic opportunities. Some counselors do their best to stop the hookups. Others manipulate naive teens for their personal gain. Camp Shane is quickly losing its status as a refuge for overweight kids and becoming a place full of secrets that will haunt campers for decades to come. And one camper is ready to come forward.
If you or someone you know needs support, please visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at https://rainn.org/.
References:
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope With Traumatic Events
The Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
Why many sexual assault survivors may not come forward for years
The abuser’s playbook: the weaponization of mental health
What We Don’t Talk about When We Talk about Fat
Why Don’t We Hear Fat Women’s #MeToo Stories?
Weight-Based Discrimination of Rape Victims
Camp Shane—one of America’s longest running weight loss camps for kids—promised extraordinary results. Campers who began the summer in heavy bodies were often unrecognizable when they left. In a society obsessed with being thin, it seemed like a miracle solution.
But there were some dark truths behind Camp Shane’s facade of happy, transformed children. Kids were being pushed to their physical and emotional limits as the family that owned Shane turned a blind eye. More than 50 years after its founding, host Kelsey Snelling is bringing the real story of Camp Shane to light.
In this eight-episode series, she unpacks and investigates stories of mistreatment and reexamines the culture of fatphobia that enabled a flawed system to continue for so long. Along the way, she reveals and weighs the heavy price of shame.
Subscribe to Camp Shame so you don't miss an episode and follow us on Instagram @CampShame
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.