Internet Comes To The Rescue After Homophobic Parents Disown Gay College Student

Emily Scheck

Another college student, disowned by their parents for being LGBT, has been embraced and supported by the community.

Emily Scheck, a sophomore at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, found herself in dire straits when her mother found a picture of Scheck with her girlfriend.

The nightmare scene played out just about as badly as you could ever imagine.

According to NBC News, her mother reportedly called Scheck ‘disgusting’ and demanded that she attend so-called ‘conversion therapy’ to rid her of her same-sex attraction or face being cut out of her family’s life completely.

Soon after Scheck found her parents had removed the license plates from her car.

Scheck had paid for the car, but because her parents were paying for the insurance they had rescinded the payments. Her dad had driven to Buffalo and removed the license plates.

While there he had taken all of Scheck’s belongings from home in Rochester and stuffed them in her car.

She received a message that she was never to contact her parents or her siblings ever again.

Survival now became a very real, very difficult mountain to climb.

She had no meal plan at college, so eating was a daily challenge. She had just taken a vacation that her parents had agreed to pay for, but now reneged on that agreement, leaving her with a credit card bill from the trip.

She hadn’t purchased her books for the upcoming semester forcing her to borrow books from friends for classes.

All of this while she held down a part-time job at a grocery store as well as a work-study job at school.

Emily with girlfriend Justyna Wilkinson

And then there was the issue of tuition. It costs about $18,000 a semester at Canisius College, and her partial athletic scholarship for running track didn’t come close to covering the expenses.

Emily Scheck was in a very difficult position.

And then, her friend Grace Hausladen launched a GoFundMe campaign hoping to raise $5,000 to get Scheck through her immediate struggles.

That goal was quickly surpassed.

As Scheck’s plight went viral, so did the GoFundMe campaign. At this writing, over $100,000 has been raised by 2,573 people in 13 days for Scheck.

For a moment, though, the good news seemed tied to bad: NCAA rules didn’t allow for students to receive such funds.

Scheck was given an ultimatum: either return the money raised for food, shelter and college expenses or be forced to give up running track.

Clearly, survival was at the top of Scheck’s priorities and so she prepared herself to give up the sport she loved in order to survive.

Then, in a reversal, most probably due to the extremely bad press the story presented, the NCAA and Canisius College issued statements late last week saying Scheck could accept the donations and also retain her sports eligibility.

Emily Scheck can retain her eligibility and continue to receive GoFundMe donations that assist her with living and educational expenses. pic.twitter.com/jut5EjPLnU

— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) November 16, 2018

Official statement on Emily Scheck eligibility and crowdfunding. pic.twitter.com/nQP3gLAKBg

— GoGriffs (@GoGriffs) November 16, 2018

A spokesman at Canisius College released a statement on behalf of Scheck expressing her deep gratitude to everyone who had stepped in to help her at such a vulnerable time in her life.

“Thank you to everyone who showed their love and support in this difficult time,” the statement began. “The positive outreach has been unbelievable. I never expected this amount of support.”

“What has been given is more than anyone could have expected,” Scheck continued.

“With Thanksgiving coming up, I am grateful for everyone in my life who have continuously been there for me,” Scheck continued. “I now know that family is not always something you have, but something you find.”

Let’s hear it for the LGBTQ community and allies for coming together to help Scheck at such a critical time.

(h/t NBC News)

Ellen Celebrates Disowned Gay Valedictorian Seth Owen

Seth Owen and Ellen DeGeneres (screen capture)

This past summer, I reported on the story of Seth Owen, a high school student who became homeless after his father did a deep dive into his cell phone and discovered Seth was gay.

The intrusion into Seth’s personal life began a series of events that led to a year of being subjected to so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ forced to attend a church that was virulently anti-gay, and eventually being thrown out of his home.

However, homelessness would not deter Seth.

Incredibly, while coach-surfing throughout his senior year of high school, he maintained a 4.16 GPA and graduated as co-valedictorian of his class.

Even as he celebrated his amazing achievement, Seth learned after he was accepted to prestigious Georgetown University that his parents reneged on any financial support leaving him far short of the funds to attend his first semester this fall.

One of Seth’s teachers who recognized his strength and burgeoning potential launched a GoFundMe campaign to help him cover the shortfall. Seth’s story and the campaign went viral exceeding all expectations by raising over $141,000.

Thanks to the LGBT media covering the story, Georgetown University took another look at Seth’s situation and granted him a full ride to the school.

This week Ellen DeGeneres welcomed Seth to her show to celebrate him and his amazing fortitude in the face of so many obstacles.

Ellen DeGeneres welcomes Seth Owen to her show

Chatting on the show, Seth gave credit to Ellen for his becoming co-valedictorian saying many late nights he would look up her videos for uplift and inspiration. “There were so many times, so many times that you really pulled me through,” said Seth. “I really do appreciate that.”

He also shared the story of how his dad invaded his privacy searching through his phone which led to ‘ex-gay therapy’ treatment.

"The dangerous part about that is that, as a patient, I believed this healthcare professional was doing what was best for me,” Seth explained. “I didn’t see any progress, so it’s very depressing.”

But after his incredible journey to college, Seth gushes about his first two weeks at Georgetown saying, “I love it - It’s amazing. I would not want to be anywhere else but Georgetown.”

The 18-year-old also mentioned that the school’s staff has been very supportive.

“As a Jesuit university, we have residential ministers on our floors, and she told me that she was here to support me,” said Seth. “As someone who’s been through something like this with religion, it meant the world to me to hear from a spiritual advisor to say they have my back.”

Asked about the amazing GoFundMe campaign, Seth explained that after college he’ll use leftover funds to establish a scholarship program for LGBTQ youth who find themselves in a similar situation heading to university.

Following that news, Ellen stunned Seth announcing that she and Cheerios would be donating $25,000 to help begin Seth’s scholarship program.

Disowned at 18 for being gay, singer wows America's Got Talent

Jonathan Allen was kicked out of his house on his 18th birthday for being gay.

Unemployed, he decided to pursue his dream of singing by going on Americas Got Talent.

Then this happened...

Judge Howie Mandel: "Your own family disowned you, but with your talent, this show has become your family, and we'd like to say 'welcome home'. We love you. We accept you. And we're so proud that you came here."

Judge Howard Stern: "I don't know if your parents are watching tonight but I would like to say what a wonderful son you have."

Grab a tissue...