Deborah Drapper is 13 years old. She is a bright, intelligent girl. She is also an evangelical Christian.
BBC Three has made a one hour documentary about her (and her family of 10 brothers and sisters and her parents). It was truly cringeworthy stuff. Partly because of the cruel nonsense that she believes without question, but also because of the shallow nature of the documentary. The idiotic questions posed by the documentary makers ("do you know who Britney Spears is?") and the posing of the binge culture lifestyle as the only alternative to Christianity are simplistic and a lost opportunity.
And I don’t think that I’m the only person to note that her eldest brother, Matthew, set off the gaydar alarm. I kept hearing the tune and lyrics of ""There may be trouble ahead, but while there’s music and moonlight and love and romance, let’s face the music and dance".
The final few moments of the film show a vulnerable, bright 13 year old who has been completely screwed over by her upbringing. Heartbreaking.
Deborah has a web blog. Hopefully she will win through and come to realise that she is not a "wretched horrible person", just human, like the rest of us.
Geoff Coupe's Blog 
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