Where are they now? This week OWN’s Our America with Lisa Ling paused to reflect back on the most memorable stories and people of the season. I can’t believe the season is already coming to a close. I will miss Lisa Ling’s exceptional reporting, but know that she is hard at work on bringing us more compelling stories about our neighbors, friends and average Americans. 

Updates on Pray Away the Gay: Original Story

This episode was by far the most controversial. With some viewers believing it was too sympathetic to gays, others believed it was a horrible mistake to even give TV time to ex-gay ministries. 8 months later, Lisa revisited Christian only to find that he had cleaned house. In order to clear a place to think, he appeared to have removed ALL of his art work from his home. As Lisa said “but to grow in God, it seemed to me like he felt he needed to put his creativity in the closet”. Then Lisa asked “if God is as loving as Christians say he is, then shouldn’t he love Christian no matter what?”. However, Christian stayed focused on his vision of what he wanted out of life.  

When the show aired I knew OWN was trying to open a dialogue with people who would normally never discuss this topic openly. Although I personally believe that God is accepting and there is nothing to pray away, this is an important conversation to have.  

Updates on Transgender Lives: Original Story

6 months later, Lisa caught up with Tan as he was on a photo shoot. YES a photo shoot. He wants to become the first transgender male underwear model…breaking all the stereotypes of male models. The last we saw Tan he was working out and preparing for surgery to remove his breasts. Now, they are gone and he is finally comfortable in his OWN skin. With his new self, he chose to change his name to Ty. His mother has finally come to accept and love her son. At the end, the cameras caught a special moment….Ty and his siblings burning his old sports bra. 

I was happy to see Lisa revisit Tan (I mean Ty) for this segment and hope all of the other people on the show are doing just as well. It is important to feel comfortable in your body…who cares what anyone else thinks! Surround yourself with those who love and accept you. It is better to have a handful of people who love, accept and want the best for you…than a room full of people who judge and hold you to their expectations. Be yourself! 

Updates on Sex Offenders:  Original story

This episode highlighted a serious problem of sex offenders with no where to live. Lisa interviewed Steve, a sex offender who served 6 years in jail. He had lived in a tent city among the swamps. Married with a child, he was unable to live with his family because they resided near a school. 9 months later, Lisa returned to the tent city in the woods to find it had been closed down by the person who owned the land. Once a home to 25 sex offenders, now it sat vacant meaning that most of the sex offenders went deeper into the woods. The camp was a reminder of the episode where offenders were living like animals. As an officer tells Lisa that no one should have to live like that, he reminded us that “desperate people do desperate things”. So what happened to Steve? He was able to find another abandoned lot. In the meantime, his wife lost her home due to financial problems and now she was living with Steve in the woods. As for their children, they are living with her parents in Tennessee. Eventually his wife got a part-time job, but Steve still walks into town each day hoping to pick up a day jobs in construction. Although he can’t afford it, he continues to go to therapy knowing that he damaged 2 young children.

Now….Randy, the sex offender landlord, is looking to try to solve the homeless sex offender issue. He wants to find inexpensive industrial areas that can be turned into housing complexes for offenders. The sheriff that Lisa had accompany her to the tent city thought that an entire apartment complex solely for sex offenders was an idea…a place that could easily be monitored…a place for them to be.

This is clearly an issue. I don’t think eliminating the restrictions is the only solution. However, something needs to change. If you treat someone like an animal…they have no incentive to not act like one.  

Updates on Heroin in the Heartland:  Original Story

This particular episode of OA tried to shine a spotlight on a HUGE problem of heroin addiction in America. Lisa interviewed an addicted family who were trying to turn their lives around. At the end of the episode, the mother and father (Darla and Mike) were clean and hopeful. 10 months later…..the camera panned to a devastated Mike. Since we last saw them, Darla had died from an overdose of prescription drugs. Mike told Lisa about the difficult decision he and his wife had made to allow their son, Caden to be remain with his foster parents. Unable to secure housing (the final requirement to get their son back), they did what they felt was best for their son. Still allowed to visit their son, they chose to stay in NY. After 5 nights sleeping on the street, Darla died. He struggled with knowing that he couldn’t give his wife what she wanted…a home. In the end, Mike was able to get into a shelter where he can stay as long as he needs. “A cautionary tale” as Lisa puts it and a truly touching story about how life can go from good to bad with the simplest of choices.

I was so sad to hear about Darla. I started to think about what if’s, knowing perfectly well that it does no good. But I wanted to find meaning in all of it. If only…they had been able to be in a shelter together. They may have been able to pull their lives together. Do they even have homeless shelters for families? My mother always says “as long as I get a good night’s sleep, I can handle anything”. I believe that. But sleeping on the cold, hard street doesn’t constitute “sleeping well”. If only….they had been able to find a way to make money and get a place of their own. Maybe Caden would be with them. If only…they didn’t have to give up their son in the end. Maybe Darla would be alive. I can’t imagine a recovering addict living on the street being able to handle the loss and disappointment. I know. What if’s are pointless. I only hope that people realize how precious life is and that no drug is worth all you can lose. The first step to addiction is using…so don’t experiment with your life!

Updates on Online Brides: Original Story

David and Maria Christina…did they make it? Within a week, David asked he to marry him and he said yes. In no time at all, they were all living in Houston. Language is still a barrier, however they are working on it. Maria Christina is learning English in hopes of getting back to work. Her daughter has settled into her pink room and David is happy to have turned his house into a home. In all…things are going well. Lisa noted that no other men on the romance tour were in relationships with any of the women, and that the women highlighted in the show continued to date American men but were still single.

 I am happy that Maria Christina and David are doing well and hope they are happy. I still think these tours are not in the best interest of the women. With only a few of the men willing to allow their faces to be shown (on the original episode)…I have to wonder about their intentions and whether they are even single. I just hate to see anyone get hurt.

 With so many great shows this season, I can’t wait to see what OWN’s Our America with Lisa Ling has in store for us next season!