Some 69 times, the web site of exgay movement marketer and financier Focus on the Family promotes antigay politician and commentator Alan Keyes.
So did this cached page from exgay activist Stephen’s Bennett’s web site — until someone very recently deleted the page.
And Keyes was the keynote speaker for the 1999 conference of aggrieved-parents group PFOX.
Yesterday The Washington Post confirmed that Keyes and his wife have kicked 19-year-old daughter Maya out of the house, denied her support for college, and stopped talking with her, due in part to Maya’s decision to be publicly honest about her sexual orientation.
Money quote by Maya, who shares some of her father’s conservatism:
"They say most parents would be thrilled to have a child who doesn’t
smoke, have sex, do drugs, hardly drinks…, does well in school,
gets good grades, gets into the Ivy League…, goes regularly to
church, spends free time mentoring kids."
Alan Keyes and his wife apparently disagree.
Will either Focus on the Family or PFOX publicly urge Alan Keyes to set a better example? Or will they respond with the same silence that has followed news about PFOX president Richard Cohen’s lapses in professional conduct?
It will be interesting to see if Alan Keys offers a public commentary on his daughter the way Terry Randall did. I only hope his reponse isn’t to try to publically humiliate his daughter the way Terry did his son.
The Cheneys’ handling of sexual orientation has been quite a bit more “pro-family” in tone — and outcome — than that of Alan Keyes and his supporters in the ex-gay political leadership.
Mike, I agree. If the Presidential debate had Keyes and his daugther in view, the public reaction would have been the exact opposite that it was. Keyes has become an embarrassment to even the Religious Right. Silence on the part of FotF probably should be interpretted in that light. All of the pages I looked at are old. Let’s see if they start disappearing.
Regan,
Hmm, I don’t see any connection between Alan Keyes and Margaret Spellings/PBS. Also, Pat Mitchell has exactly not been fired — she’ll leave in June 2006, 15 months from now.
If you have any links to news stories about student journalists being fired or censored as a direct result of ex-gays or the religious right, please do share them, but not on a page about Alan Keyes. Thanks!
— Mike
The defenders of Keyes’ actions I’ve encounter, have not been given very much to work with. They argue that a daughter rebelling against her parent’s ground rules – although she was never been in trouble with the law, ran away or used drugs – is deserving of such abandonment.
Does this sound like the kind of person who would be accepted to Brown?
Although, Alan Keyes was far from the likelihood of winning elective office, he has now sealed his fate in such matter. Here in Illinois, he got but 20% percent (3.1 million votes) against Barack Obama, whereas Bush got 41% percent in November.
Right now, he couldn’t beat David Duke in Compton.
The amazing thing is that Keyes got 20% of the vote in Illinois.
Actually, the really amazing thing is that the Illinios Republican party chose him to run as their candidate.
The Baylor student Regan mentioned was studying for the ministry. Baylor didn’t expell him, but they did revoke his scholarship. Obviously, since he was gay, he would not be eligible for the ministry for whatever denomination (I forget which it is) supports Baylor. Since he is gay, it isn’t clear that they would be expected to pay for his education.
The high school student that Regan mentioned was at a private “christian” school somewhere in Texas.
Baylor is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.