While the titillating details of the events surrounding anti-gay activist Dr George Rekers’ recent overseas trip with a male escort continue to spread at an incredible rate, there are some errors multiplying just as quickly.
While we fully expect from past experience that conservative sites now referencing Rekers will start to disassociate themselves at some point, there is no evidence that this has happened yet. Contrary to recent reports which are being duplicated with the fast pace of reporting on this story, it does not appear that the Family Research Counsel (FRC) has made any recent edits to their site concerning Rekers.
At some point in the past, perhaps as far back as 2007, the FRC restructured it’s web site. The page describing their origins was changed to eliminate a couple of academics, Armand Nicholoi Jr. of Harvard University and George Rekers of the University of South Carolina. It now focuses more on conservative political figures such as Gerald P. Regier, Department of Health and Human Services in the Reagan administration.
The verbiage concerning Rekers and Nicholoi was moved to their FAQ where it remains (in the answer to the second question). However, even the May 1 Google cache of the page in question shows that it is the same as it was before the Miami New Times story broke.
Again, a silent purge of Rekers from conservative sites would be typical, but it should be noted for the record that this hasn’t yet happened. It’s easy to make mistakes on such a quickly developing bombshell as this — we have all done it — but all the more reason to be especially careful not to cloud the serious facts with false information.
Here it is! Rekers’ been disowned by FRC
https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU10E03
A Word from Our Media Center
Yesterday evening, we began to see online “news” accounts of Dr. George Rekers, a reparative therapist for homosexuals, actually being involved with a male prostitute. Some of the stories identified Rekers as being a founding board member of Family Research Council. I had never heard of Dr. Rekers, so I asked our corporate attorney to review past documents. We did verify that Dr. Rekers was a member of the original Family Research Council Board prior to its merger with Focus on the Family in 1987. FRC has had no contact with Dr. Rekers or knowledge of his activities in over a decade, so I can’t speak to what he may or may not have done. However, I can say that while it’s extremely disappointing when any Christian leader engages in the very activities that they “preach” against, it’s not surprising. The Scriptures clearly teach the fallen nature of all people. We each have a choice to act upon that nature or accept the forgiveness offered by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. As leaders, we should do our best to ensure our actions–both public and private–match our professed positions.
Yeah, they are basically throwing him under the bus with that weak statement but they haven’t purged him from their site yet.
https://blog.exodusinternational.org/2010/05/06/no-stone-throwing-by-alan-chambers/
Problem with the stone-throwing analogy, Alan, is that George Rekers is the stone thrower, and has been for decades.
To expose him is simply to show up his hypocrisy.
I don’t care much for the way this has been covered in some parts of the blogosphere, but don’t smear the entire “gay community” over this. I can only speak for Ex-Gay Watch when I say our coverage has been modest, sensitive and fair.
Obviously I don’t know Jo-Vanni Roman, but it could well be that he does indeed need compassion and care. If so, neither Exodus nor any other ex-gay organization is the place for him to look for the compassion and care that he needs.
He’s either going to be squirrled away to ex gay therapy, like Ted Haggard. To emerge, a heterosexual all over again.
Or, if he turns out to be therapy repellent or his background with this activity having too much depth, they’ll point to him as an example of how homosexuality is so evil and resistant to the ‘healing and cleansing’ qualities of their therapy.
In other words, the pull of homosexuality is stronger than HIS weak character.
As always, none of the blame will go to the folly of expecting gay people to have to change, to change…or that they are better off living openly and encouraged to be in monogamous marriages with other gay people.
That boy he was with isn’t on a good path either, sadly. He’s a pretty thing.
Alan, we ask that people don’t simply drop by with links. If you want to comment, please do so, but links on your part of the web tend to have a short life and so it really doesn’t add to the discussion as much as it spams your blog post.
That said, I agree with Dave Rattigan, your analogy is flawed. There is no doubt that coverage on some blogs has been excessive and tacky in my opinion, but the world is not a church, and stuff like this plays out in all sorts of ways. I also agree that XGW has been more than fair, to the point of my making a correction to some misinformation already out there.
These are the facts, and they concern a man who has been paid tens of thousands of dollars to spew psuedo-science from the witness stand in an attempt to deny gays and lesbians the right to adopt or take in foster children — only due to their sexual orientation. But then that makes perfect sense to you, doesn’t it. When such a person is exposed as a classic hypocrite you might forgive people for reacting strongly. It is a much more tangible injustice than your constant whining about an imaginary loss of religious liberty.
You need to work on your own house first, Alan. More and more people recognize Exodus, et al as the “counterfeit” every day. And you really are a single organization, unlike the nebulous “gay community” which is a slice across all demographics. You do much worse than throw stones, you create situations like this. And to this day you do not take responsibility for it, you simply get someone to type up a post under the “Who, me?” category.
Those moderate, bridge building clothes might look better on you if you didn’t wear them just for special occasions.
Alan,
I do have sympathy for Jo-vanni Roman (or “Lucian”, as he prefers). But my sympathy extends beyond a moment of faux-care about him based on a desire to hush the story.
Unlike Exodus, our community funds youth services, outreach, and other efforts to get kids off the streets. We also know that the full force campaign of condemnation and legal inequalities – a campaign which is actively supported by Exodus, incidentally, even years after promises to be ‘non-political’ – leads to more children being cut off from family and resources and forced to rely on means they otherwise would avoid.
You see, we really do care. These are “our kids”.
But we also know that Lucian is not a street kid. He is someone who has chosen a particular occupation, one which can lead to quick easy money but can also come with certain risks and social consequences. He’s a bright guy, he weighed the risks and went for it.
When the story broke and his identity was rapidly revealed, Lucian felt victimized by circumstances. And, like many in his profession, he also felt an obligation to his clients. But it appears that he has now seen his responsibilities and is opting to add further clarity to the situation.
You see, Lucian may work in the oldest profession, but he does not support discrimination. He may not be a college professor or start any national political organizations, but he knows that it is wrong to try and ban good and decent gay couples and individuals from providing a loving home to needy children.
And our community respects Lucian’s decision to clarify. But I wonder if your concern for how badly Lucian is being treated will continue once he spills all.
@Alan Chambers
I am amused at the statement “… full bodily description of this boy barely out of high school”. As if they are trying to say the bloggers are being salacious by highlighting his age. He’s 20. That’s an adult.
I feel bad for Jo-vanni. Here is a
kidyoung adult pushed into the limelight.I wrote on the Exodus page (probably won’t be approved): “Mr. Rekers is vehemently opposed to gay behavior and lifestyle. He has spoken and worked so hard against it for decades. So, if he can’t cure himself and overcome his homosexual desires, what hope is there for anyone else?”
I’m sure there is a wide range of diversity on the sexual orientation scale. It’s not all black-and-white. I’m sure some people who only have a slight same-sex attraction who don’t want this orientation can be ‘cured’. But a lot of people can’t be ‘cured’. Here is a perfect example. Rekers spent his life denouncing homosexuality. He studied and argued that homosexuality was bad. But in the end, he wasn’t able to overcome those desires himself. What does that say about ordinary people’s ability to change? Here was a man dedicating his life to eliminating homosexuality. How much work does it take to stop being gay? And is all that work worth it? I was very miserable and guilty and lonely for the first 28 years of my life, until I admitted that I was gay. (I didn’t even experiment sexually–so I was not “caught up in the gay lifestyle”. I lived a Christian life, went to a fundamentalist college). But now I don’t have that big burden of guilt and shame that followed me for so many years.
@Alan Chambers
Hey Alan,
Thanks for taking the time to respond on here, but I think I understand why you choose to do so now: it’s simply good for business, as this scandal is giving you some free advertising to peddle more snake oil.
I guess business is down nowadays (no pun intended), but you should be ashamed at using this unfortunate (yet elating) revelation in order to drum up more business. You should be posting your smut on RentBoy so you can “minister to gay people with the loving goal” of helping them.
When you’re brave enough to do that, and pay money to do so, maybe you’ll be taken seriously. Until then, my congratulations on keeping up appearances as you not only drum up business, but demonstrate that you are still under the control and watchful eye of your parent group, Focus on the Family.
Let me ask you, Alan, when you will Focus on the WHOLE Family…..including those who are GLBT?
I doubt Alan Chambers will be back to respond, but his article comes across as filled with vitriol disguised as sympathy. According to Chambers, gay people are now
My, what a “Grace”-filled sentence. Tell me, what exactly is a “gay identity?” Because I identify as Jewish and human, but being gay? well, that’s just something that IS, not something I have to MAKE a part of me. Interesting he even took the time at ALL to post on this “gay-identified” blog, since we are counted among–
Ah yes, it’s important to point out this kid’s age because it “proves” how quickly gay men revert to their natural predatory/pederastic tendencies when a shirtless barely-not-teenage twink is pictured on a blog post! And since we’re reporting on what happened instead of making self-righteous blog entries about “grace” and “faith,” or voicing judgments about a person’s lifestyle, that makes Alan confused:
It’s not “lack of regard” to show what a person does for a living. People do have the freedom to choose their own lifestyle. Just like they can choose to smoke cigarettes or choose to go vegan. But Alan is furious.
“Hell bent?” really, Alan? We want to be left alone. Seems to me that you’re bitter people are all too quickly realizing how obsolete your ex-gay lifestyle and worldview is. This “kid” is 20 – so he is technically not a “kid” in the eyes of the law. He makes his own choices. And if you asked him yourself, he would probably tell you “I get by just fine.” He probably would disagree that he is being “dehumanized” – it’s his lifestyle. We might not agree but we can’t force him to “humanize” himself in the way we see fit.
Crimony, he spent 10 straight days (in europe) with a top-tier evangelical minister (who was “evangelizing to him” according to his website) and that didn’t convert him one iota. I doubt all your “care” would convert him either.
This “Jo” character might be a gay prostitute – he might have self esteem issues, he might have been abused, or maybe he just likes to hook-up – but one thing is for certain, he knows who he is and what he is. He doesn’t need Exodus to try and fix his “identity.” The only one with identity issues here is Rekers. He can’t decide who he was in Europe – a physically lame traveler, a same-sex attracted “struggler,” or a brave “on fire” evangelist.
Christians are the biggest hypocrite and liars.