Box Turtle Bulletin

Rentboy #2?

There are bound to be others, aren’t there. Another former escort and self-described former porn star now says that he was hired by George Rekers to provide full body massage with “light sexual contact.” He said this happened “when I was in my 20’s” — he’s 41 now. He also claims that he’s a close, personal friend of Ted Haggard and believes that Haggard “is a faithful husband to his wife,” and that very much unlike Rekers, Haggard “is a dedicated Christian, and he is no enemy of gays.”

Jo-vanni had the fortune (or misfortune) of having been photographed with Rekers in the Miami airport, which makes his connection to Rekers indisputable. Proving “Chaz’s” connection to Rekers might be extremely difficult, and I don’t know how he will be able to make the connection stick. But whether this particular allegation is true or not, I do believe we can be certain that there are more Jo-vanni’s out there just waiting to come forward. Some, under all kinds of motivations. Caveat emptor.

Report: Uganda’s Cabinet “Rejects” Anti-Gay Bill

I put the word “rejects” in quotation marks because it’s very difficult to discern whether this really represents the long-awaited death knell for Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill. But this report from tomorrow’s Saturday Monitor, Uganda’s largest independent newspaper, is unusually optimistic:

A committee of Cabinet has made recommendations that could end Ndorwa West MP David Bahati’s proposal to have a separate law punishing homosexuality in Uganda. The recommendations, which Saturday Monitor has seen, come close to dismissing Mr Bahati’s draft legislation.

The committee, put together to advise the government after Mr Bahati’s draft legislation left Uganda condemned by sections of the international community, looked deep into the language, tone and relevance of the draft legislation, dissecting every clause to determine its usefulness.

It was not clear who wrote the draft legislation, the committee’s report says, noting that the document had “technical defects in form and content”. The result left the draft legislation almost bare, as nearly all of the clauses were found either redundant, repetitive of existing laws, or even useless. In fact, the committee found that only “Clause 13″ of the draft legislation, about the promotion of homosexuality, had some merit.

…”The Anti-Homosexuality Bill should be reviewed since some provisions of the Constitution were not followed in the process of drafting and that, therefore, it was illegally before Parliament,” the report says, adding that “some sections of the Penal Code Act could be amended to include some good provisions” of the draft law. This kind of amendment, the committee’s report says, is the preferable option.

The suggestion that advocacy of homosexuality could still be outlawed (“Clause 13”) remains troublesome. The draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill’s ban on “promoting homosexuality” is far-reaching. Not only would it criminalize pro-LGBT speech and advocacy, it would also hinder medical workers, since providing advice on safe-sex practices to reduce the chance of becoming infected with HIV, for example, could be seen as “promoting homosexuality.”

This appears to be further revelations from a Cabinet report first reported by Monitor two weeks ago. That report seemed to indicate that the Cabinet was interested in moving unspecified provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into other legislation and pass them on the slight. This report suggests that the bill would be scrapped, with the possible exception of Clause 13. Given the uncertainty of the whole situation, the ultimate fate of the LGBT community in Uganda remains a very deep concern and will continue to bear close scrutiny.

Lutherans in Tanzania shun those in the West

There are a lot of Lutherans in Tanzania. With 5.3 million Lutherans, there are more there than in any nation other than Sweden (and Swedes take their religion a bit laxly).

And while the Lutherans in Scandinavia and, increasingly, the United States are welcoming of gay people and supporting of gay rights and relationships, the Tanzanians are not at all happy. They are so very pissed off at their fellow believers that they want nothing to do with them. Or their money.

From the Ecumenical News International

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania says it will not accept money or help from groups that allow or support the legalization of same-sex marriages.

“Those in same-sex marriages, and those who support the legitimacy of such marriage, shall not be invited to work in the ELCT,” says a statement posted to the church’s Web site on April 29. “We further reject their influence in any form, as well as their money and their support.”

It’s very sad. African remains largely hostile to gay people; so much so that at times it tears at the fabric of their shared faith.

Craig Ferguson on George Rekers

Craig Ferguson is my favorite late night talk show host, and last night’s monologue was priceless. The George Rekers commentary starts at the 2:15 mark.

His advice to anti-gay activists: If you’re really really anti-gay, then just “knock it off and buy yourself something fabulous.”

We Need To Take Care of Our Own

Jo-Vanni Roman, the young man at the center of the storm

Dan Savage provides the background to the problem:

The gay movement—which can be overly concerned with appearances—didn’t know what to do with Mike Jones after he outed Ted Haggard, then the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, and a good buddy of George W. Bush. Gay organizations and groups treated Jones like he was radioactive because—gasp—the man was a sex worker. Jones was left feeling bitter and broke after he did gays and lesbians everywhere a huge service stepping forward and outing/truthing Haggard. By exposing Haggard, Jones did real and lasting damage to the credibility of anti-gay ranters everywhere.

Jones was 49 when he outed Haggard, and he was completely overwhelmed by the controversy and intense publicity. Jo-Vanni is only twenty and still trying to put himself through college. It’s impossible to expect that anyone at twenty has the wherewithal to negotiate the landmines around him in a situation like this. There will be people seeking to exploit him, take advantage of him, sue him, and yes, condemn him for being a sex worker.

Meanwhile, anti-gay activists are already eager for us to turn on him so they can swoop in and claim him as their poster-boy.

Rekers has been one of the most virulent and dangerous anti-gay extremists in decades. Think of Paul Cameron without the calls for quarantines or death camps — although the two have worked very closely together on a number of projects. What Jo-Vanni did in revealing Reker’s hypocrisy is unprecedented in its importance. I cannot think of another exposure as big as this. Haggard, John Paulk, Michael Johnston — none of them have had the wide-ranging impact that Rekers has had over the past three decades.

We know very well how to take care of people in our community who need our help. We became experts at it in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It’s time to put that expertise into use again. Joe Jervis is organizing a support team for Jo-Vanni in South Florida, and he’s looking for your help and suggestions. You can email him with your suggestions at JoeMyGod@gmail.com.

Details of CNN’s Interview with “Lucien” Leaked

Details of CNN’s exclusive interview with Jo-Vanni Roman (a.k.a. “Lucien”), the Miami escort who accompanied anti-gay activist George Rekers on a ten-day trip to Europe, appeared briefly on the AC360 blog briefly, but it now appears to have been pulled. We don’t know if it’s because they didn’t want to give too much away ahead of time, or if other news stories (the Nashville floods, the oil spill in the gulf, financial problems in Greece, British elections) threaten to push this story off to another day. At any rate, we were able to capture some of what you can expect to see, assuming the story airs tonight:

Here’s the background. “Lucien” says Rekers hired him by answering his ad on the website, RentBoy.com. He says Rekers would have been exposed to all kinds of naked men in compromising sexual positions on the website before getting through to the ads for male companions.

“Lucien” showed me the contract he signed with Rekers. It does show he was hired to carry Rekers luggage because he needed help with that, but #3 in the contract terms spells out that Lucien “will provide George Rekers a massage for at least one hour each day of the trip in their shared rooms using the same procedures (“Lucien”) provided to George Rekers in Florida.” “Lucien” told me he had given Rekers two “sexual massages” in Florida at hotels before they even left for Europe and that Rekers had requested the massages be “sexual.” “Lucien” says he gave Rekers what he called the “long stroke” which included touching his genitals. He said the massages took place in their shared rooms in both London and Madrid. For his services, “Lucien” was paid $75 a day plus the cost of his air travel.

In a statement, George Rekers said “I hired him as a companion and to help with luggage, and that I did not hire him as a prostitute for any sexual purpose.” In a separate statement, Rekers said, “Professor George Rekers requires an assistant to lift his luggage in his travels because of an ongoing condition following surgery… Dr. Rekers found his recent travel assistant by interviewing acquaintances. There was nothing inappropriate with this relationship. Professor Rekers was not involved in any illegal or sexual behavior with his travel assistant.”

Lucien wasn’t paid for our interview and says he has turned down payments from other organizations for his story. He isn’t looking to make money on this. He says Rekers became sort of a “father figure” to him and he feels sorry for him. He told me George Rekers has asked him repeatedly not to talk to the media and not to tell anyone about his “sexual massages” but “Lucien” is talking because he wants people, especially in Florida, “to know who Rekers really is.”

CNN also got a comment from Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, whose office paid Rekers $120,000 to serve as an expert witness in the state’s defense of Florida’s adoption ban for gay couples:

McCollum’s office told us Rekers came to their attention “by recommendation from another academic after an exhaustive search” and that Rekers “had exceptional credentials and he had provided testimony in similar cases on two separate occasions, one of which was a Florida case in Federal Court.” The statement goes on: “The contract was executed at the direction of the Department of Children and Families, and the ACLU did not object to his position as an expert at the hearing. He has completed his testimony and is no longer involved in this case.”

AC360° airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and 7:00 p.m. Pacific

Does the Ex-Gay Movement Equal Genocide?

That’s the provocative question raised by a new paper by Sue E. Spivey and Christine M. Robinson in the April edition of the journal Genocide Studies and Prevention called “Genocidal Intentions: Social Death and the Ex-Gay Movement.” I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Robinson last fall at the Anti-Heterosexism Conference in West Palm Beach, where she gave a talk based on her then-forthcoming article. Let’s just say I was extremely skeptical of her premise that the ex-gay movement has within it several characteristics consistent with the U.N.’s four-part definition contained within the 1948 Untied Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, articles II(b)-(e), which includes definitions which are not limited to mass murder.

I heard her out, and came away with the understanding of where she is coming from. It’s not so much that the ex-gay movement wants to round us up and kill us (although some have been complicit in such proposals which have been denounced as genocidal), but when you get to the heart of what the ex-gay movement wants to do, they truly envision a world in which there are no gay people. I still contend that using the word “genocide” is a most unhelpful hyperbole, but I can’t deny that at the same time it presents an illuminating metaphor — as long as you keep a level head and remain cognizant of the many limitations of the connections. And I think we do have to recognize that some won’t do that. That said, I don’t think we should shy away from the comparisons either. Heading these comparisons will be very important, especially as the American ex-gay and anti-gay movements move to extend their reach overseas.

Ex-gay survivor, therapist and author Jallen Rix looked at Spivey & Robinson and was particularly impressed with two elements of the paper which dealt with two characteristics of genocide as defined by the UN’s 1948 Convention:

For example, here are just two points: (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; and (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. Sound familiar?

…To further connect the dots, Spivey and Robinson have used the work of James Waller, who “synthesized a large body of social and psychological scholarship, organized as a general model, to explain how ordinary people commit extraordinary acts of brutality.” Some of the processes are “Us Verses Them Thinking,” “Moral Disengagement,” and “Blaming the Victim.” For example, “Ex-gay leaders socially distance themselves from their victims … they do this by defining homosexuality as behaviors, attractions, identities, or more insidiously, as a sinful ‘lifestyle,’ a mental illness, or a menacing social ‘agenda,’ thus denying the personhood, indeed the existence — and the victimization of gay and lesbian people.” As Joseph Nicolosi, one of the most outspoken reparative therapists (he coined the label), has said about a gay teen who had the courage to come out of the closet, “He is designed for a woman. … He is heterosexual but he may have a homosexual problem.” [Hyperlink added]

Rix is the author of the recently published Ex-Gay No Way: Survival and Recovery from Religious Abuse. He was raised in a conservative Southern Baptist household and was sent off to ex-gay therapy at a young age. In the book, he describes the serious mental harm he experienced as a result, and compares what he observed in the ex-gay world with the phenomenon known as Religious Abuse. Much of his therapeutic work involves helping former ex-gay clients recover from their experiences in the ex-gay movement.

Creepy Bookcover Watch

This is the book cover for George Reker’s 1982 book, “Shaping Your Child’s Sexual Identity.”

Click to enlarge. I don’t know if that’s Rekers in the photo or not, but he was 34 years old when this book came out. We now know that Rekers hired a 20-year-old escort, a young man who just happens to be the exact same age as Rekers’ adopted son. Reker’s son was adopted at the age of sixteen. Freud is scratching his eyes out in his grave and I’m going to go and take a shower myself.

“Lucien” Speaks To Joe.My.God, Will Appear On CNN Tonight

Jo-Vanni  Roman, the 20-year-old escort identified as “Lucien” in the latest Luggagegate controversy involving longtime anti-gay fixture Dr. George Rekers, spoke for about 90 minutes in the wee hours this morning with Joe Jervis, who has a synopsis posted on his web site. Roman says that there was very little “Gospel sharing,” and confirms that the massage was indeed sexual, although it also appears that sexual contact didn’t go beyond the massages. Roman also confirms that Rekers has had three hernia operations, and really did need assistance with the whole luggage lifting thing. Joe’s assessment is that Jo-Vanni is “maive perhaps, but not dumb” (Jo-Vanni didn’t know who Anita Bryant was, but then how many twenty-year-olds do?) It’s very well worth reading Joe’s account in its entirety.

Jo-Vanni also revealed that he would be appearing in an interview with “the gay reporter on TV,” apparently referring to CNN’s Anderson Cooper. His program, AC360°, airs tonight at 10:oo pm Eastern, 7:00 pm Pacific.

Univ. of S. Carolina clarifies purging Dr. Rekers

We’ve heard a response from the University of South Carolina Medical School

Hello, Mr. Kincaid,

I have received your inquiry about Dr. Rekers’ bio information on the School of Medicine Web site. Recent media coverage called attention to the fact that his information was still on the site, when actually Dr. Rekers has been retired from the University of South Carolina since July 31, 2005, and has not had an affiliation with the university since that time.

I Hope this is helpful and that you have a very good weekend.

Sincerely,

Margaret M. Lamb
Media Relations Director
University of South Carolina

Which is nice and all that. But it does not explain why other retired professors continue to be listed as emeritus.

I’ve written back inquiring as to the school’s criteria.

UPDATE: I’ve heard back and It appears the Rekers situation has inspired the school to do a little housekeeping. And it seems that they will be applying a consistent standard:

Glad to try to eliminate confusion. The medical school does not have a policy, and, indeed, some emeritus professors, volunteer faculty and other retired faculty are still listed because they have maintained some contact with the medical school as active faculty by remaining available for teaching, consulting and service. However, medical school staff are going through Web site and over the next few weeks will post only names of active faculty whether employed and or volunteer.

I certainly can’t fault the school for that.

Rethink that lawsuit, Dr. Rekers

Yesterday Dr. George Rekers threatened to sue the Miami New Times for publishing claims that he had gone on RentBoy.com and hired a gay prostitute for sexual gratification. Unfortunately for Dr. Rekers, the paper wasn’t simply relying on hearsay from Lucien; they were in the room when Rekers was talking on speakerphone to him.

Lucien was offended, too, by what he had learned from friends and press reports of Rekers’ three decades of anti-gay activism, a record the Baptist minister tried to downplay.

“I just stay in the background,” said Rekers, a co-founder with James Dobson of the Family Research Council, a vehemently anti-gay lobbying group. Of gay people, he said: “I’ve never picked a fight with them.”
…
“What was going through your mind when you went on that website?” demanded Lucien, referring to rentboy.com, the gay escort site where he had posted his profile.

Rekers paused for several seconds, considering. “Well, I’d be happy to sit down and talk to you more about that.” He paused again. “We have to deal with the situation that we have, and make sure it doesn’t get worse.”

It can’t be easy being Lucien at the moment. My thoughts and best wishes are with him at this very stressful time.

As for Dr. Rekers, well at this point it probably won’t get worse. But it will never go back to what it was. The long long journey of denial and double life and hidden motivations and secret yearnings is over.

There’s no more room to deny or to claim innocence.

He had a long run. For decades he was the accomplished professor with impressive credentials who was an “expert” on sexuality. For over a quarter of a century Dr. Rekers could make claims about gay people that, while untrue, were considered to be scholarly.

That’s over now.

FAQ: Hiring Someone To Lift Your Luggage

Q. Wait! You mean I can hire someone to lift my luggage?

A. Yes, apparently you can. Before this week when longtime anti-gay activist Dr. George Rekers was discovered having done that very thing, I didn’t know it was possible. But now I’ve learned that not only can you hire someone to lift your luggage, there’s an entire industry dedicated to it. Isn’t it amazing how well the free markets respond to meet every need?

Q. Why should I hire someone to lift my luggage when I can get someone to do it for free anytime I want?

A. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who are you trying to kid? I don’t know about you but in my lifetime I’ve had to lift my own luggage much more often than I care to remember. So let’s be honest about this and act like grownups.

Sometimes when you’re single and you don’t have anyone available to lift your luggage, turning to a professional can be a very exciting option. This can be particularly true as you get older and the junk that’s in your trunk isn’t so hot. That’s when you’ll discover you can’t just pick up anyone to pick up your bags like you used to. Turning to a professional can be a very satisfying alternative. But even younger folks can discover that hiring someone can be a convenient alternative to the hassle of finding a volunteer, particularly when you’re traveling and there you are in a strange city all alone holding the bag.

But hiring someone to lift your luggage isn’t just for single people. It’s a sad fact that many married men also hire other men to lift their luggage. Reasons vary, but they often have to do with the fact that these married men haven’t resolved the conflict within themselves between who bests lifts their luggage and society’s expectations of who ought to lift their luggage. Men who haven’t adequately dealt with this conflict often find that hiring another man to lift their luggage is their only viable option. But it also appears that this option isn’t necessarily a bad one. Florida anti-gay adoption expert witnesses have found that the experience can even be quite therapeutic, particularly after surgery.

Q. Would my health insurance cover hiring someone to lift my luggage?

A. I don’t know, but this possibly former professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of South Carolina’s medical school may be able to answer that question.

Q. Where can I find a professional to lift my luggage?

A. Some people search personal ads from the back of alternative newspapers while others turn to Craigslist. But NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee members have learned that Rentboy.com is a particularly useful web site which specializes in providing a forum where professionals who will lift your luggage for a fee can advertise their services.

Q. What should I look for in selecting someone to lift my luggage?

That’s a deeply personal question, and there’s no stock answer that applies for everyone. For example, Family Research Council founders prefer smooth and skinny 20-year-olds to lift their luggage. I find that option appealing myself, but I sometimes tend to pack heavy. So my choice, if I were to go that route, might be a bit different (NSFW). Everyone’s luggage handling needs are unique, which is why it’s very important to evaluate the candidate’s profile to see if his services are a good fit for you. You might even want to interview a few before making your selection. Ultimately, it’s up to you to determine who can lift your luggage the best.

Q. How much will it cost to hire someone to lift my luggage?

Rates vary by city. In Miami, for example, it looks like it runs about $200-300 per hour. Since most people can get their luggage lifted in under an hour, that’s probably the most common arrangement. But If you think you might need more than an hour to fully lift your luggage, most will charge a bit of a discount for the second and subsequent hours. If you need your luggage lifted overnight, that can run $1000 to $1500, depending on the lifter’s reputation and what the market will bear.

But if you think you need to bring someone to lift your luggage during an extended 10-day European vacation, then you’ll have to negotiate with your preferred professional as costs can vary widely. If it’s someone in high demand, he may charge a daily rate of a thousand dollars or more (plus airfare, meals, transportation and lodging), but he’ll be there day and night to schlep your satchel any time you want. A few of the younger ones just starting out might lift your luggage for free or for next to nothing in exchange for the free travel. And if that’s the case there are opportunities to economize a bit further. Bogus American College of Pediatricians members have learned that luggage lifters will always accept your offer to share your hotel room (as well as the Gospel) with them.

Q. What other services can I expect from a luggage lifter?

A. According to some of the profiles on rentboy.com, some of the other services include massage, nude modeling, stripping, dancing, and watersports. So don’t forget to pack your scuba gear and swimming trunks. One NARTH officer in particular prefers luggage lifters who excel in the long stroke.

Q. What about sex?

A. “Any money exchanged is exclusively for time and companionship. If anything else should occur, that is a matter of personal mutual choice between two or more consenting adults of legal age, and is not contracted for, nor is it requested to be contracted for, or compensated for in any manner whatsoever.”

So yes, of course. Sex too.

And one final note: there are many options when it comes to lifting your luggage, but it’s a regrettable reality in today’s society that hiring a professional carries a huge stigma, both for the professional luggage lifter and his client. This, I think, is grossly unfair. The few luggage lifters I have spoken to (and in full disclosure, I haven’t hired one myself) are invariably kind, engaging, attractive, friendly, and exceptionally smart. In fact, many have paid for college by lifting strangers’ luggage. I find it hard to imagine a more difficult job, and they tell me that it’s not as glamorous as it might sound, even if they do get to travel.

But the better ones take great pride in their work. They are very attentive to their clients’ needs, and those needs often go beyond merely lifting a sack here and there. Sometimes time and companionship really are the most important services they offer. So while we may snicker at what they do, they’re still people with heart and soul, and they deserve a great deal of respect just like anyone else.

So if you do hire someone, please remember that you’re not just hiring a pair of sure hands, strong arms, sturdy thighs, powerful chest and a set of well-developed shoulders. You’re hiring a real live person. Talk to him. Get to know him a little. If you do, you’ll find your experience to be much more satisfying than if you just ordered him to lift your bags and was done with it.

And if you’re as satisfied with the results as I suspect you will be, don’t forget to leave him a tip. And be sure to pass along your recommendations to me because after having done all that research on Rentboy.com for this piece, my bags are starting to feel really heavy.

On the Limits of Schadenfreude

So what does it really mean when, much to our short-lived delight, we learn that yet another gay basher is actually gay?

“This happens again and again, but do we ever sit down and wonder why it happens?” asks LGBT media expert Cathy Renna. There is the obvious chatter—the person is full of self-hate, is ashamed, is overcompensating to hide his homosexuality. But the true effect of that overcompensation can be dire. “There is an insidious and horrible impact of internalized homophobia. I have no problem pinning someone like Rekers as the kind of person who is responsible for the suicides of young LGBT people, and he’s hired a rent boy?”

…There’s another pop-psychology element to the delight as well, says [UC Davis psychology professor Gregory Herek, a leading U.S. specialist in homophobia]. “There is this notion, one which I try to dispel, which is that people who hold strong antigay positions are always secretly gay.” Herek says to the extent that there is empirical data on the subject, there is no evidence this is true. But when people like Rekers get exposed, it fuels that pop psychology. “People get that ‘Aha!’ feeling, and take those few examples as confirmation of what is not usually true.”

Dr. Rekers becomes desperate

When one is caught in scandal, there are a few responses that may possibly be effective in clearing your name or, at least, providing hope for a future recovery.

One can provide a clear, consistent, and immediate response that clarifies the situation and leaves no outstanding questions. One laugh off the accusations as being beyond ridiculous. Or one can plead the sinner, go through steps of redemption, and hope for a limited recovery.

If none of those are possible, you just shut up and become inaccessible until the whole thing blows over.

However, Dr. George Rekers is taking exactly the wrong approach. He is becoming defensive, providing inconsistent and implausible explanations, and never really addressing the questions that everyone is wondering.

And like a dog worrying a bone, Rekers just can’t stop. And the more he says, the worse it looks.

Now Dr. Rekers is threatening to sue the Miami New Times for printing a story in which his rentboy/travel assistant claims that Rekers is homosexual and received daily nude massages from him during the trip. This tactic seldom works. If you are as rich as Tom Cruise and can truly ruin someone’s life, you can sue. If you are pure as the driven snow and have no secrets that you want revealed in court, you can sue.

But Rekers is going to do nothing but provide free publicity to the Miami New Times by suing them for informing their readers what their source is claiming.

And to make matters worse, Rekers is trying to diffuse reflection on his own sexual desires by listing four questions upon which he and Lucian reached agreement: (Washington Post)

1. Did Dr. Rekers in fact hire you to lift my luggage when necessary as a travel assistant during the trip, because I cannot do so myself since I had surgery?
Together we agreed that I in fact hired him to lift luggage when necessary as a travel assistant during the trip, because I cannot do so himself since having surgery. We agreed that this is what my travel assistant agreed to do for pay prior to taking the trip.

2. Did you in fact lift my luggage during the trip each time it was necessary, or did Dr Rekers lift his own luggage during the trip?
We agreed that my travel assistant did in fact lift my luggage each time it was necessary, that I did not lift my luggage, and my travel assistant did all the lifting.

3. Did Dr. Rekers hire you as a prostitute for the trip?
We agreed that I hired him as a companion and to help with luggage, and that I did not hire him as a prostitute for any sexual purpose.

4. Did Dr. Rekers spend time explaining how the Christian faith is based in love to you during the trip?
We agreed that I explained the Christian faith to my travel assistant in conversations on several days during the trip.

But those questions and answers will satisfy no one. Because nobody – no one at all – cares whether Rekers preached to Lucian. And everyone assumes that Lucian probably did assist Rekers in lifting luggage and was a charming companion.

Because ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether Lucian was hired to “lift luggage” or hired as a prostitute, if he was providing daily nude massages. Rekers could provide a notarized copy of a Travel Assistant Application and a contract for the number of pieces of luggage lifted, in triplicate, and it still would not explain just how an elderly anti-gay activist came to be naked in a European hotel with a very young rentboy.

The real questions that need to be answered are:

1. Did Dr. Rekers and Lucian meet through RentBoy.com? If not, then how? It is not likely that an older white retired anti-gay psychology professor and a 20 year-old Puerto Rican gay prostitute run in the same social circles.

2. What were the qualities that made Lucian an ideal “companion” for a ten day trip? Considering the considerable difference in age, background, education, and interests, what did Lucian have other than his physical attributes which made Rekers desire his companionship?

3. Are the details about daily nude massages true? Had Dr. Rekers paid for massage services before from Lucian? Had he purchased any other services from him in the past? Had he rented anyone else from RentBoy.com or other such sites?

4. How, exactly, does Dr. Rekers reconcile his claim that he is not homosexual with his behavior on this trip?

Until Dr. Rekers can answer these questions in a way that alleviates all suspicion – which, at this point, seems unlikely – then he does himself no favors by his continued protestations about luggage.

No “Rekers Purge” At Family Research Council

There have been numerous reports across the internet saying that the Family Research Council has “purged” Dr. George Rekers from their web site following news reports that Rekers had returned from a 10-day European vacation in the company of a male escort.

We did not post that report here at BTB because we were unable to confirm that a purge had actually taken place. David Robert, at Ex-Gay Watch looked into it and determine that the FRC’s protest that they haven’t purged Rekers from their web site appears to be correct:

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.

That’s not to say that a purge isn’t on the way. But it doesn’t appear to have happened yet.