Christian right leader George Rekers takes vacation with "rent boy"

[TotallyOz]

On April 13, the "rent boy" (whom we'll call Lucien) arrived at Miami International Airport on Iberian Airlines Flight 6123, after a ten-day, fully subsidized trip to Europe. He was soon followed out of customs by an old man with an atavistic mustache and a desperate blond comb-over, pushing an overburdened baggage cart.

That man was George Alan Rekers, of North Miami — the callboy's client and, as it happens, one of America's most prominent anti-gay activists. Rekers, a Baptist minister who is a leading scholar for the Christian right, left the terminal with his gay escort, looking a bit discomfited when a picture of the two was snapped with a hot-pink digital camera.

Reached by New Times before a trip to Bermuda, Rekers said he learned Lucien was a prostitute only midway through their vacation. "I had surgery," Rekers said, "and I can't lift luggage. That's why I hired him." (Medical problems didn't stop him from pushing the tottering baggage cart through MIA.)

Yet Rekers wouldn't deny he met his slender, blond escort at Rentboy.com — which features homepage images of men in bondage and grainy videos of crotch-rubbing twinks — and Lucien confirmed it.

At the small western Miami townhome he shares with a roommate, a nervous Lucien expressed surprise when we told him that Rekers denied knowing about his line of work from the beginning. "He should've been able to tell you that," he said, fidgeting and fixing his eyes on his knees. "But that's up to him."

For decades, George Alan Rekers has been a general in the culture wars, though his work has often been behind the scenes. In 1983, he and James Dobson, America's best-known homophobe, formed the Family Research Council, a D.C.-based, rabidly Christian, and vehemently anti-gay lobbying group that has become a standard-bearer of the nation's extreme right wing. Its annual Values Summit is considered a litmus test for Republican presidential hopefuls, and Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter have spoken there. (The Family Research Council would not comment about Rekers's Euro-trip.)

He has also influenced American government, serving in advisory roles with Congress, the White House, and the Department of Health and Human Services and testifying as a state's witness in favor of Florida's gay adoption ban. A former research fellow at Harvard University and a distinguished professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of South Carolina, Rekers has published papers and books by the hundreds, with titles like Who Am I? Lord and Growing Up Straight: What Families Should Know About Homosexuality.

"While he keeps a low public profile, his fingerprints are on almost every anti-gay effort to demean and dehumanize LGBT people," says Wayne Besen, a gay rights advocate in New York City and the executive director of Truth Wins Out, which investigates the anti-gay movement. "His work is ubiquitously cited by lobby groups that work to deny equality to LGBT Americans. Rekers has caused a great deal of harm to gay and lesbian individuals."

Rekers is a board member of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), an organization that systematically attempts to turn gay people straight. And the Huffington Post recently singled out Rekers as a member of the American College of Pediatricians — an official-sounding outfit in Gainesville that purveys lurid, youth-directed literature accusing gays of en masse coprophilia. (In an email, the college's Lisa Hawkins wrote, "ACPeds feels privileged to have a scholar of Dr. Rekers' stature affiliated with our organization. I am sure you will find Prof. Rekers to be an immaculate clinician/scholar, and a warm human being.")

Rekers lectures worldwide, from Europe to the Middle East, on teen sexuality. Yet during his ten-day sojourn with Lucien to London and Madrid, he had no lectures scheduled. Both men deny having sex on the trip, and emails exchanged between the two before their jaunt are cautiously worded.

"I'd like to propose another trip to Rome, Italy, for a week or more," Rekers wrote in an email dated March 21 obtained by New Times. "This is so exciting to have a nice Travel Assistant and traveling companion! Wow! I'm so glad I met you."

"I called and talked to the reservation guy in London and reserved a room with two twin beds," Rekers wrote on March 26.

"Now that I'm packed, tomorrow I'll work on completing my income tax return," Rekers wrote two days later. "Not fun... But I'll just remind myself that the fun trip is coming soon."

In his interview with New Times, Lucien didn't want to impugn his client, but he made it clear they met through Rentboy.com, which is the only website on which he advertises his services. Neither Google nor any other search engine picks up individual Rentboy.com profiles, any more than they pick up individual profiles on eHarmony or Match.com. You cannot just happen upon one.

For the entire story:

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2010-05-06/news/christian-right-leader-george-rekers-takes-vacation-with-rent-boy

For more and for photos:

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/16034/discover-the-qualifications-for-frc-founder-dr-george-rekers-travel-assistantluggage-carrier

[flguy]

OZ, You have "Lucien" review posted a couple days ago under "Geo", This review was posted I believe before the story broke. His rentboy ad may be down but his review is up.

[KYTOP]

CNN picked up the story today and even had an interview with the Escort, cute guy. He says they never had "sex" but had to give him a massage everyday. I would think that admitting to paid sex could have caused him a few problems. Wonder what this does to the rentboy site also, good or bad?

I am a strong believer in protection of privacy when it comes to hiring but I can understand the want to uncover the hyprocisy of this situation. Similar to Spitzer's problems in NYC I guess.

One of my favorite escorts was in Nashville. He always told me his busiest times was when the religious conventions and Gospel music people were in town. Here is the CNN link:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/05/07/ac.kaye.george.rekers.cnn?hpt=C2

[Guest Conway]

I saw the CNN piece, too and was astonished to see that Rekers required his boy to sign a contract for services rendered. It was almost as if he had expected this because the contract was very specific as to services rendered, none of which were sexual.

Until, Lucien/Geo steps up and says the guy paid him for sex, it seems to be a non-story to me.

Lucien/Geo is indeed very hot. I'd hire him in a heartbeat.

[TotallyOz]

OZ, You have "Lucien" review posted a couple days ago under "Geo", This review was posted I believe before the story broke. His rentboy ad may be down but his review is up.

Yes, I see.

The greatest monologue this week was Bill Maher. Watch his show this week. It is a riot.

[Guest BewareofNick]

As ye sow, so shall ye reap.

I'm curious though how this story broke. The photographer was a young gay man if I read the story correctly. Could the escort's roommate have tipped him off?

Also, Rekers adopted a young man at the age of 16 who bears more than a passing resemblance to the escort in question.