Thursday May 6, 2010
FRC Responds to Reports of Pro-Family Leader Accused of Affair with Male Escort
By Peter J. Smith and John-Henry Westen
MIAMI, Florida, May 6, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-family advocates in North America have been left scratching their heads after news broke earlier this week that a prominent pro-family leader was caught on camera on April 13 with a homosexual male escort called “Lucien” when they arrived at Miami International Airport on Iberian Airlines Flight 6123.
Professor George Rekers, a co-founder of the Family Research Council (FRC) and an officer on the boards of the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) and American College of Pediatricians (ACP), has denied accusations that he had sexual involvement with the man, saying only that he required a travelling companion to help lift luggage because of recent surgery.
Family Research Council (FRC) has responded to the allegations in a statement, attributed to FRC President Tony Perksin, and provided to LifeSiteNews.com. “While we are extremely disappointed when any Christian leader engages in the very activities that they ‘preach’ against, it is not surprising,” said Perkins.
“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, and do our best to ensure our actions, both public and private, match our professed positions.”
Perkins clarified that although Rekers co-founded FRC before its merger with Focus on the Family in 1987, they have “had no contact with Dr. Rekers or knowledge of his activities in over a decade.”
NARTH and the American College of Pediatricians, however, are more intimately connected with Rekers than FRC, as both organizations currently have Rekers as a member of their respective boards.
“NARTH takes seriously the accusations that have been made, and we are currently attempting to understand the details behind these press reports,” the organization said in a statement provided to LSN. “We are always saddened when this type of controversy impacts the lives of individuals, and we urge all parties to allow a respectful and thorough investigation to take place.”
“At this difficult time for the families and individuals involved, we extend our sympathies. We also wish to reiterate our traditional position that these personal controversies do not change the scientific data, nor do they detract from the important work of NARTH.”
Questions to Rekers, and a call ACP were not returned by press time.
Rekers, 61, has denied knowing that his “traveling companion” had a profile on the homosexual escort service RentBoy.com, though the young man has claimed that Rekers found him through the website. In addition to noting that he needed help with luggage, Rekers said he was looking for a translator who knew Spanish. Lucien is a 20-year-old of Puerto-Rican descent living in Miami.
At the moment, the possibility that Rekers is the victim of a set-up owing to his connections with NARTH cannot be completely ruled out. Earlier this year Dr. Julie Hamilton, president of NARTH, revealed that protestors at NARTH’s 2009 Convention had announced they would go after individual members associated with the organization, which believes that homosexuality is a treatable psychological disorder.
According to NARTH, one journalist in England conducted a sting against two therapists by posing as a client with unwanted homosexual attractions, recorded their conversations, and then reported them to their professional organizations.
How Rekers was serendipitously found and photographed by the New Miami Times, the decidedly liberal paper which broke the story, pushing a “tottering” baggage cart accompanied by “Lucien” in the busy concourses of MIA is unknown.
At this point Rekers may be the only one who can set the record straight; but thus far his explanations have been somewhat thin on the details.
In an interview with the New Miami Times Rekers did not confirm or deny that he met “Lucien” through RentBoy.com. “I had surgery,” Rekers said, “and I can’t lift luggage. That’s why I hired him” he said, and claimed that he only found out about Lucien’s day-job as a homosexual prostitute half-way through the trip.
“Dr. Rekers found his recent travel assistant by interviewing different people who might be able to help,” said a statement on Rekers’ blog, which called the New Times piece “misleading” for “implying” that he found Lucien through RentBoy.com.
“There was nothing inappropriate with this relationship. Professor Rekers was not involved in any illegal or sexual behavior with his travel assistant,” said the statement.
But “Lucien” told the New Times that he only advertizes his services on RentBoy.com – the site’s individual profiles are not accessible via Google or any search engine – and said that was how Rekers contacted him. Lucien’s individual profile – published under the name “Geo” – went into very explicit detail as to what homosexual “services” he would offer his prospective clients. He also described himself as a go-go dancer, stripper, masseur, travel companion, interpreter, and travel guide.
After initially denying that there was any sexual contact between the two men, Lucien has since changed his story, describing sensual massages that he allegedly gave to Rekers.
Rekers, however, insisted to a homosexual blogger known as Joe.My.God via Facebook that he shared the gospel with Lucien as well as “scientific information on the desirability of abandoning homosexual intercourse.”