George Rekers, the Baptist minister who rails against homosexuality yet traveled with a rentboy who gave him the “long stroke”, carries the title of “Distinguished Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science” at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He was chair of the Department of Psychology for 19 years, and taught there for 20.
According to his CV [pdf], Rekers has published extensively in secular journals on the topic of childhood sexuality. His tracts have also been published by Christian publishers. Here’s what a Florida judge said about his scholarship:
Dr. Rekers’ testimony was far from a neutral and un-biased recitation of the relevant scientific evidence. Dr. Rekers’ beliefs are motivated by his strong ideological and theological convictions that are not consistent with the science. Based on his testimony and demeanor at trial, the court can not consider his testimony to be credible nor worthy of forming the basis of public policy.
Dan Savage has published the whole opinion, where the circuit court judge in a custody case methodically destroys Rekers’ supposedly “empirical” case against homosexual adoption.
Looking at Rekers’ CV, it’s clear that only Christian universities (Regent and St Thomas) would publish him during the last decade. So why did USC keep him on as a department chair where he could attempt to pack the department with other cranks? His co-author on his Regent University publication was “Director of Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services and Assistant Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science” when “Studies of Homosexual Parenting: A Critical Review” was written. It looks like he didn’t get tenure and moved on, but I wonder how many other slightly less cranky Rekers’ associates are still there.
Is South Carolina so fucked up that their public universities are turning into refuges for minister-professors who churn out junk science? And what about the American Psychological Association? I guess I’m not surprised that they don’t mind having this crank in their organization, since they can’t even pass a straightforward resolution against their members participating in torture sessions.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Yes.
This has been another edition of SA2SQ…
As for the APA, what does that have to do with anything? According to this ACLU fact sheet they gave him the boot for being a lying unethical prick.
Derelict
Gimme that old-time religion!
He can join ol’ “Wide-Stance” Craig in the right-wing pantheon of railing against the very behaviors on indulges in behind closed doors.
But we must remember that, to the christianists, rank hypocrisy is a strength to be admired, not a serious character flaw.
The Bearded Blogger
I think this all tracks back to men in white labcoats in commercials… Science has simply become another realm of the political…
mistermix
@kommrade reproductive vigor: No, they gave the guy he cited in his paper (Paul Cameron) the boot. Rekers is still a member of the APA, according to this CV.
arguingwithsignposts
Apparently, he as a department head at Kansas State before moving to SC. Also, stints at UCLA and Florida.
IDK what the process is for department heads at SC, but most places have some kind of term contract for department heads, and a department head who isn’t working out will often be chased out of the position by the faculty if possible. It’s entirely possible that he was a capable administrator. Still, the Th.D.? really? Guy sounds like a degree addict.
kommrade reproductive vigor
@mistermix: My bad. Fuck them then. (Although like most societies anyone who pays their dues can stay in until they’re caught skull fucking kittens.)
c u n d gulag
Well, Dr. George “Anus” Reker just proves my fathers point: “Anyone who sees a psychiatrist must be crazy.”
Could you imagine the poor guy who got stuck traveling with this old queen? He must figure this supervisor hates him or something.
Linda Featheringill
Hate and harm. Done in the name of the Lord.
Truly religious people everywhere should be offended. [and probably are]
scav
no no, be fair. He apparently is making an empirical science of studying junk up close and personal.
WHOA, maybe it is Rocket Science!!
The Bearded Blogger
@c u n d gulag: Yeah, must have been a creepy, unsettling week for poor Lucien…
The Grand Panjandrum
Brings new meaning to South Carolina Gamecocks.
Violet
It seems that Christian anything (churches, publishers, universities, etc.) will put up with just about anything so long as it supports and advances their views and political goals.
As far as the APA, were they even paying attention? Do they have some sort of review system to keep tabs on their members’ actions? Or is it more of a case of once you’re there, you’re there?
Zach
We’ve got an Emeritus here at Hopkins Med that’s a darling of the anti-abortion movement and constantly drops his Hopkins credentials when he dismisses medical grounds for abortion, discloses confidential abortion records, etc. He’s also expert in Recker’s anti-alternate-sexuality business. I guess that, on the balance, someone figured it’s more embarrassing to enter the shitshow that’d arise once you canned previously prestigious faculty who found Jesus and decided to exploit their prestige and invulnerability.
More practically, USC probably gets a ton of donations from folks who are also FRC donors.
I should note that our doc is quite legitimately famous and responsible for the current shape of psychiatry here… doubt USC can say the same about this guy.
PurpleGirl
Rachel Maddow did a segment on Rekers last night explaining why this story is important. She was on fire about the story. His christianist followers won’t renounce him because as long as he keeps mouthing his platitudes about being born again and following Jaysus they’ll buy it. What he/they say is more important than what they do.
Remember, the Clintons actually attended church services when in the White House and they were hated. The Carters also tried to live by their faith and were hated for it. They continue to be hated for their life decisions. It comes down to: What they say is more important than what they actually do.
dan robinson
Okay, who’ll be first?
We all know what ‘santorum’ is now. How long before ‘rekers’ becomes a noun to describe some form of sexual intimacy? A verb?
My first attempt.
Noun: “She asked me if I wanted a rekers, and I said, ‘Just with you baby, just with you.”
Verb: “I wanted to reker, and he did too.”
Adjective: “I told him that last night was pretty rekered, and he just smiled.”
YellowJournalism
I’m just waiting for a few months down the road when he and his wife write a book together about overcoming his sexual deviance, a la Ted Haggert. He’s going to pull a “See? I can overcome it, so can you” con of proclaiming to be “cured”, only “cured” is his case means that he’s found a more discreet escort service to patronize.
MAJeff
@kommrade reproductive vigor:
That was referring to Paul Cameron, he of the “gay orgasms are more addictive than heroin” claim.
eemom
What a despicable individual
MAJeff
@Linda Featheringill:
Why the assumption that the truly religious can’t be hateful? It’s an assumption that’s certainly not backed up by any evidence.
jrosen
“Finding Jesus” is a free get-out-of-hell card. Better, you can keep playing it over and over again. Since we are all sinners, we will sin. Then you can repent, preferably with a lot of public histrionics, and get to do it all over again. Ain’t this a great country? Hypocrisy is hardly a new thing in human society, but our Xtianists seem to have raised it to a new level, as well as demonstrating remarkable levels of denial and the toleration of cognitive dissonance.
Unfortunately, for us atheists, when we screw up there is no such easy way out. You own up, you own, and you do your best to change your actions.
Michael
@PurpleGirl:
I’ve said it before, and will say it again – Rush Limbaugh could get caught naked and snorting cocaine from the asscrack of a dead underaged teenage boy and have a videotape of the rough trade session, and he’d still have a sizable percentage of defenders among the right wing demographic.
scav
@dan robinson: I’m getting all these cross-vibes from recon (reconnaissance) and recognize and reckon (hey, look Middle English rekenen!) so I’m thinking along the lines of a gaydar for hypocrits:
That one? Yeah, I rekersed him in an instant.
Then again, there’s the lifting luggage thing to thank him for — that that should be a stayer.
PurpleGirl
Further about Rachel Maddow: Here’s a link to the piece from last night’s show.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/37031183#37031183
MikeJ
@PurpleGirl:
Harry Potter Christianity. Say the magic spell and everything’s fine. They don’t think religion has anything to do with how you live, just reciting the magic words.
Sandlapper
“Is South Carolina so fucked up that their public universities are turning into refuges for minister-professors who churn out junk science?”
Well, speaking as someone who was born, raised and recently returned to SC – yes.
Of course, the whole state isn’t completely fucked up, but the power centers around christianist assholes like Mark Sanford and his brethren. But, every state has its own issues.
PurpleGirl
@MikeJ & Michael: Yup. That’s it.
ppcli
The circuit court judge’s opinion makes very compelling reading. Amazing that these two horribly abused little boys could have managed to find such a loving home. It is a mark of what a monster Reker is that he would argue for the children to be removed from the home, even at the cost of separating the brothers. Unbelievable.
Hypocrisy and doodling a rental bumboy I can handle, but that level of moral blindness is horrifying. What an evil man.
Chad S
@arguingwithsignposts: I’m an alumni, and based on my experience: dept heads actually don’t have a lot of say or power in the USC system. The Deans of the individual groups have that. The department heads can’t hire/fire without approval of the Dean over them(and a committee made up of professors in the department), nor can they fiddle around with what’s being taught(outside of what they teach). I know that they’ve(USC main campus, not USC med) let some professors(non-tenured ones) go who’s pushed that anti-gay stuff that Rekers has also.
I’m embarrassed that Rekers was a Dept head(or even a part of SC med), but honestly: I don’t know of any colleges/universities that don’t have that one tenured assalope that no one wants to talk about. And to be fair to USC: USC med is 90 miles from the main campus in Columbia and doesn’t get a lot of oversight.
mellowjohn
gosh, michael…
thanks for getting THAT image stuck in my head!
wrb
@dan robinson:
After he carried my bag I couldn’t even walk. I just smiled, completely Reckered.
Svensker
@PurpleGirl:
Rachel keeps adding David Vitter to the mess — he’s not gay is he? Just hypocritical? I thought he was having diaper sex with girls.
low-tech cyclist
Looks like USC School of Medicine has disappeared Rekers from its faculty listings. But if this link works, here’s his cached faculty page.
MattF
Quite a creep. The unpleasant consequences of getting careless, weak, and stupid as you get older aren’t what I’d normally consider a good thing. But I’m thinking now that it has a good side, after all.
PurpleGirl
@Svensker: Highly hypocritical. Spouts the family values lines but liked (still likes?) to wear a diaper.
Fern
@MAJeff: That good, eh?
Roger Moore
@PurpleGirl:
Fixt. Make no mistake; this is all about tribalism. If you can prove you’re a member of the tribe, you can get forgiveness for all kinds of bad behavior. But if you’re outside the tribe, you’ll be castigated for all kinds of things. Hating outsiders is one way of proving your tribal identity; showing them mercy proves that you’re not a true member.
Tara the antisocial social worker
@ppcli:
Not only is Rekers a self-loathing gay hypocrite who tried to destroy gay families – he’s a racist who attacked American Indian families as well:
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/05/gay-hooker-patron-dr-george-rekers-was.html
He got $87,000 of taxpayers’ money for this crap testimony!
kay
@ppcli:
Agreed. You really have to read it to get the full flavor of what a cold and creepy person he is. My favorite part:
“Dr. Rekers astounded the Court when he testified that he favors removal of any child from a homosexual household, even after placement in that household for ten years, in favor of a hetero-sexual household. To this Court’s further astonish-ment, the witness hypothesized that such a child would recover from the removal from his family of 10 years after one year in a heterosexual household. The Court finds this testimony to be contrary to sci-ence and decades of research in child development.”
“Astounded” is a pretty strong word :)
SlyFox
It gets even better. The evangelicals are really, REALLY trying to clean this up. They are blaming the boy for enticing Rekers.
Look here.
http://christwire.org/2010/05/if-youre-one-of-americas-greatest-anti-gay-crusaders-does-a-little-trip-to-spain-with-a-rent-boy-really-make-you-gay/
and to answer the articles question, YES!!!!!
Elizabelle
@dan robinson:
Agree “Reker” needs to enter the lexicon in some fashion. Good examples up already.
Imagine the gay community is already calling him a “home-Reker” or “family-Reker.”
“Taking the Rekers tour”: wherein one abandons one’s ideology and/or religious hypocrisy while on vacation, and embraces one’s true self (rentboy optional).
Disparaging American Indians because they suffer from higher than average incidence of mental illness and substance abuse:
Dr. Reker: may we introduce you to Ted Haggard and all closeted gay authority figures who blame their troubles on alcohol or drug abuse. May we introduce you to a mirror?
Sad old jerk, Americanus carolinus species.
Mike
Share the love:
Rekers, George
College Medicine, School of
Department Neuropsychiatry
Phone 803-434-4250
Email [email protected]
Tara the antisocial social worker
“Whatever lifts your luggage” has already been added to the Urban Dictionary. Haven’t looked to see if “longstroke” is there.
“Home-Rekers” sounds like a good term for people whose family values to not include valuing families.
MAJeff
@Fern:
Major withdrawal since moving to North Dakota.
Ecks
I believe the APA did eventually pass a thing saying “don’t torture people” they just took their sweet time about doing it. There was a guy who noisily ran for president of the APA by sending mass emails to all the members saying “the APA is refusing to condemn psychologists participating in torture, vote for me and I’ll pass it.”
I always liked that guy.
GlenInBrooklyn
I confess I couldn’t get all the way through the transcript posted by Dan Savage. The boys’ barely human parents are automatically presumed fit. Their foster parents are axiomatically presumed not. And Rentboy Rekers will tell you why!
A side note: apparently, Dr. Rentboy has been an embarrassment for about a decade. Attorneys have hired him as an expert witness, repeatedly, at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars. Why have said attorneys not been cashiered and/or flogged?
RSA
mistermix, I have to thank you for this post–it’s the first time I’ve realized that USC stood for University of South Carolina and not University of Southern California, which was kinda blowing my mind.
Ella in NM
@Chad S:
Thank you for the best new phrase I’ve seen this year.
I’ve been lazy lately, relying on “asshats” and, occasionally, “dick lickers” when I’m really pissed off. But the novelty of “assalope”, it’s coincidental associative sound with a well-known New Mexico chain of tourist trap- trinket shops, as well as it being a little less offensive in mixed groups, makes it my definite go-to adjective for the idiots out there.
Honus
@MikeJ: “people to whom sin is just words, maybe salvation is just words, too”
William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying