Anti-Gay Activists Who Were, In Fact, Gay
David Matheson
Photo: David Matheson/Facebook / Fair UseMormon David Matheson was one of the most well-known gay conversion therapists in the US, and in January 2019, he came out as gay. For over a decade, Matheson devoted his life to the "ex-gay" movement and even co-penned a paper in 2006 comparing homosexuality to mental illness. He also served as the director for the Center for Gender Wholeness.
The organization Truth Wins Out broke the news and reached out to Matheson for comment. He gave an official statement to the group, but did not seem to feel any remorse for his involvement in the movement:
My time in a straight marriage and in the “ex-gay” world was genuine and sincere and a rich blessing to me. I remember most of it with fondness and gratitude for the joy and growth it caused in me and many others. But I had stopped growing and was starting to die. So I’ve embarked on a new life-giving path that has already started a whole new growth process. I wasn’t faking it all those years. I’m not renouncing my past work or my LDS faith. And I’m not condemning mixed-orientation marriages. I continue to support the rights of individuals to choose how they will respond to their sexual attractions and identity. With that freedom, I am now choosing to pursue life as a gay man.
Randy Boehning
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BYNorth Dakota legislator Randy Boehning (the perfect name) was caught sending explicit photos on Grindr, a gay dating and hookup app. Boehning, 52, voted against North Dakota Senate Bill 2279, an anti-discrimination bill. In the same month, he sent an unsolicited photo of his junk to 21-year-old Dustin Smith. Using the name Top Man!, Boehning was an active messenger on Grindr. When first outed, he refused to comment on the situation, but weeks later admitted that he used the site.
Claiming a lapse in judgement, Boehning said, "That's what gay guys do on gay sites, don't they? That's how things happen on Grindr. It's a gay chat site. It's not the first thing you do on that site. That's what we do, exchange pics on the site."
The Fargo lawmaker believed that he was targeted and outed because of the way he voted on the bill. He said many of his family members and friends did not know he was gay.Steve Wiles
Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation LicenseNorth Carolina Republican Senate candidate Steve Wiles campaigned heavily on his anti-gay beliefs and his support of the state's same sex marriage ban. However, in May 2014, news broke that just over a decade ago, he worked as an openly gay drag queen and drag-show emcee at Club Odyssey, a gay-friendly Winston-Salem lounge. In addition to emcee, Wiles also directed the show, and in prior years was a frequent attendee and performed under the stage name "Miss Mona Sinclair." Wiles also worked as a promoter for the 2011 Miss Gay America pageant.
Speak of the devil, here is the lovely lady now:
George Rekers
Photo: user uploaded imageGeorge Rekers belongs at the top of this list. He's not the most recent, but dear Lord did he get caught the most red-handed. Not only this, but he had the absolute worst excuse.
Here's the story:
George Rekers, a man who helped start one of the most powerful anti-gay lobbying groups in the U.S. during the 80s and has written published papers such as "Growing Up Straight: What Families Should Know About Homosexuality," had a recent surgery, so during a lecture tour when he was unable to lift his own luggage, he hired some help – which is perfectly reasonable.
Where did he go to get this help? Rentboy.com, baby.
He there found a young, ripped, hairless, vampire-from-a-young-adult-book-looking boy named Lucien (pictured to the left) who he brought on his trip to "lift his luggage"(which is now an awesome euphemism for hiring a male prostitute and/or having sex with a male).
Rekers denies having a sexual relationship with the boy or even knowing that he was a gay male or prostitute. There is no way to stumble upon a profile on rentboy.com, as they are all private. So obviously, Rekers had an account there. He found Lucien, whose profile bragged about his "smooth, sweet, tight ass" and "perfectly built 8 inch cock (uncut.)" His profile also said that he'd be "up for anything" as long as the person paid... which Rekers was MORE than happy to do.
UPDATE: a few months later, Lucien admitted to giving sexual massages to George Rekers, understandably, as it would take anyone quite a while to admit that; even to themselves.Pastor Eddie Long
Photo: user uploaded imageGeorgia Pastor Eddie Long is a Baptist and famed televangelist in his area. In 2004, he led a march to Dr. Martin Luther King's grave in the name of defining marriage as between a man and a woman. He has also been quoted as saying that his church can "deliver" people from homosexuality.
Four young men (ages 21, 20, 23, and 22) filed lawsuits against Long for using his fame and influence as pastor of New Birth Missionary (*snicker*) Baptist Church to coerce them into sexual relationships; he settled out of court. According to the lawsuits, the relationships lasted months and occurred during the boys' late teens. The age of consent in Georgia is 16, so the issue was not under age sex, but whether he used his power to get the boys to do sexual favors for him.
Eddie Long was accused of wrongly using his influence, taking the boys to places such as Kenya, paying for their hotel rooms, and giving them gifts such as cars, cash, and jewelry in exchange for mutual masturbation, oral sex, and sensual massaging.
- Photo: Metaweb (FB) / Public domain
This amazing entry in the rumor mill, starring Alabama Attorney General Troy King, plays itself out in beautiful symmetry.
Known for his vocal opposition to gay rights and for his attempt to outlaw sex toys, King was reportedly caught by his wife having sex with a local homecoming King (see what we did there?) from – wait for it –Troy University. Though no on-the-record stories surfaced, the rumors were newsworthy enough to be published on political blog Daily Kos.
Someone get the mascot over here and have it do a little dance. Richard Curtis
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BYThis Washington State Representative has an anti-gay rights voting record – he voted against domestic partnerships for gays and opposed a bill prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Oh, really now? Well, it wasn't before long that Mr. Mega-Compensation resigned from the House due to reports of his sexual encounter with a male escort being made, you know, "public" and all.
The reputed male prostitute, Cody Castagna, with whom he was cavorting, told police that Curtis offered him $1,000 to have sex with him and that Curtis purchased two gay pornographic films from the hotel for them to watch in his room.
Even more, this all went down with Curtis wearing a red negligee and Castagna has pictures to prove it. Pictures he only took as revenge when it was discovered that Curtis only had $200 in his wallet.
That's something to smile about. For us.- Photo: Joe Lebowski / Flickr
Known as Pastor Ted to his congregation at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Ted Haggard was outed by prostitute and professional masseur, Mike Jones, in November 2006 for paying him to engage in sex with him for three years.
He was also purchasing, then using, crystal methamphetamine ("Crystal Meth," for all the kids out there) with his pay-for-play partner.
Haggard had supported Colorado Amendment 43, which bans same-sex marriage in the state.
In his own words, he's not a homosexual, he's just a "heterosexual with issues."More Ted Haggard
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- Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
Glenn Murphy Jr., former head of the Young Republicans and one of the (former) leading Republicans of Indiana, always advocated "straight" family values and straight forward sexual orientation views.
He was caught (finally, the second time he did it) performing fellatio on another Young Republican while that man slept, without that man's consent.
He was later jailed in 2008 and as of March of 2010, has been forced to register as a sex offender. - Photo: Metaweb (FB) / Public domain
David Dreier is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives who has voted against gay marriage rights, gay legal rights, and gay adoption rights and was part of an organization called "Californians for Bush" in 2004.
He's been accused of having sex with members of his staff and even paying his alleged boyfriend a high salary (like any politically-corrupt, good boyfriend should.)
He has since denied any mentions of his homosexuality altogether.
When he almost became the majority leader of the House in 2005, he was denied the position by the most right-wing republicans because they said his views were "too moderate."
When asked if David Dreier was passed over for the job due to his "moderate" views, openly-gay Democratic Congressman Barney Frank told the press "Yes, in the sense that I marched in the moderate pride parade last summer and went to a moderate bar." - Photo: flickr / CC0
Former republican chairman of the Cumberland County commissioner, Bruce Barclay, believed homosexuality to be a sin of nature.
In 2007, rape allegations came out against Barclay, but when investigators went peaking around his house when a search warrant was issued, they found hundreds of sex tapes he had secretly created while having sex with a hired male prostitute.
Turns out, this guy was just a mega porn star instead.
He got sentenced to nine months under house arrested, along with four years probation and an $18,000 fine.
At least he proved all those rape allegations wrong. - Photo: user uploaded image
On March 3, 2010, this conservative California State Senator, who always votes against any gay-rights bills, should have just stayed in for the night.
But then again, if he did, he wouldn't have accidentally outted himself in such a grand way.
As the story goes, after leaving a gay bar with an unidentified man, Roy Ashburn was arrested for DUI.
Despite his classy reveal, the point is this: he left a gay bar with an unidentified man. Since then, Ashburn has admitted that he's gay to KERN radio host Inga Barks, but that his voting record reflects his "responsibility to [his] constituents."
Kinda feels like he has a whole new demographic of constituents now that could use a liiiittle more help. - Photo: Metaweb (FB) / Public domain
Former Idaho Republican, Larry Craig, who served 18 years in the U.S. Senate, supported the Federal Marriage Amendment, which banned marriage rights to same-sex couples and has a 0 rating from the Human Rights Campaign group.
His rating for lewd conduct, however, was raging high when he was arrested at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on June 11, 2007 for cottaging an undercover police officer.
A male undercover police officer.
Can the HRC give out negative ratings? Please?More Larry Craig- Dig Deeper...Republican Sex Scandals
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- Photo: Metaweb (FB) / Public domain
Ed Schrock vehemently opposed gay-rights issues during his two terms in Congress. From same-sex marriage to allowing gays in the military, he was 100% against anything gay happening anywhere on, or near, the grid.
Meanwhile, off the grid: August 30, 2004, Ed Schrock dropped out of the race for his third term in Congress after a tape was posted on the web claiming it caught Schrock soliciting sex on a gay sex phone line.
- Photo: user uploaded image
The truth comes out in a public restroom yet again. Florida State Representative, Robert Allen, was arrested for offering to perform fellatio to an undercover cop in the men's room of a park for $20.
The politician backed himself up by saying he only offered the policeman oral sex because he was afraid of Black people and "didn't want to become a statistic"... which makes about as much sense to us as it does to you.
Statistics, though, show that Allen – who is married with children – has always voted against gay rights legislation.
His voting record is over 90% in line with the Christian Coalition, an advocacy group for anti-gay amendments.
He has achieved quite a bit, though, in going from anti-gay, to racist, to hypocrite, all the way to contradictory math error all in one day.
Hats off!
- Photo: Metaweb (FB) / Public domain
A man formerly in charge of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children (which dealt with legislation protecting Americans against sexual predators, and made stricter guidelines for tracking them) was caught having unlawful Internet conversations via IM and email with two former pages (aged 16 and 18... oh, the irony).
Later, two news organizations quoted anonymous former pages saying they had sexual liaisons with Foley after turning 18 and 21.
Foley's answer to this, after all was said and done (through his lawyer), was that he had never "ever had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor in his life," and that he is "absolutely, positively not a pedophile."
His lawyer also said that Foley was a victim of sexual assault by an (unnamed) clergyman as a child and that the inappropriate conversations he had with the pages were due to alcoholism. Which is all a pretty convenient way to promote the right-wing "gay = disease" angle while still going down in flames.
His lawyer stated that Foley is gay, even after Foley described even the thought of early allegations of his homosexuality as "revolting and unforgivable."
Apparently, his homosexuality had been an "open secret" in Washington for years.
More Mark Foley- Dig Deeper...Republican Sex Scandals
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- Photo: user uploaded image
The Indiana State Representative, who voted to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely something between a man and a woman, has been caught trying to bribe an 18-year-old male teen he met on Craigslist for sexual favors.
It was reported by the Indy Star that:
"The emails, sent from Hinkle's publicly listed personal address, ask the young man for "a couple hours of your time tonight" and offer him cash up front, with a tip of up to $50 or $60 "for a really good time."
The email exchange is in response to the Craigslist posting in which the young man – who lists his age as 20 in the ad but says he is 18 years old – says, "I need a sugga daddy."
The young man told The Star that they met, but that he tried to leave after the man told him he was a state lawmaker. He said the lawmaker at first told him he could not leave, grabbed him in the rear, exposed himself to the young man, and then later gave him an iPad, a BlackBerry cellphone, and $100 cash to keep quiet."
