George Alan Rekers From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia George Alan Rekers (born July 11, 1948) is an George Alan Rekers American psychologist and ordained Southern Baptist Born July 11, 1948 [1] minister.[2] He is emeritus professor of Neuropsychiatry & Behavioral Science at the Residence South Carolina University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Nationality American Rekers has a Ph.D from University of California, Los Education Westmont College Angeles and has been a research fellow at Harvard University of California, Los Angeles University, a professor and psychologist for UCLA and Columbia International University the University of Florida, and department head at University of South Africa Kansas State University. In 1983 Rekers was on the Southern Wesleyan University[1] founding board of the Family Research Council, a non-profit Christian lobbying organization,[3] and he is Occupation Christian Minister and Psychologist a former officer and scientific advisor of the National Title Professor Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality Reverend (NARTH),[4][5][6] an organization offering conversion Religion Southern Baptist therapy intended to change homosexuals into heterosexuals. Rekers has testified in court that Website homosexuality is sinful and destructive and against http://www.professorgeorge.com parenthood by gay and lesbian people in a number of court cases involving organizations and state agencies working with children.[2] In May 2010 Rekers was widely reported to have employed a male prostitute as a travel companion for a two-week vacation in Europe.[7][8][9] Rekers denied any inappropriate conduct and suggestions that he was gay.[10] Rekers subsequently resigned from the board of NARTH.[10][11] Contents 1 Personal life 2 Education and academic career 3 Scholarly work 4 Views on the family 5 Views on homosexuality 5.1 Boy Scouts of America case, 1998 5.2 Arkansas gay adoption case, 2004 5.3 Florida gay adoption case, 2008 6 Organizational affiliations 6.1 Family Research Council 6.2 NARTH 6.3 FactsAboutYouth.com 6.4 Web sites 7 "Rent boy" allegations 8 Publications 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Personal life Rekers is married and has two sons.[citation needed] Education and academic career Rekers received his B.A. in psychology from Westmont College in 1969. He later received his M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1971 and 1972, respectively.[1] Additionally, Rekers holds a MBA in executive management from Southern Wesleyan University and Th.D. from the University of South Africa[12] From 1972 to 1973, Rekers worked as a research fellow and visiting scholar for the Center for Behavioral Sciences at Harvard University. After completing his Ph.D. there, Rekers was an assistant research psychologist and adjunct assistant professor of psychology at UCLA from 1974 to 1977. Rekers joined the University of Florida College of Medicine in 1977 and became the chief psychologist at the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as well as an associate professor of psychiatry, clinical psychology, and pediatrics. In 1980, Rekers became head and a tenured professor at the Department of Family and Child Development at Kansas State University; he left in 1985.[1] Scholarly work Rekers has published numerous journal articles on gender roles among children,[13] with articles on "cross-gender identified boys" and "child gender disturbances".[14][15][16] His work has been criticized by other scholars for reinforcing sex-role stereotypes and for reliance on dubious rationales for therapeutic intervention (e.g. parents' worries that their children might become homosexuals).[17][18] Rekers refers in his academic work to "the positive therapeutic effects of religious conversion for curing transsexualism" and "the positive therapeutic effect of a church ministry to repentant homosexuals."[19] Judith Butler describes this work as "intensely polemical", giving "highly conservative political reasons for strengthening the diagnosis [of "gender identity disorder"] so that the structures that support normalcy can be strengthened."[20] Rekers credits himself for developing a method of assessing gender behaviour in children's play in 1972;[21] this system is still utilised today, and Rekers is cited in this context by clinical experts in the field of child gender identity, such as Kenneth Zucker[22] (an international authority in the field of "gender identity disorder in children" and in adolescents[23]) and Domenico diCeglie in the UK,[24] who use a system of assessment based on the work of Richard Green, and Rekers' development of Green's work. Views on the family Rekers' views on family life were the focus of a major controversy in Florida in 2002 when then-governor Jeb Bush appointed Jerry Regier to the post of head of the Florida Department of Children and Families with responsibility for child welfare. Shortly after the announcement of Regier's appointment, it was disclosed that in 1989 the California-based Coalition on Revival had published a fundamentalist tract titled The Christian World View of the Family under the names of Regier and Rekers, which condemned working mothers as being in "bondage" and argued that the government should have no right to place children in protective custody except in cases of extreme abuse or neglect. The tract's authors also "affirm that Biblical spanking may cause temporary and superficial bruises or welts that do not constitute child abuse" and "deny that the Bible countenances any other definition of the family, such as the sharing of a household by homosexual partners, and that society's laws should be modified in any way to broaden the definition of family."[25] The tract was condemned by Democrats; Bush told the media that Regier "doesn't share those extreme views."[26] Regier survived the controversy and served as DCF head from 2002 to the end of Jeb Bush's term in 2007.[27] Rekers is a practicing Southern Baptist, and credits the work of C.S. Lewis, particularly his writings on gender relations, with influencing his religious and social views.[28] Views on homosexuality Rekers has attracted attention for his views on homosexuality, which have been promoted in a number of forums and court cases. His research, which was heavily subsidized by the National Institute of Mental Health, asserts that homosexuality is a "gender disturbance" that can be corrected through 18 to 22 months of weekly therapy during childhood and adolescence. Mark Pietrzyk of the gay group, the Log Cabin Republicans, has stated that Rekers' method utilizes aversion therapy – a practise opposed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) – that punishes "nonconforming" behavior such as swaggering in girls or limp wrists in boys and rewards "conforming" behavior such as girls playing with dolls and boys playing basketball.[29] According to Rekers himself, he spends much of his time with boys whose peers regard them as "sissy" and "effeminate" with the goal of reversing those traits and "help[ing] these children to become better adapted to themselves and to their environment." The APA's opposition to his methods led to him resigning from the organization.[30] Rekers has appeared in court in several cases as an expert witness testifying on matters concerning homosexuality. His testimony has been strongly criticized by a number of parties including trial judges; the American Civil Liberties Union has asserted that his personal beliefs regarding homosexuality interfere with his ability to give an unbiased professional opinion on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) topics, including gay adoption.[31] Legal experts have discussed whether his involvement with a male prostitute in 2010 could render his testimony unreliable, possibly affecting the outcome of pending cases in Florida and California.[32] Boy Scouts of America case, 1998 Rekers testified on behalf of the Boy Scouts of America in 1998 in defense of the group's policy on excluding homosexuals, arguing that it was justified as it "would legitimize the value of homosexual behavior in the eyes of many of the Boy Scouts ... There would be more homosexual conduct or behavior by the boys in such troops." He has acknowledged that his views are heavily influenced by religious concerns; as a member of the Southern Baptists, he believes that the city of Sodom was destroyed by God as a punishment for allowing homosexuality and that active homosexuals face "eternal separation from God", i.e. perpetuity in hell.[30] Arkansas gay adoption case, 2004 Rekers was an expert witness in a 2004 case involving gay adoption in Arkansas, which had banned LGBT people from adopting in 1999. He argued that "it would be in the best interest of foster children to be placed in a heterosexual home" because the majority of people in the country disapproved of homosexual behaviour, putting further stress on children who were already likely to suffer from psychological disorders. According to Rekers, "That disapproval filters down to children [who] will express disapproval in more cruel, insensitive ways" toward a child being parented by a gay person. In cross-examination, Rekers acknowledged that he believed that homosexuality is sinful and that the Bible is the infallible word of God.[33] His testimony was rebutted by Dr. Michael Lamb, a psychiatrist, who stated that there was no scientific evidence for the assertion that homosexuals were worse parents than heterosexuals.[34] The trial judge, Pulaski County Circuit Court judge Timothy Fox, ruled against the state of Arkansas in December 2004. He was strongly critical of Rekers' testimony, describing it as "extremely suspect", and said that Rekers "was there primarily to promote his own personal ideology." Rekers responded by denouncing the trial as "utterly corrupt."[35][36] Following the case, Rekers billed the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services a sum of $165,000 for his testimony, an amount that far exceeded what the state had anticipated.