A Gay Who Took By Jo1eph B. Boker Anita's 1 Cure' Renfroe had been counseling homosexuals for the past ten years and worked with criminals in Dallas and If Birmingham. Criminals? I fumed. But hbould have "Definitely, you really want to," Renfroe assured Miami guessed. Bryant had said In her Playboy magazine me. "But first of all, I have to tell you that you are not a article that she thought all homosexuals should be sent· homosexual. 'fhere Is no such thing. You are merely II A nlta Would Rather Cure Than Fight," the to prison to be "straightened out." Obviously, neither practicing homosexuality. God created only two sexes." headline blared. Bryant or Renfroe bad ever been inside a prison. Renfroe said God created man and woman to Just when the jokes about Our Lady Renfroe came on the line, and an appointment was complement each other, and that I would never be or Dade County were beginning to fade set up. He said be only asked one thing of prospective complete and fulfilled until I experienced the love of a woman. "That ls_God's plan," he said. , ..Sleeping one night with Anita Is enough to turn cllents - that they agree to a minimum of five apyone gay") Anita Bryant Green was offering up a counseling sessions. I agreed, not mentioning that I was "But even If you don't believe the religious and new challenge: She was going to open counselirig also a journalist. moral reasons against homosexuality, you should still centers to "cure" homosexuals. Entering the offices that housed Anita Bryant be able to see It Is biologically wrong. You don't 11ave But bow was she going to do it? Shock treatment? Ministries, I was immediately aware of her presence. the right parts to 'be' with another man.•· Aversion therapy? Religious brainwashing? The joy of The walls were covered with pictures and posters of Renfroe explained that the phrase "gay lifestyle" guilt? Take three straight pills and call me in the Anita promoting Florida orange Julee, plaques and was one of the world's cruelest hoaxes. "Whoever morning? citations thanking her for fighting homosexuills and coined that term must have had a sick mind and a bad newspaper clippings about ber crusade. A ball-dozen As a professional journalist, I wanted to find out. sense of humor," he said. "What is gay about a life of of{lce workers were busily answering telephones and As a gay man, I had to find out. rejection, depression, loneliness and hostility? .. typing letters. Little did I know then that Anita Bryant and her I argued that a gay lifestyle didn't have to be that counseling center would touch me in ways I thought I The counseling center was sharing facllltlt.. with way; that those emotions were brought on by a society the headquarters of the Anita Bryant empire. It was could no longer be touched, raise issues I thought I bad which wouldn't let a person be who be or she \Vas or let long ago dispelled and confront me with the question from these offices that her husband, Bob Green, them llve their life the way they had to or wanted to. managed her career, where volunteers sent out of questions: If I could, wouldn't I really want to be Renfroe calmly replied that I had been led to straight? thousands of letters warning the world about homosexuals and asking for donations. believe the greatest lle Of the gay movement - that I thought I had answered that question nearly homosexuality Is just as natW111 to some people as eight years ago back in the Midwest. Priests, I stood alone Inside the door of the offices before heterosexuality Is to others. He said people were not counselors, psychologists - the whole bit. When it was anybody noticed me. I felt like a leper.. A friendly born with homosexual tendencies. woman broke lnlo my daydream. It was the beginning of something I never expected. Not once was I ever "Such a drive Is not related to the glands, genes or going td be made to feel uncomfortable by the men and hormones," he said, "but Is learned bellavior that women working In Bryant's offices. usually starta early In Ufe and affecta an Individual'• 'First of all, you ore not total llfe and thinking process." David Renfroe turned out to be equally cordial, and I was ushered Into a small front office. We made My first session lasted nearly three hours. Driving a homosexual,' he said, small talk at first, and then Renfroe explained the home on Interstate 95 at Its lane-cllanglng and born· purpose of Anita Bryant Ministries, its goals and blowing worst, Rentroe's nongay reasons kept going operating methods. through my mind: loneliness, promiscuity, deceit, guilt, 'There's no such thing' alienation from God, strong tendency toward The counseling sessions were to be private, flexible selfishness, rejection, difficulty maintaining lasting I and I could control what we talked about. I would pay relationships, difficulty with self-acceptance, Increased over, I had to accept the fact that I was a homosexual $25 per hour' a figure mutually an1ved at and based social pressure, Increased hostility, vuinerablllty to For some reason, I was physically attracted to males. sadism and masochism, constant threat of aging, poor There were far worse things to be, and I decided I could upon my salary. Renfroe had said earlier there would be no charge If I couldn't afford to pay. health and an early death, and greater vulnerability to and would live with my sexual identity. depression and suicide. Renfroe explained that more than 2000 But things started to change the last year. Maybe It Was that the kind of life I was living? Was tbat my was the pressures of the double Ufe so many homosexuals bad called or written Bryant for help In the past year, and that was the main reason she decided future? How could Renfroe stereotype all gay people homosexuals lead. The fear of losing my job or not Uke that? I knew I wasn't like that, and neither were being promoted because I was gay. The fear of to open the center. Another one would open soon in Hollywood, Fla., and, depending.on contributions and the homosexuals I knew. Sure, we have problems in our rejection if family and friends found out. I bad come Uves, but were they any different than those of straight somewhat out or my doset, but certainly not entirely community support, they hoped to expand into other major cities with large gay populations. men and women1 Still, I needed someone to talk to. A pleasant voice answered the telephone. I As expected, Renfroe asked why I was at the explained I wanted to set up an appointment to see th~ Rev Da,1d Re:ifroe, the 37-year-0ld Baptist minister center. I explained I was a homosexual and I was wno ts the l..rector of Bryant's counseling center 1n beglnnlng to have doubts about the gay Ufe style. I Cont.Page 14 Miami Beach. asked If I could be happier if I shed my homosexual waY!,.- roru1iderln2. of course, It v-as possible. .~. ·------- ·--- ----~~:-., - -·- Page2 Community News NEWS AT A GLANCE FBI eyes violation Volunteers to inject of gay civil rights Woman squirts killer with drug SAN F RANCISCO (AP) -.The FBI says It is looking Into allegations that BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Idaho Board of the police violated the ciVll ~ts of Corrections has decided that t~ volunteers wW patrons at a tavern cater!Dg to inject condemned killer David Osborn with a lethal homosexuals when they charged soap on porno_drug If the state goes through with his scheduled Aug. through the door of the establishment 20 execution. beating occupants following the City In the spirit of carry Nation busting up saloons wtth bet Osborn, 30, of Slatersville, Utah, pleaded guilty to a Hall r!Ots. trusty ax, Boston bas a modem-day crusader whose morta charge of first-<legree munter In the beating and The report is &ltJlected to be shooting death last Halloween of Charlotte Car~ a completedl>y mid-August. enemy ls not alcohol, but pornography. Pocatello waitress. She bad been shot five times, And Marcia Womongokl's usual three times in the bead, authorities said. weapon is not an ax, but a bottle or Osborn's death sentence is under automatic re,~ew dlsbwashlng liquid or a maridng pen. by the State Supreme Court and that prob;lbly m1>ans with which she defaces rnagmlnes. the Aug. 20 date wW be "Bk aside." . Clements seen books and billboards she finds If he dies by injection, It would be the first such Mayor hit offensive. She also once used a .22- execution in the United States. Tlte Idaho Legislature callber rifle earlier this month to changed the state's method of execution from ~ one-termer shoot out a window of a bookstore. hanging to lethal injection during its last session. HARLINGEN (AP) - The only by insults She got a year's probation for thal Texas Democrat to lose a gubernatorial "I won't tolerate porn," said Mrs. race to a Republican in more than a Chicago Mayor Jaoo Byrne says an Womongold who believes that century predicted Friday that the man angry protest by former Mayor hardcore pornography . and even who beat blm will serve only one term. Michael Bilandic and his wile over magazines like Playboy Incite men to But former Te:xas Attorney General the removal or their police rape.