26 Facts About George Rekers

George Alan Rekers was born on July 11,1948 and is an American psychologist and ordained Southern Baptist minister.

George Rekers is emeritus professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

George Rekers has testified in court that homosexuality is destructive, and against parenthood by gay and lesbian people in a number of court cases involving organizations and state agencies working with children.

In May 2010, George Rekers employed a male prostitute as a travel companion for a two-week vacation in Europe.

George Rekers denied any inappropriate conduct and suggestions that he was gay.

Zucker wrote that, as in some of his other work, such as Growing Up Straight, George Rekers ignored, dismissed, or distorted scientific data to prevent it from conflicting with his religious views.

Zucker criticized George Rekers for ignoring scholarly literature suggesting that there is little evidence for such claims.

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 George 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.

George Rekers has attracted attention for his views on homosexuality, which have been promoted in a number of forums and court cases.

George Rekers asserts that homosexuality is a "gender disturbance" that can be corrected through 18 to 22 months of weekly therapy during childhood and adolescence.

George Rekers has appeared in court in several cases as an expert witness testifying on matters concerning homosexuality.

George Rekers's 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 topics, including gay adoption.

George Rekers was an expert witness in a 2004 case involving gay adoption in Arkansas, which had banned LGBT people from adopting in 1999.

George Rekers 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.

In cross-examination, George Rekers acknowledged that he believed that homosexuality is sinful and that the Bible is the infallible word of God.

George Rekers's 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.

George Rekers later increased the bill to $200,000 with the addition of late fees and other charges for preparing paperwork.

In 2008, George Rekers was an expert witness in In re: Gill, a case defending Florida's gay adoption ban.

George Rekers presented testimony asserting that homosexuals are more likely to suffer from depression, substance abuse, and emotional problems.

Dr George Rekers' beliefs are motivated by his strong ideological and theological convictions that are not consistent with the science.

Cochran concluded that Dr George Rekers' work did not meet established standards in the field.

In 1983 George Rekers was on the founding board of the Family Research Council, a non-profit Christian lobbying organization, along with James Dobson and Armand Nicholi Jr.

The Miami New Times reported on May 4,2010, that three weeks previously, George Rekers had been photographed at Miami International Airport with a twenty-year-old "rent boy" who was using the pseudonym "Lucien".

George Rekers acknowledged hiring Roman for the 10-day European vacation as a "travel assistant" and denies any impropriety.

George Rekers said that Roman was there to help carry his luggage since he had surgery recently and was unable to carry it himself, although the photograph clearly showed Rekers lifting his own luggage.

George Rekers co-authored four papers with Ole Ivar Lovaas, a psychology professor at the same university, on children with atypical gender behaviors.