McCollum urged hiring of anti-gay activist involved in rentboy.com scandal

Attorney General Bill McCollum personally urged that the state hire George Rekers, the anti-gay psychologist whose recent European trip with a gay male escort has exploded into a furious media frenzy since it was first reported last week.

Rekers was paid more than $120,000 to help with the state’s defense of a more than 30-year old ban on gay adoption.

McCollum said on Monday that he “wouldn’t do it again” had he known more about Rekers, whose trip was first reported by the Miami New Times.

"We’ve been defending the constitutionality of the state law and we’ve been representing the Department of Children and Families, who hired him and paid him and needed expert witnesses and he was available and credentialed,’’ said McCollum."I wouldn’t do it again if I knew what I knew today but I didn't know that then and neither did anybody else.’’

Rekers has said he hired the man to carry his luggage for him on a trip to Europe, but Jo-vanni Roman, also known as Lucien, told CNN last week that he gave Rekers “sexual massages” on the trip. Rekers on his website says he did know about Roman’s ad on rentboy.com until after the trip was in progress and that he was not involved in any “illegal or sexual behavior’’ with him. He has also told The Miami Herald that he is "not gay" and never has been.

DCF was sued after it denied a South Florida gay man the right to adopt two young brothers who lived with him as foster children. The state agency turned to McCollum’s office to defend them in the lawsuit.

McCollum wrote a July 2007 letter to then DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth where he said his legal team “strongly” recommended the hiring of Rekers, a psychologist once on the faculty of the University of South Carolina and who helped found the Family Research Council back in the ‘80s.

“They believe that this expert and his testimony are necessary to ensure a successful result in this case,’’ wrote McCollum in the letter obtained by the Florida Tribune.

Read more here at the Florida Tribune.

Here's a copy of letters between McCollum and Butterworth: Download Rekers letters

Comments

[rayy]

"credentialed", heh--he had a "rentboy.com" account.