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In an off-the-wall presentation at Peter LaBarbera’s (aka Porno Pete) “Truth Academy” in suburban Illinois on Thursday, so-called former homosexual Greg Quinlan discussed how he allegedly left homosexuality. Quinlan is the current President of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) and the founder of the Pro-Family Network.
The presentation was packed with misinformation, crude stereotypes and a healthy dose of gay bashing. Quinlan punctuated his sermon by claiming he wasn’t a limp wristed, flaming faggot, even while shining oh-so brightly onstage.
“I wasn’t your flaming faggot, you know. I can say that because I’ve been there and done that. You know, the one’s whose wrists are so limp that when the wind blows they slap themselves in the face. I wasn’t one of them,” Quinlan said, as the small audience chuckled. (8:00—8:13)
This was an interesting observation by Quinlan, given that he describes during his talk how he walked into an Assemblies of God church with bleach blond hair and a mullet. Yes, he sounds like a paragon of masculinity.
I’m not sure whether to be offended by his comments or feel sorry for a man who is clearly in denial and deeply ashamed about his gender expression. It is sad that Quinlan can’t accept himself and instead has to resort to bashing people who look and sound exactly like he does.
Quinlan’s tale of transformation begins at age 9 when he “received Jesus Christ”. When he was ten years old, a thirteen-year old friend who lived across the street showed him a Playboy and “introduced” him to homosexuality. I can only imagine how this scene played out:
“Homosexuality, meet Greg.”
“Greg, meet homosexuality.”
“Um, Greg, you can stop shaking his hand now.”
As a young man who had just become a nurse, Quinlan claims he was on the verge of suicide, so he decided to “come out.” He dove into the so-called “lifestyle” with gusto and claims to have become an Ohio lobbyist for the Human Rights Campaign Fund (now the Human Rights Campaign).
“They taught me how to do grassroots activism, how to read legislation, how to lobby my elected official…so that’s how I lobbied.”
The only problem with this fantastical story is that no one working for HRC or affiliated with this organization remembers Quinlan’s contributions. When I worked at this organization I checked with our members in Ohio to see if they had lobbied with Quinlan.
Not a single person had any recollection of working with him. So, while it is possible he licked stamps on volunteer night or attended an HRC dinner, he certainly played no major or memorable role in this organization. In effect, Quinlan is pathetically padding his resume to make his tale more attractive to fundamentalist audiences.
Moving along, after allegedly watching more that 100 friends die of AIDS, Quinlan begins to question the “homosexual lifestyle.”
“I was questioning the homosexual lifestyle. It looked like a dead end to me. It looked like something that was so ugly. Here we are, you go to the bar, you hook up, this back and forth stuff, it just seems so shallow. So lust filled, so immature. But I was there and too prideful to do anything about it. So I stayed there for a little while.”
This catapults him on a journey to rediscover his religious roots. Quinlan starts watching Pat Robertson’s 700 Club and The Praise the Lord Network (PTL). One winter evening, a desperate Quinlan calls into one of the televangelist’s shows and becomes closer to God. Soon, he finds an Assemblies of God with a lovely pastor who loudly condemns the “sodomites.”
We will post more on Quinlan’s bizarre speech, but his trite story is Exhibit A of the self-loathing and shame that happens to young gay people when they are “introduced” to harmful religious indoctrination. If Quinlan had not been subjected to such biblical brow beating in his youth, he might have been an entirely different person. Indeed, he might have had dignity and self-respect, while actually being a real lobbyist for the Human Rights Campaign, rather than an imaginary one.
I don’t know, but I’d rather be a limp-wristed flaming faggot than a repressed and paranoid “ex-gay” who believes Wayne Besen is around every corner.
Scott, Wayne Besen IS around every corner.
It’s one of his tricks.
Wow, what self-loathing! I’d feel sorry for him, except that he’s making his problems other peoples’ problems, too.
I feel more sorry for anyone forced to listen to this drivel.
I don’t care whether Quinlan has “been there” or not.
It’s simply unacceptable for this man to spew such hatred toward gay men by this name-calling.
Yet he expects gay people to believe him when he (as so many ex-gays) say they “love” us.
Dare I even say it is “un-Christian”?
I’ve heard a lot of charismatic (the religious variety) con men in my time, and Quinlan has it down. But to be reduced to a sideshow for Peter LaBarbera is really sad, even for him. It does sound like his life was pretty shallow, however, but I don’t know what being gay had to do with that. It still sounds shallow only in different ways.
And those stupid little lies, such as the gay lobby had GRIDS renamed to AIDS. Huh? Aside from the fact that GRIDS is just not accurate, what kind of lobby did GLBTs have in 1981? Even if AIDS only affected gays (tell Africa that), does he think Sickle cell anemia should be called “African American cell deformity syndrome (AACDS)?”
Just pathetic.
One can only hope some of these ex-gays are listening to this president of their “friends” deliver insulting cheap shots to amuse a crowd of bigots. Maybe they’ll wake up and see there is no love whatsoever.
i question the sexuality of many young men i see in my city, because they “act” gay or are “metro-sexuals”. There are more straight-acting gays then femmies. For this man to bring the fact up that he wasnt a femmie, just proves that he is s…till insecure in his heterosexuality….as if he hates the part of him that is gay, but, as we all know, consumes you when u are in the closet or pretend to be something you aint.
Anti-gay activist Quinlan claims to be a Christian. All that name calling is not Christian, it’s reviling and the Bible makes it clear that revilers are going to hell. Funny that as a Christian he doesn’t know that….
“Funny as a christian he doesn’t know that”. Michael, most christians are utterly selective in what they “know” and spout off, because they choose whatever portion of their bible is useful in justifying what they want to justify at that moment, while totally neglecting the rest. I cannot blame them really, because their bible gives so many contradictory messages if taken as a whole. Ambiguity and nuance are not the strong suits of new converts or fundamentalists in any religion.
Unless I’m making an erroneous assumption here, Truth Wins Out deserves major KUDOS for placing a mole at LaBarbera’s Magic Truth Academy. We know that he monitors the TWO site, so it must have been making him crazy trying to identify the mole. When the “academy” was first announced I seem to recall LaBarbera saying that the attendees would be carefully screened (or something to that effect). Well done, TWO!
Paul Douglas,
Yes, Christianity’s chameleon-like characteristics may be one of its major strengths. It’s a dream-product for clever power-seekers as it can be target-marketed to many demographics. Christianity can be made to appeal to foaming-at-the-mouth bigots just as easily as to kind, decent, empathetic people. Then, after people are sold on it, they can be manipulated.
Thanks Richard.
We successfully were able to slip into this hate-fest. It took a bit of work, but we pulled it off.
Unfortunately, our “spy” was caught the second day of the conference. This is because the conference was so poorly attended (20-30 people), that our infiltrator stood out. He was 21 and the few people who came to see Porno Pete were much older. So, he stood out. We had no idea that this conference would be such a dismal failure.
I thought it was aimed at people between 14 and 25.
Any idea what the average age of the atendees was?
attendees.
Greg is a evil sick person. People please stop listening to him, it is exactly what he wants.
[...] would say just about anything to make LGBT people appear depraved. One Truth Academy lecturer was Greg Quinlan, the President of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX). This organization is particularly [...]
Ok, maybe the clip has been changed because I didn’t hear him bashing gays. Although the clip appears to be cut and pasted together all I heard him relaying his story. Is it 100% acurate/true…only he and God know for sure. I can say that a portion is a combination of more than one experience (the family that flew in from CA – we were that family). I can confirm/verify that his claim that he was not flaming is true, as well as, that it was the gay lobby (out of SF) that had the name changed from GRID to AIDS (yes I’m that old). He did in fact work for or with HRCF, he is the one that got our family into supporting it in Dayton. As a matter of fact the Dayton chapter’s HRCF award was initially named after my sibling (I presented the first one). Finally, he did not “allegedly” lose 100 friends, that is factual (my sibling being one). I’m not trying to offend anyone on either side, nor am I taking sides. I am not far right nor far left. I believe in live and let live.
E.S.W.
1) Please provide your documentation that Quinlan worked for HRCF. I was a spokesperson for the organization from 1998-2003. No one in Ohio or Washington had heard of this guy. I’d love to see your proof. Pay stubs? What was his actual title?
In more than a decade, Quinlan has never provided even a shred of evidence to show he had any substantial role with the group.
2) We actually have the entire tape. So, you are full of s**t to say it was spliced. Since you are so sure of yourself, would you like to bet $10,000 that he said it exactly as it is on tape? How about Quinlan upping it to $100,000? I’m willing to make this bet today.
3) Anyone who has met Quinlan says he is a Big Ole Queen. So, you lose credibility there.
4) The gay lobby can not have a name of a disease changed. Obviously, this is common sense. However, any gay person with two brain cells would push to have the name changed as not to reflect bigotry.
Clearly, you are not neutral and you have taken sides. Please stop misrepresenting yourself. If you are going to make outrageous and outlandish charges, please stop being a coward and use your real name.
Wayne,
I speak from what I know. Greg was involved with HRCF (Dayton) in 1992. This is when I met him (he cared for my sibling) and my family started contributing to HRCF. I have our receipts but doubt his names are on them (I would have to dig them out and look). I remember him speaking of trips to DC but only remember his going once when we all met up for the quilt in Oct 1992.
I stated it appeared to be cut and pasted (it kept jumping), granted this could be my internet connection. Even with that in the video that is embeded I did not hear him gay bashing. That would not be the Greg I knew. I spent quite a bit of time with Greg in 1992 and he was no where near being a “queen” and I have known some. The pictures and video I have do not support that, granted the last time I saw or spoke with Greg was in 1997.
No, the gay lobby did not like the name AIDS (just re-read what I typed) but they did lobby to get the name changed from GRID. If I remember correctly it was Reagan (or his folks) that came up with the name AIDS (I would have to pull old senate hearing footage).
On the contrary, I have not taken sides. I truly believe live and let live. It is no ones business what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home (absent abuse, etc.)
edited to add (after reading more articles on both sides): There are things I agree with on both sides and things I disagree with on both sides.
In other words, e.s.w., you have NO proof. I have an idea. Why don’t you come out publicly and let everyone know who you are instead of hiding behind a keyboard.
If you have proof that Quinlan is who he said he was, it would behoove you to back it up by putting yourself on the line.
E.S.W.
I see. Greg Quisling went to a the AIDs quilt in DC — along with a million other people — and that makes him an activist with HRCF? Or, he took you to the annual dinner — and that makes him a lobbyist for HRCF? Hardly.
If Mr. Quinlan is who he says he is, he will be able to provide pay stubs from the organization, just like I got. I also know that while I worked there, all lobbyists were registered. Can Mr. Quisling provide proof that he registered as a lobbyist for HRCF?
If he can, we will correct the record. If he can’t it is fair to say that he, at best, exaggerated his record and importance to the movement to get gigs with the extreme right. At worst, he is a con artist and fraud.
We are still waiting for Quisling to set the record straight.
Senate committees also do name diseases.
On the contrary, I do have proof of that which I speak. Will I post it? No. Ever hear of the Privacy Act of 1974 and of a new thing called Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Pay stubs, etc all contain such information and thereby I am prohibited from releasing it.
Um, okay. So, you have proof but won’t use it.
1) Can you identify the dates of the pay stubs so we can see if HRC has records of his employment. FYI – They did not when I worked there.
2) What was Quislng’s specific title? I was the Associate Director of Communications. I got promoted to Deputy Director of Communications. You see, we all have very clear titles in an organization of this size. So, if Mr. Quinlan worked there, he would also have a specific title.
3) Why would you personally have a pay stub of Quinlan’s in your possession — unless you ARE QUINLAN and pretending to be a disinterested third party defending him. I certainly do not possess the pay stubs of anyone other than what I have personally earned.
Basically, I’m calling you a liar and a phony. You are probably Quisling under a bogus screen name.
Pathetic, really. And, you are not very bright.
ESW, I’m not quite sure what your point about the changing of the name from GRID to AIDS is supposed to be but the fact is that AIDS is a more accurate name. You don’t have to be gay to catch it and as time went on and they found out more about the disease they changed the name to identify it more accurately and to eliminate an additional block to non-gay people getting tested.
[...] what Besen had this to say about his presentation: “The presentation was packed with misinformation, crude stereotypes [...]
@ Wayne Besen: A couple of observations. Your responses to ESW were inflammatory. I understand your anger; I’m a forty-eight gay while male living with HIV because my abusive ex was both, a cheater and a liar. I fully support marriage equality and have made contributions to the fight for acceptance, tolerance and understanding of LGBTQ persons. It’s what I write about much of the time in my own blog. And sometimes, I get a bit carried away, rant and go on the attack (but when I do I usually [eventually] come around to recognizing that I’m out of line and that attacks beget attacks and abuse begets abuse.
True, I’m offended and outraged by what Greg Quinlan has said in the past. I’m doing some research on the Internet now, in order to finish a blog entry about his libelous claims made about you, where he accuses you of having said (if memory serves) he should be run over by a bus or injected by AIDS. What you might have said in private, amongst close friends in your own circle, I really can’t say but I have found no record of any statement like this made in the public media. Personally, I’d like to think you are better than that and would NEVER say such a thing, even about somebody who has earned our disdain and distrust.
Regarding the matter of referring to Quinlan as “Quisling” — I’ve done something like this myself, in the past, but it generally only detracts from the discussion and casts the one doing it in a childish light. I’d recommend (though I’ll admit, I’m certain to fail to take my own advice as well) that you try and refrain from making reference to the dirt-bag as anything other than Greg, Quinlan or Greg Quinlan.
Most importantly, I take issue with the inference that anyone who doesn’t have a title issued by the HRCF has contributed very little to the cause. You won’t find my name among those who have been assigned titles but I can guarantee you that I and many other people, both gay and straight alike, have made sacrifices and contributions (EVEN IF some of them only licked stamps, stuffed envelopes, etc.) in the name of LGBTQ equality and acceptance over the years. Hell, I’d be hard-pressed even, not to acknowledge the actions of the drag queens and everyone else who had finally had enough during the night of the riots at Stonewall.
I’ll close by simply saying that I appreciate the efforts made by any organization and individual who is trying to make a difference in the interest of LGBTQ acceptance, tolerance and equality. To that end, I thank you for your own contributions.
Sincerely,
Michael Marshall
@ Wayne Besen: I just watched the full interview by Greg Quinlan, where he makes some claims regarding the Dayton (OH) chapter of the HRCF so I understand, to some extent, the temperature of your response to E.S.W. Still, all contributions (noteworthy or not) are appreciated. Again, thanks for your participation.
[...] needs you to know that, even when he wasn’t repressing his natural desires, he wasn’t a “flaming faggot,” is really, really, well, really flaming upset about what’s going on with marriage equality in [...]