LGBT Organizations Step Up To Protect Rekers' Rentboy

I have said before that I greatly respect the courage of Jo-Vanni Roman, the Miami rentboy who has been brave enough to go public and hopefully help end the poisonous anti-gay career of George Rekers, NARTH leader and co-founder of Family Research Council. Rekers has threatened Roman with lawsuits and candidly, I put nothing past some of the Kool-Aid guzzling Christianists. These folks refuse to admit that they have been duped for 35 years by gay massage lover Rekers and some of their threats should be taken seriously (back when I assisted Mike Rogers in outing Congressman Ed Schrock, I received telephone threats from Schrock's then top aide and made sure I kept evidence of the same in case something were to happen to me). Thankful, in the case of Roman, a number of LGBT organizations have agreed to stand ready to defend him should the need arise. Fellow Bilerico blogger Father Tony has been involved in lining up support for Roman. Joe Jervis at Joe By God has details on the effort. I wish Jo-Vanni well and those like him who can expose anti-gay frauds like Rekers need to be encouraged to speak out with the knowledge that the larger LGBT community will protect them for speaking the truth. Here are some highlights from Joe's blog:
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An impressive group of state and national LGBT organizations have expressed their support for Jo-Vanni Roman, the Miami rentboy caught in the middle of the best/worst scandal to hit the anti-gay political machine in years. . . . The leaders of these organizations have agreed to lend their names to this show of solidarity by the nation's LGBT community.
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Equality Florida: Nadine Smith, Executive Director
National Center for Lesbian Rights: Kate Kendall, Executive Director
Norm Kent: Civil Rights Attorney, Publisher and Editor, South Florida Gay News
Truth Wins Out: Wayne Besen, Executive Director
The Trevor Project: Charles Robinson, Executive Director
Lambda Legal: Gregory Nevins, Senior Staff Attorney, Southern Regional Office
Fifteen Minutes Publicity: Howard Bragman, Chairman
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Noted Hollywood publicity agent Howard Bragman, who specializes in media crisis management, has volunteered to help Jo-Vanni Roman navigate the deluge of interview requests. They are scheduled to speak today. Florida-based attorney Ron Gunzburger has also made an offer of pro bono support, should the need arise. Other national and state organizations may be added to this list in the next few days.
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Special thanks go out to Father Tony Adams, who worked as our point person in Florida on this effort. Of course, there is a hope that none of these esteemed groups will need to step in at all, but we MUST circle the wagons around this kid right now, lest our enemies sense that he is vulnerable to whatever repulsive plans they may have.