When Jeff White came out to his parents in 1996, they sent their 14-year-old son to the Bethel Baptist School in Wills, Mississippi for therapy and guidance. What happened next, White claims, was anything but therapeutic.
White, now 32, told the Washington Blade that from the time he was 14 until the time he was 17 he was repeatedly molested by his bible school teacher, who called the abuse “ex-gay therapy” designed to turn White off of men.
“He would rape me because I was gay and because it would make me hate men and make me change,” White said.
The rapes allegedly happened every Wednesday when White went in for his weekly appointment. He claims he was forced to have both oral and anal sex with the teacher.
The man is now an associate pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, which operates the Christian school. The church is known for its hardline approach to Christian doctrine.
White works as the director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Rainbow Center, Mississippi’s first LGBT rights center. The National Center for Lesbian Rights recently helped him file a lawsuit against the teacher with the DeSoto County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Department.
“I just can’t overemphasize how proud we are to represent someone this courageous,” Samantha Ames, an attorney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told the Blade. “He’s honestly one of the bravest, one of the most determined people I have ever met and he has a unique, first-hand understanding that these attempts to change sexual orientation and gender identity are linked to a culture of hostility to LGBT people and when you combine that kind of hatred and self-loathing with a position of power, whether it’s in a religious leader or a licensed therapist, people get hurt, sometimes irreparably”
Bethel Baptist Church spokesman Josh Carlisle said the church is aware of an investigation and intends to cooperate with police.
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The Horrors Inside A Christian Conversion Cult Are Exposed First-Hand
Out British TV Doctor Submits To Gay Conversion Therapies, Uncovers His Own Bias
Don’t Call “Ex-Gay” Activist Chris Doyle Gay. He Hasn’t Been With A Man In Over Eight Years.
Billy Budd
Religion is poison, that is the truth and my motto.
Chris Vogel
All very Christian. Better than the old days, though, since modern secular governments do not permit the church its traditional responses to difference: torture and mass murder.
Kangol
That’s a new twist on twisted homophobic craziness! Is the rapist teacher rotting behind bars yet, and if not, why not?
JJ24
See this is what religion does to gay men and ex gay therapy does. It twists their poor mind to the point that they justice rape as curing someone.
Bellamy
The only thing sicker than this madman (and anyone else) using Christ and the Bible to commit a heinous crime, is anyone believing that Jesus of Nazareth would ever support such crimes. I am 100% pro-gay, but to accuse Jesus of any crime or as a supporter of crime is as mad as this [alleged]rapist. I grew up gay in a conservative Christian home where homosexual identity was spoken against as “sinful” – but I NEVER EVER did anything so stupid as to blame God for the stupidity of people. And SHAME on the gay community for it’s flagrant disregard of the MILLIONS of gays and lesbians who are Christians through bashing Christ and being just as guilty as the fake Christians who use the violate the Scriptures themselves by using it as a weapon. As a gay Christian I am as disgusted with the gay community’s anti-Christian slander and hate as I am with any religious community’s ant-gay slander. Both groups are becoming social terrorists. STOP IT! There is NOT A SINGLE VERSE in all of the Bible that forbids gay marriage; and if you pompous anti-christs would take the time to look for yourselves you would see the facts. Check out GayChristianSurvivors.com, for example, or GayChristian.net, or GayChurch.org, just to name a few resources which prove beyond the shadow of a doubt the Bible is PRO-GAY. If you don’t see for yourself, then you’re just as guilty of a hate crime.
Bellamy
@JJ24:
Gay and Christian here.
Hmmm, don’t recall raping anyone.
Nor, I presume, could you accuse the MILLIONS of Christian gays and lesbians around the world of rape. You’re as much a hater as the homophobes which makes you just as dangerous.
Bellamy
@Kangol:
In a free country like America, a person is not guilty just by accusation. Put down the pitch fork and torch and wait for the ALLEGED rapist’s trial of his peers. Don’t become the hater that you accuse others of being, or else you become just as dangerous of a threat.
Bellamy
@Billy Budd:
Billy, ALL hate is poison – even hate against people of faith.
Don’t make yourself as guilty as those you condemn or else you are nothing but a hypocrite.
ted72
@Bellamy: Yes, blaming an non-existent being would be foolish as blaming it on the leprechaun or unicorn. The bible is legitimate as DC’s Superman. Check out biblebabble.curbjaw.com/bible.htm and http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/. Yeah baby!
Bellamy
@ted72:
Ted, the issue isn’t whether YOU believe in Christ and the Bible; others DO, and they are entitled to that faith. Don’t demand respect when you can’t give it. Hate is hate is hate, and you are making this whole issue worse with your own bias and hatred. Your focus is in the wrong place. If you are trying to convince people not to have faith just because some people abuse faith to persecute homosexuals, you are fighting a losing battle. I’m Christian and I could care less if you want to be an Atheist; you follow your religion and I’ll follow mine (and yes, Atheism IS a religion regardless of your protests otherwise). There are millions of gays and lesbians who are Christian. It’s just that we haven’t made the mistake YOU have – we haven’t thrown a childish tantrum by pretending God doesn’t exist just because some ignorant boobs used God’s name to promote their personal agendas. YOU are doing the exact same thing and playing innocent, but you’re just as guilty as those you accuse.
Billy Budd
@Bellamy: Sorry, but racial/sexual hatred should be hated.
1EqualityUSA
Bellamy, Don’t be upset. Scoffers have always been and will always be part of the scene. I agree with every word you said, but would wish for you to represent your avid beliefs with a more tempered tone, as Christ would have. Respect isn’t something others have to earn, lest the Samaritan woman at the well would never have had the opportunity to have been transformed.
Cam
@Bellamy: said…
“You’re as much a hater as the homophobes which makes you just as dangerous.”
_________________________
No actually your drawing a moral equiviancy between somebody who rapes children and somebody who doesn’t like the religious doctrine that they used as an excuse is far more dangerous and hateful than anything.
Do us all a favor and get over both yourself and your phony persecution complex.
Here is an idea, if there are so many wonderful gay Christians throughout the world and wonderful loving Christians, how about you guys spend your time going on to evangelical blogs and attacking THEIR anti-gay hateful views rather than coming on here and trying to deflect from the real topic of this post.
Which is, another self hating sick person hid behind religion in order to rape children.
Kieran
As a good Bible Baptist, this teacher was just interpreting “Spare the rod and spoil the child” in his own unique way I guess.
JJ24
@Bellamy: If you noticed I said religion and ex-gay therapy, as in a combination of the two. Your religious that’s great but don’t try to sweep under the rug all the damage done to the LGBTQ community but your religion/the bible(cough westboror). I was not accusing you or any other non bigoted christian of the mentality of this man, which a lot of christians have(not the rape part but the curing part). Whether you like it or not the majority of christians think we are an abomination and can be cured. Pretending it’s not so doesn’t make it so.
“MILLIONS of Christian gays and lesbians” Millions is a bit of exaggeration don’t you think? If there were millions it wouldn’t be half the struggle it is with the church for acceptance.
“You’re as much a hater as the homophobes which makes you just as dangerous.” I don’t hate, it’s a waste of time. I love God, just not the man made bible people love to through around.
One question are you for same sex marriage?
Perhaps you should use your time in the christian community to educate them and change their bigoted views instead of over reacting and reading way more into a two lines then intended.
jd2222248
Why did Jeff wait so long to bring his story to the front line? 🙂
Cam
@jd2222248:
Why do so many women not report that they were raped?
JJ24
@jd2222248: Because often times when your raped you blame yourself, I sure did.
Cam
@JJ24:
And so why wouldn’t Jeff have the same feelings?
JJ24
@Cam: ??? I never said Jeff didn’t feel that way, where did you get I was questioning him?
Cam
@JJ24:
My mistake, I thought your comment asking why he waited so long was questioning the situation. My mistake. 🙂
JJ24
@Cam: I never questioned why he took so long, that was jd2222248. Don’t sweat it we all make mistakes.
enlightenone
@Cam: Unfortunately, his perspective is clouded by this “gay Christian” misnomer/oxymoron same as the “black Christian.” Let black folk say Jesus isn’t white and the Ferguson cops would crawl out from the woodwork in their ninja turtle gear.
kiriakis1
Christians deserve about as much respect as one would give to someone who says he talks to his plants and they talk back.
StudioTodd
“If you are trying to convince people not to have faith just because some people abuse faith to persecute homosexuals, you are fighting a losing battle. ”
No, we are trying to convince people to not have faith because it is pointless, childish nonsense. Believing in invisible beings who watch and keep track of your every move and thought is irrational, narcissistic and a little bit crazy. Molding your life around a book of immoral fables assembled by committee is ridiculous, irresponsible and pretty stupid.
You religious people demand respect for a belief system that does not merit respect. Why should I respect a belief that cannot be proven and has been used to support oppression, murder and slavery? And is used as an excuse to try and deny my rights and force me to live as a second-class citizen?
You want respect? Open your eyes, look more critically at the history of your religion and it’s texts, and come to the logical rational conclusion that so many others have reached–that your beliefs are nothing but wishful thinking. Can’t be proven. Made up. Fairy tales.
enlightenone
@StudioTodd: Well, hopefully, Bellamy will stop the “cut and paste” long enough to realize that he doesn’t need a book or believe in a religion to have faith. In fact it is the absence of these that allows room for FAITH. I know its wishful thinking on my part!
NoCagada
He was simply cornholing for Jesus! Ooooh…I hear a new hit showtune!
Clark35
If this actually really happened why did he wait so long to tell people about it?
Daggerman
…gagging for it, what these perverts in church are and just agreeing with the first comment, religion is definitely, a soul destroying poison!