Photos of John Paulk
In September 2000, he photographed ex-gay activist John Paulk in a Washington D.C. gay bar called Mr. P's. Paulk said he was simply there to use the washroom, but Besen and other witnesses allege he was drinking and flirting for over 20 minutes. Besen went public with the story, and wrote about it in his book Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth. The book was nominated for two Lambda Literary Awards in 2003.
Besen's photograph of Paulk (and subsequent release of the story) was instrumental in the ultimate removal of Paulk as Chairman of Exodus International, a major organization in the "Ex-gay movement." As noted by The Washington Post in October 2002: "John Paulk had been the most famous success story of the Christian ex-gay movement, which seeks to persuade gay men and lesbians to accept Jesus and renounce homosexuality. He had appeared on 60 Minutes, Oprah and the cover of Newsweek."
Read more about this topic: Wayne Besen
Famous quotes containing the word john:
“a notable prince that was called King John;
And he ruled England with main and with might,
For he did great wrong, and maintained little right.”
—Unknown. King John and the Abbot of Canterbury (l. 2–4)