Earlier on Nightline, I caught an interview with former pastor Ted Haggard. It's been two years since he confessed to sex and drug use with a male prostitute.Now he's back with an HBO special "The Trials of Ted Haggard", which chronolizes his life right after he and his family is banished from his church and the state of Colorado.
This special airs Thursday night. I caught a scene from where he is putting ads on doors trying to make some money. And in his interview with the Nightline reporter, he just opened up. He admitted to the sex acts and even trying meth. He admits to comtiplating suicide. He even admitted to getting into a mastubation session with one of his church members. The guy he did the deed with, had been thrown out of
his Bible class because he thought he was gay and had confided with Haggerty about it. Then tried to pay the guy off to keep their sex session private. He sat there and watched with the reporter the interview with the man who brought the accusation that he was insensitive to the man's spiritual needs. Now, Haggard has finally come to terms with his sexuality and considers himself straight. He's still with his wife and kids who stood by him. He has, according to the report, returned to Colorado to where he and his family are starting an insurence business.
Those of you remember when he was with the Evangelical Elite, and how they continue to spout so-called Family Values and anti-gay, anti abortion rhetoric. Then in 2006, he fell from grace when a male prostitute outed him. Of course, he denied it all, but then he did the honorable thing (or so he thinks) and confessed his sins. All
that got him was banished from the church he founded, shunned from the
Association of Evangelicals, and into two years of psychological counseling with an counselor who is also an evangelical. (I am not sure as I didn't care to keep up with that, but I would appriciate any information in comments if you have them.) I am certain that this documentary will go into detail about that.
But overall, this is an attempt to make those who watch this to feel sorry for him. I for one will not because of the hell people like him have put on the GLBT community. He even apologizes for how the community was treated, yet still considers homosexuality a sin personally. He is full of it, and I will be one of the many who will not feel sorry for him. I try to keep an open mind about many things, but he falls in my never forgive/never forget catagory. I don't have HBO, and even if I did, I wouldn't watch it. It could come out on DVD, but I won't waste my time nor money to purchase/rent it.
I think Haggard was gay from the start. He has hidden it from everyone under the guise of the Church. I have known of many who either go to or are forced into such organizations like Ex-Gays and Homosexuals Anonymous. Some years ago when John Stossel did his 'Give Me A Break' segments on ABC News 20/20, he did an expose` on the Ex-Gays group. He interviewed several former members, including a lesbian who had a break down during the interview on how she felt worthless because she of who she was. He even interviewed a reporter from the Advocate who got a tip that one of the founders of Ex-Gays was seen at a popular hangout. It seems like that if you are outed or admit you're gay, then you are shunned by family and church unless you repent by their standards.
Haggard falls in a class of those who say do one thing and say the other. He is a hypocrite and admits it.
UPDATE: Sorry about all that (my bad). I made some errors that hopefully are corrected. I thought I'd try my hand at a full diary. I guess I do need to attend a class on proper blogging. Can any of you give me some help?
UPDATE 2: Thanks for the comments and especially, the pootie pic.