Ted Haggard: Childhood trauma made me desire men. I'm not gay

[charlie]

Wormy guy is getting wormier by the minute:

Haggard, 53, said that he had been sexually assaulted as a second-grader by someone employed by his father. The failure to deal with that, Haggard said, somehow pushed him toward a secretive attraction to men.

"One of the most horrific mistakes I made was not a spiritual problem; it was a physiological problem," he said. "I needed treatment.

"I knew that if I told, people would hate me, people would reject me," he said. "I did confess to a few people, and they gave me nonsensical answers."

Both Haggards skirted any mention of his possible homosexuality. But in an interview in which the question was raised, he quickly rejected the idea that he might be gay.

"I used to say that I am a heterosexual with issues," he said. "Now I say I'm a heterosexual with very few issues. My incongruity was due to childhood trauma."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-haggard_07met.ART0.State.Edition1.4bbe38f.html

Mark your calendars. Gayle Haggard's book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1414335857">Why I Stayed - The Choices I Made In My Darkest Hour hits the stores January 19.

[maxsolomon]

1. whatever gets you through the night

go ahead and be bi, ted. jesus also loved everyone.

[oligarhy]

2. You can all comment on Amazon

There is a forum for that book.

[BlooInBloo]

3. lulz! "Heterosexual with issues".

:rofl:

I'm totally stealing that.

[cliffordu]

18. Damn you!!!! I saw it first!!!!

:rofl:

[Ferret Annica]

4. Self hatred of some gay religious loonies

makes them the kapos* of the population of men who prefer men as sexual partners. This guy is in self denial, and a creep beyond measure.

*Kapo was a prisoner who worked inside German Nazi concentration camps

[hamsterjill]

5. Sounds to me like he still hasn't come to terms with his own sexual orientation

Incredible. Anything to make a buck.

[DevonRex]

6. Best case: He's been victimized by his own faith. Worst case: He's

spouting this garbage so he can keep making money off of his "faith" and will knowingly harm others who are struggling with their identity and faith issues.

[redqueen]

7. It's sad that our mental healthcare system is so screwed up.

Imagine what he might be like today if he'd had more help earlier, in dealing with that assault?

I can't laugh at the guy or poke fun in this thread. The emotional scars left by molestation are very deep. I wish he'd had better help, sooner.

[RadiationTherapy]

8. My SILs breakdowns were incredibly stressful due to a lack of mental health services.

The equivalent intensity of a physiological injury would have gotten her admitted for a week if needed, no questions asked. Our options had to do with nothing or calling the police.

[Toasterlad]

17. I Can And Will Laugh At Him

We have only his word for it that he was abused at all, and he's already proven to be a liar and a hypocrite. Also, abuse - sexual or otherwise - doesn't turn one gay. You can't be "turned" gay. You're either born that way, or you're not.

This guy is an outed homosexual who made a living preaching against other homsexuals, and who is now trying to climb back into the closet. He is using the spectre of childhood abuse to try and excuse and dismiss the fact that he is a homosexual. He's a reprehensible piece of shit who deserves every bit of ridicule and bile directed at him.

[cliffordu]

19. Yep. Exactly.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. So is he saying that gay men are born that way?

[Union Yes]

10. Regarding Hagard, this gay dude's(me) gaydar points to closeted flaming gay.

[Toucano]

11. This binary approach to human sexuality is absurd.

Ted can remain a prisoner of it if he chooses. He's an adult.

But leave the rest of us alone, okay?

[datasuspect]

12. yep, human sexuality exists on a continuum

good post.

[Forkboy]

13. I agree. Sex shouldn't be limited to just two people at once.

Wait...what?

[cliffordu]

20. I like the way your mind works.

[Forkboy]

14. I'd feel sorry for him if he wasn't so busy fucking up the lives of others.

I feel for anyone who had childhood traumas, but at some point one has to step back and break the circle of ugliness. Haggard hasn't chosen that route. Instead, he's taken the ugliness that happened to him and let it rationalize his own ugliness to others.

[Orsino]

15. ...and neither were any of my boyfriends.

:eyes:

Poor Haggard is living yet another lie.

[Stevenmarc]

16. "heterosexual with very few issues" except one of your few issues is that you're not heterosexual