"SO BE IT". You are who you are. No one should be allowed to force you to change. | Maris Ehlers Photography

When we were interviewed by Anderson Cooper on AC360, at one point he said something along the lines of, "Maris, some people are going to say that you are just a gay rights activist and dismiss you as such."  I had to laugh out loud.  Me, a married mother of two, chasing my own little dreams in my own little world, one picture at a time, one goodnight kiss at a time, considered a gay rights activist.  It was kind of funny in an ironic sort of way.  I am a sister, grieving the loss of my brother, and still reeling over the deception and horror of how he had been used for so many years by a group of self-righteous men who have created an industry full of fallacies, hurt and rejection in his name.  I know my brother Mark feels the same way.

Now, I say, "So be it."

If I am provided more chances to tell our brother's story, to speak of the harm that these men have done, how he was abused by them well after his own death, and more tragically how other children are being harmed based on this "research", TODAY, then  SO. BE. IT. 

I guess I'll figure out how to be the best "married mother of two, marketing wonk, camera slinging, kid carpooling, Christian advocating equal rights for all" that I can figure out how to be.

You are who you are, as God intended you to be.  No one should be allowed to force you to change.

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I'll post a video recap later of all of the segments, but someone started a petition online to have George Rekers' stripped of his "professor emeritus" status at UNC.  Fitting, because his entire career was based on the fallacies of his "research" on Kirk.  He didn't cure anybody of anything.  Furthermore, he continued to do so well after he knew that Kirk revealed to the other leading doctor of the study at the age of 18 that he was both gay and had tried to commit suicide the year before.  That was in 1987.  Rekers has still been touting "Kraig" as the successful poster boy for conversion therapy until he was caught with a male escort that he had hired off of rentaboy.com in 2010.  NARTH still does.