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Top Dems Call on Weiner to Resign; Tracy Morgan Apologizes for Homophobic Rant; The "Sissy Boy" Experiment; Paralyzed Baseball Player Just Drafted by the Texas Rangers

Aired June 11, 2011 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: This is ultimately a decision for my constituents and, look, I've made mistakes as I said on Monday. A lot of these questions I answered on Monday. Now I'll just try to get back to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Story lines galore tonight in the saga that is Anthony Weiner. Democratic leadership now calling for his resignation as Weiner himself says he is seeking help. The Best Political Team on Television is here to weigh in.

Comedian Tracy Morgan's on-stage homophobic rant, even saying he would kill his own son if he were gay. Tonight, a comedian who worked side-by-side with Morgan on "Saturday Night Live" tells us what he thinks of the comment and the fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN TAYLOR, PARALYZED PLAYER DRAFTED BY RANGERS: Because I believe only I can get back on the baseball field. All I have to do is just keep on working hard every day 9:00 to 5:00. You know, just keep getting stronger every day, continue to make progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A young man who should be an inspiration for all of us. A college athlete on the verge of a career in baseball now paralyzed after a horrifying on field collision. But the story does not have a tragic ending. This hour the latest chapter that will leave you smiling.

Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon live from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire where CNN is getting set to host a GOP presidential debate. Those stories and much, much more this hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we start with this. He lied, he denied, he apologized. Now tonight Congressman Anthony Weiner is seeking professional help after the strongest call yet for his resignation. We don't want his treatment, now that his tragic online flirtations with women have become all too public. Top Democratic members of Weiner's own party like House minority leader Nancy Pelosi now say they want him gone.

Here's how Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz put it this evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: It is with great disappointment that I call on Representative Anthony Weiner to resign. The behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Representative Weiner's continued service in Congress is untenable. This sordid affair has become an unacceptable distraction for Representative Weiner, his family, his constituents and the House -- and for the good of all, he should step aside and address those things that should be most important -- his and his family's well-being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. Here's Nancy Pelosi's statement. She says, "Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a member of Congress."

And our very own Jason Carroll today caught up with Congressman Weiner while he was walking on the streets of New York. They talked about everything, from the calls to his resignation to the news that Delaware police are investigating an alleged contact between Weiner and a 17-year-old girl.

Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it's not clear where Congressman Weiner has gone to seek treatment or how long he will be there. A spokesperson has released a statement basically saying Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment, to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person. In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well.

Well, clearly, before he went to seek treatment earlier today we ran across Congressman Weiner, and I want you to listen to, Don, what he said when he was questioned about calls for his resignation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Just to reconfirm about resignation, at this point, you have no plans --

WEINER: I have no news for you today.

CARROLL: And no plans to...

WEINER: Nothing changing. Nothing has changed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you're not resigning?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Well, Don, I had an opportunity to speak with the congressman about a number of issues, questioning him about that online communication he had with a teenager from Delaware. Apparently, what had happened was this teenage girl followed the congressman on Twitter after he came to her school. She admired him. He said that there was nothing inappropriate about the online communication so now I want you to listen to a little bit more of what the congressman had to say about that and other issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEINER: Nothing explicit, nothing indecent. Absolutely nothing inappropriate.

CARROLL: You've been reaching out to a number of people. Can you tell me about what advice? Have you spoken to the Clintons? So how are they advising you to this?

WEINER: I'm having conversations with people. You know, friends, neighbors, members of the family. You know, look, I've made some serious mistakes here. I have to redeem myself and I'm going to try to get back to work. But these were personal failings, but I'm trying not to let them get in the way of my professional work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: And Don, Congressman Weiner also telling me that originally it was his plan to get back to work as soon as Monday, but it's very clear now that it appears that is not going to happen again. He will be checking into treatment. It remains to be seen whether or not checking in to treatment will actually stop the calls for his resignation. Don?

LEMON: All right. Jason, thank you very much.

As his fellow Democrats abandoned him, Weiner is at a very crucial moment right now.

I want to bring in our senior political editor Mark Preston.

Mark, the question is, is he done? Is his career as a Congressman?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: No. You know, for a lot of people, they do think it's over. But for Anthony Weiner deciding to check himself into treatment, we don't really quite know what that means or where he's going. But I think for him he's trying to buy himself some time. Maybe look for a cooling off period.

But what we're told from the congressional democratic leaders, our own Dana Bash working the story all day today, they are going to still want him to resign, to leave office. Don, this is an amazing fall from grace, from a star in the Democratic Party who was on track, perhaps to be the next mayor of New York City.

LEMON: He is very outspoken. If you didn't want the answer, don't ask Anthony Weiner because he was going to give to it you, right?

PRESTON: Right. You know, even the liberals, they loved Anthony Weiner. And now they've lost such a star.

LEMON: So here's the thing. Whose decision is it? Because you hear the top members of the Democratic Party saying it's time for you to go. His constituents, though, by a slight margin are saying hey stay. It's his decision alone or is it left up to the constituents or to the leaders?

PRESTON: It really comes down to him and his wife. Is his wife going to say enough is enough? We need to pull back and pull our lives back together. But really it's going to ultimately lie with Anthony Weiner. Does he still want to fight this out? It really remains to be seen. But right now, it looks like he's trying to buy some time, trying to have a cooling off period.

LEMON: All right, Mark Preston, thank you very much. Don't go anywhere because we're going to take a quick break here. But I want to talk to Mark about Monday night's Republican debate right here in Manchester. And specifically, I want to ask him about Newt Gingrich and his chances now that all those staffers have just left his campaign.

Plus, Tina Fey now weighing in on Tracy Morgan's homophobic rant. What the "30 Rock" actress and co-creator has to say about her co-star coming up.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALES and UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: You know what, CNN, somehow we follow Don Lemon on Twitter.

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LEMON: DonLemonCNN, you goofs.

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LEMON: On to the stage. Here we go. Whoa. You all right?

So, look. This is the stage. This is where you're going to see John King, Wolf, Anderson, on stage. They are doing the lighting now. You can see that.

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LEMON: That was a little sneak peek inside the Sullivan Arena, where Monday night's debate will be held. You can see it's going to be at 8:00 p.m. here on CNN. And CNN NEWSROOM is coming to you live tonight from Manchester, New Hampshire.

Monday night we'll host the first Republican presidential debate right here at Saint Anselm College.

Now I recently asked a group of students here what they want to hear from the candidates. Here's what they said.

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LEMON: Are you guys ready for the debate?

UNIDENTIFIED MALES and UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: Yes.

LEMON: The most important issue you want to hear from them?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unemployment.

LEMON: What you about?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Keeping the arts in school programs.

LEMON: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

LEMON: Yes. And you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Troops future. When are they coming home?

LEMON: No one said social issues. Social issues not important?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are. Social security.

LEMON: No. Why do you say that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we won't have it when we get old. We're paying into it but we're not going to get it.

LEMON: That concerns you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does.

LEMON: Tell me why.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want my money. If I'm paying for it, I want it. My future isn't stable.

LEMON: Anybody else thinking about social security or anything like that?

Yes. Do you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think rights for gay marriage should definitely come in their eyes. But it's something that candidates seem to -- a topic they seem to avoid to avoid controversy. I think that's a topic that deserves attention, and I don't know. That's how I feel.

LEMON: Why do you think that deserves attention?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just because it affects a lot of Americans, and it's kind of sad how many states don't allow gay marriage and I think that should change.

LEMON: Are younger people on board with that issue? Are you less or more conservative when it comes to social issues? Because most of the candidates are going to be here, are very conservative on social issues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the older you get, older generations, they are more conservative. But our generation and if you look down, down like younger people, they are much more liberal. They are becoming more liberal and more open and many of these social issues to us, they are not really a problem any more.

LEMON: Yes. So you think as we go on here in the future, people will be less concerned about those things and really more concerned about the economy, money, social security?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

LEMON: Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that's kind of how New Hampshire works. It's never been a really socially conservative state. We have a gay marriage bill. You can get a gay marriage license in New Hampshire. And I think you're looking at the primary that the candidates don't come here and talk about social issues as much as if they are in Iowa or South Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. Mark Preston is back. He's our senior political editor here. So let's talk about the debate.

All eyes I would imagine going to be on Newt Gingrich. His staffer resigning last week on Thursday.

PRESTON: Yes. So, look, there are going to be seven candidates on stage. We'll all going to be looking to see what happens to Newt Gingrich. Will he show to us that he can regroup and continue moving forward? He's put out statements. He's talked about how his campaign will move forward even though he has lost every one of his senior staffers. Even though that his key staffers in the early states have all left him. Newt Gingrich said he's going to move on. Let's see if he can do that Monday night.

LEMON: Who benefits most? Is it Rick Perry? Because everyone talks about Rick Perry, Texas swagger. Does he benefit the most?

PRESTON: Yes. I mean, for anybody that is in the race or not in the race -- Rick Perry, not in the race. He could benefit the most. The reason being two of Newt Gingrich's top staffers are very close to Rick Perry. If Rick Perry decides to run for president, expect these staffers to move over and run his campaign.

LEMON: All right, let's on to everyone else. Who is going to be here? What do they have to prove? What do they have to do on Monday night to get people to take them seriously and to become -- everybody wants to be the front-runner.

PRESTON: Yes, everybody wants to be the front-runner. So let's just pick more power break with me -- Herman Cain, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Santorum. This is their opportunity to won the national state, introduce themselves to Republican voters and mass. Not just social conservatives where they do very well.

Ron Paul has to show that he's Ron Paul. He continue talking about the idea that he wants troops pulled out of Iraq. He wants to start military intervention. Talk about long term debt problems.

Mitt Romney has to prove that he can get out unscathed. That he doesn't take all these arrows that we expect that are going to be shot at him, because he's the front-runner. For someone like Tim Pawlenty, now Tim Pawlenty has to go out and prove that he's better than Mitt Romney.

LEMON: Yes. I don't know if they can hear the screaming behind us. We are on a college campus.

PRESTON: Even in the rain.

LEMON: Oh my gosh, it's pouring, huh. Yes, but it's great. Everyone has been tremendous here. We really appreciate it.

Thank you, Mark. Appreciate you coming on as well. Monday night, of course. That's where it's going to happen right here on CNN.

Seven Republicans will appear on stage right here at Saint Anselm College in Manchester. It will mark the first political debate of the 2012 presidential race. The event will be moderated by CNN's John King.

Up next on CNN. Yes comedians are known to say some pretty outlandish things some stage, but to say you would stab your own son for being gay? How far is too far? We're talking about Tracy Morgan's homophobic rant. I'm going to ask a comedian who has worked with Tracy Morgan what he thinks.

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KEVIN ROGERS, WITNESS TO TRACY MORGAN'S HOMOPHOBIC RANT: I was still trying to process everything and decide if there was going to be a punch line somewhere, or exactly what was I hearing. So to me it really was just the entire thing, really did hurt me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. That was Kevin Rogers. He was there as comedian Tracy Morgan went off in the worst way, that's according to some audience members. It happened in Nashville on June 3rd. And we don't have it verbatim. But here's what Rogers account of what Morgan said.

Here's what he says. He says, if his son was gay, he better come home and talk to him like a man and not -- he reportedly mimicked a gay person, a high-pitched voice) or he should pull out a knife and stab that little N word to death.

Now Roger says Morgan went on to say that, he didn't f-ing care if he pissed off some gays.

Tracy Morgan apologized, but critics say NBC should fire him from his show "30 Rock."

Comedian Dean Obeidallah, he used to work with Morgan when Obeidallah worked behind the scenes on "Saturday Night Live," better known as SNL.

So, Dean, thank you for joining us tonight. You haven't seen Tracy in three years, but does this sound like the Tracy you know?

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, CO-CREATOR AND CO-PRODUCER OF THE NEW YORK ARAB- AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL: Actually, no. I mean, the Tracy I worked with "Saturday Night Live" was a very positive, funny guy. His sense of humor was crude, it was lewd at times, it made you cringe, but I'll tell you honestly it was never hateful. I never heard any statements that were demeaning anyone or at anyway in this tone.

And there were some openly gay staff on "Saturday Night Live." And believe me, if he made these kinds of comments or anything like this, we all would have heard it. We all worked long hours with "Saturday Night Live," on this show. So this is completely out of the Tracy Morgan that I know out of his character.

LEMON: So where do you think it came from then?

OBEIDALLAH: I could speculate. I mean, he could have thought he was being really edgy. He wanted to push the envelope. A lot of comedians do. He could be late at the night. He could have had a few drinks. I mean, what led to it? I'm not sure. I'm not sure why Tracy Morgan at this point would have made these comments.

I'm a great advocate of freedom of expression. I'm a comedian. I need that. But there is a line. In this case he clearly went over the line and he even knows it. Tracy apologized today very clearly. I mean, yesterday very clearly. He said it was wrong. He should not be in a comedy club. He should not be anywhere. So that's a great step by Tracy to acknowledge that.

LEMON: All right, Dean. You know, your memory of him really goes in line with Tina Fey's -- her "Entertainment Weekly" response. Here's what she said.

She said, "The violent imagery of Tracy's rant was disturbing. It also doesn't line up with the Tracy Morgan I know who is not a hateful man and is generally much too sleepy and self-centered to hurt another person."

So you and she, you know, said it was a comedian's comments. But do you think that he should be fired, or do you think he shouldn't be fired?

OBEIDALLAH: At this point I don't think he should be fired. And I hate to be flippant about it. But I mean, he should go to rehab. It seems in America when you make this terrible thing, if one get to jail, go to rehab thing. Maybe go with Anthony Weiner.

But, you know, making a gesture more than an apology possibly a great statement. You know, maybe doing something with the gay community to show that this was isolated, that he's not homophobic, he's not a bigot, and it was a mistake.

And I'll be honest, I worked with Tina Fey. Very smart woman. There's no way she would have put up with Tracy Morgan if this was the type of Tracy Morgan that he was on that stage, on the set of "30 Rock." There's no way. She would not allow that to happen. And that's why I know it's an isolated incident.

And believe me, audience in the future are going to be watching. Everyone has got little cameras out on their phone. If he says anything else like this or hateful, it's going to be on YouTube and that really will destroy his career. But we all have freedom of expression, but there are consequences and that's your responsibility. When you're on stage, I view it as a privilege. If we're going to use it for this and not something positive, you're going to pay the price for it and I think he should.

LEMON: Dean Obeidallah, who worked with Tracy Morgan on SNL. We appreciate you joining us. Thank you, sir.

Up next, tonight, he says it's to quote, "make himself well." Congressman Anthony Weiner announcing just a short time ago he is now seeking treatment. Our very own Jane Velez-Mitchell, the author of "Addict Nation" will join me to talk more about Weiner getting this treatment. What type of treatment is he getting? We're live in New Hampshire.

And as we go to break, I want you to check out this time laps video of the debate hall set up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: More and more calls for Anthony Weiner to resign. Now the embattled New York congressman says he'll seek treatment. He didn't say what kind of treatment though.

I want to bring in now Jane Velez-Mitchell. She's the author of "Addict Nation." She is also the host of "Issues with Jane Velez- Mitchell" on HLN.

Jane, thank you so much for joining us. Listen, this is a stunning turn around from just a few days ago, him fessing up now saying that he's going to seek help. He didn't say what kind of help. Whether he was an addict or not. Is this an addict behavior?

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, HLN'S "ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ- MITCHELL" (via-telephone): Well, he is in complete addict behavior. I know a lot of people have a tendency to regard sex addiction as a cop out. And this was a debate that we had when Tiger Woods went into rehab.

And remember Tiger Woods didn't specifically saying that he was going into rehab for either. But Anthony Weiner has all the hallmarks of addiction. The denial. That's a hallmark, a red flag. To say to see the gravity of the situation.

Also, just the lying, the cheating. That is typical addict behavior. The defiance. All these people saying, hey, step down and he is not listening to them at this point. And defiance is a hallmark of addiction. The grandiosity. That I'm still aboard and I'll be able to stay. The sense of entitlement.

Addicts are the most entitled people in the world. A heroin addict feels very entitled to his drug and a sex addict also feels very entitled to continue their behavior and also rationalizes and justifies when caught. And just the irresponsibility. So I would say he check all the check marks. He is an addict.

And I think that the biggest example and the biggest proof of it is that Anthony Weiner is a very, very smart guy, and he's a man with a lot to lose. So he is not this stupid. There has to be another dynamic at work. And I believe that dynamic is his inability to control his self-destructive impulse which is the definition of addiction.

And, you know, we've had this conversation before, television conversation as a matter of fact, and you mentioned something, I remember, Jane, about a quick hit. Whether it's a drug, whether it's, you know, through the sexting or whatever, it's like a quick hit and you get pleasure from it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, you can define addiction. Addiction is an impulse that you can't control, that gives you a quick hit of pleasure, but invariably results in long term pain and incomprehensible demoralization.

And I think this is something he has probably struggled with privately. I don't think this is something he did. He's way too smart to think oh, this is just innocent fun. Radar online published reported exchanges today that are all over various papers and it's very, very graphic. He's purportedly suggesting a cyber session of some sexual nature with this teacher from Georgia.

He has to know. He has to be rational. He's a congressman. He's got to know that that's not appropriate behavior. So the only way to explain it is that he cannot control himself. The definition of addiction is when you are powerless to say no to your drug of choice. And I believe this cyber sex addiction is what he's suffering from.

LEMON: All right. Jane Velez-Mitchell is the host of "Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell" on HLN and also the author of "Addict Nation."

Thank you, Jane. We appreciate it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: And we have to say that Anthony Weiner again has not said what he's going in for, what kind of treatment he's going to get.

Up next, though, a significant blow to al Qaeda. The terrorist believed to be mastermind of the U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania is killed. We've got details and the other top stories of the day for you.

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LEMON: We're back now live from New Hampshire where we're going to hold a debate on Monday night. That's why we're live from here. But you know what, there are a lot of stories going on around the world, and I want to bring in Susan Hendricks who is at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. She's going to bring you up to date.

Hi, Susan.

SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. Let's get you caught up on the headlines. Here's what we're following.

A 13-year man hunt is over for the alleged al Qaeda mastermind of two U.S. embassy bombings in Africa. Fazel Abdullah Mohammed seen here in a number of FBI photos is believed to have been the architect of 1988 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Both Kenyan and U.S. officials say, he was gunned down at a Somali check point in Mogadishu.

Pakistani authorities are investigating twin bombings that left 34 people dead in the northwestern city of Peshawar. 94 others were wounded. The first blast went off the bathroom of a restaurant. As rescue workers responded to that explosion, a suicide bomber detonated another bomb. There's been no claim of responsibility yet.

An insect expert testified today in the trial of Casey Anthony, the Florida mother accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. Casey Anthony heard him say that flies indicated something had been decomposing in the trunk of her car for as possible as long as five days they said. The defense is saying that flies could have been caused by leftover food. That is the defense. Prosecutors have been trying to show that Casey Anthony killed her daughter Caylee and stored her body in the trunk. Now back to Don in New Hampshire.

Don? LEMON: Hey, Susan, you guys on HLN have been doing a great job in covering this story. Can you believe the ins and outs of this Casey Anthony story? Have you seen anything like it?

HENDRICKS: Yes, it is fascinating. And so many people have been following this from the start because they can't believe that a young woman, if you believe the prosecution could do this to her own flesh and blood.

LEMON: All right. Susan, we'll see you in a little bit. Thank so you much.

Tonight and tomorrow, we're going to show you what happened to a little boy who got enrolled in a government funded study aimed at making feminine boys more masculine.

He was just 5 years old. Decades later, the research that was done on this boy is still being cited by those who think kids can be prevented from becoming gay. The story begins in the early 1970s when the little boy was treated at UCLA's gender identity clinic under a pseudonym. His real name was concealed. His treatment was called a success. But now more than 30 years later, we finally know what really happened to him. His name is Kirk Murphy. And for the first time on television, his family is sharing his story, their story with us.

They are doing it because they want you to know who Kirk really was. They want you to know what he went through and they want you to know what impact they say it has on the rest of his life. Here's Anderson Cooper's special report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK MURPHY, KIRK MURPHY'S BROTHER: This is my brother, Kirk M. Murphy. This is what he was supposed to be.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the last time Mark Murphy remembers his brother, Kirk, as a happy child. The photo was taken when Kirk was 4, a year before he was placed in experimental therapy at UCLA to treat what doctors identified as exaggerated feminine behavior.

MARIS MURPHY, KIRK MURPHY'S SISTER: It left Kirk just totally stricken with the belief that he was broken, that he was different from everybody else.

COOPER: Kirk's sister, Maris, and brother, Mark, say Kirk was never the same after therapy.

MARK MURPHY: The only thing they did was destroy our brother. They took him away from us. He was empty, nothing -- nothing there.

COOPER: In 1970, Kirk Murphy was a smart, outgoing 5-year-old, growing up near Los Angeles. His mother, Kaytee Murphy, however, was worried about him. KAYTEE MURPHY, KIRK MURPHY'S MOTHER: Well, I was becoming a little concerned about playing with the girls' toys and stroking the hair, you know, the long hair and stuff. I was seeing effeminate mannerisms. It bothered me, because I wanted Kirk to grow up and have a normal life.

COOPER: Mrs. Murphy says she saw a psychologist on a local TV program talking about behavior like Kirk's.

KAYTEE MURPHY: He was naming all these things. If your son is doing five of these ten things. Does he prefer to play with girls' toys instead of boys' toys?

COOPER: The psychologist was recruiting young boys for a government-funded program at UCLA, part of which was designed to reverse perceived feminine behavior, what one doctor involved with the program later called Sissy Boy Syndrome.

KAYTEE MURPHY: Him being the expert, I thought, well, maybe I go ahead and take Kirk in. In other words, nip it in the bud.

COOPER: For nearly a year, Kirk was treated at UCLA, mainly by a man named George Rekers. Rekers was a doctoral student at the time but went on to become a founding member of the Family Research Council, which lobbies against gay marriage, adoption and laws that seek to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.

Rekers has also been a prominent proponent of the belief homosexuality can be prevented.

To treat Kirk's so-called sissy behavior, he was repeatedly placed in a room with two tables. He was observed through a one-way window. He was given toys to play with, and could choose between traditionally masculine ones like plastic knives and guns, or feminine toys like dolls and a play crib. He could also choose clothing to wear: an Army hat and military fatigues or a girl's dress, jewelry and a wig.

Kirk's mother would be brought into the room and told to ignore him when he played with feminine toys or clothes and compliment him when he played with masculine ones.

In a case study he wrote, George Rekers noted that, when Kirk's mother ignored him, he would beg for attention from her, crying, even throwing tantrums. But Mrs. Murphy was told to continue to ignore him.

MARIS MURPHY: In this particular incident, they write that he becomes so upset. He's just beside himself that they actually had to remove him from the room. And after they remove him from the room, they come in and tell my mom that it's working, and then they bring him back in and start all over.

COOPER (on camera): Having read this -- this report, I keep coming back to the word "experiment."

MARIS MURPHY: Absolutely. Without a doubt.

COOPER: Because it doesn't seem -- this is not some proven treatment. This is...

MARIS MURPHY: No.

COOPER: This is experimenting.

(voice-over) Experimental therapy even continued outside UCLA. In Kirk's home, his parents were told to use poker chips as a system of reward and punishment, to make Kirk act more masculine.

(on camera) Do you remember these chips?

MARK MURPHY: Yes, I do. Oh, yes, I do.

COOPER: Were you rewarded them, as well? You got reinforced?

MARK MURPHY: Yes, I was. My parents added me to it just so they could reinforce to my brother that, you know, big brother is doing it, too, so everything is OK.

COOPER: These are the actual chips?

MARK MURPHY: Yes. The actual real chips.

COOPER: So blue chips were for masculine behavior?

MARK MURPHY: Yes.

COOPER: And the red chips were a penalty for feminine behavior.

MARK MURPHY: Yes.

COOPER (voice-over): According to George Rekers's case study, the red chips resulted in physical punishment by spanking from the father.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Coming up, after the break, the memory of those being still causes a lot of anguish for Kirk Murphy's brother. What researchers called a success, Kirk's family say destroyed his life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: In 1970s, 5-year-old Kirk Murphy was subjected to an experimental therapy at UCLA to make him more masculine. At home Kirk and his brother were given blue poker chips for masculine behavior and red chips for feminine behavior. Red chips resulted in severe spankings by the boy's father. Well, Kirk's brother and sister say their brother was never the same.

We continue now with Anderson Cooper's special report. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER (on camera): Do you remember the beating?

MARK MURPHY: Oh, yes, sir, I do. Many times did I move the stacks around.

COOPER: What do you mean?

MARK MURPHY: I took some of the red chips and put them on my side. I did see the beatings. It was just like, you know...

COOPER: You would take Kirk's red chips?

MARK MURPHY: Yes, sir.

COOPER: The things he had been given for feminine behavior. You would take them yourself so that he wouldn't get beaten?

MARK MURPHY: Yes. We would come home from school, and you'd turn in, and that's the first thing that you did when you walked through the door, as you looked and what was the chip count today? What happened? What changed? How bad is it going to be? And it was always bad. A whipping every Friday night.

KAYTEE MURPHY: I do remember one time he spanked him so hard that he had welts up and down his back and on his buttocks. And I remember Mark saying, "Cry harder and he won't hit so hard." Today it would be abuse.

COOPER (voice-over): According to Kirk's brother and sister, his outgoing personality changed, and he began to behave in a way he knew his parents and George Rekers wanted him to. His family says the impact of the experimental therapy lasted his entire life.

MARK MURPHY: He had no idea how to relate to people. It's like somebody just walked up and turned his light switch off. And we got what we wanted, and we'll see you later.

MARIS MURPHY: He actually ate his lunch in the boys' bathroom for three years, when he didn't have to put himself out there, even just to have a friend.

COOPER: In his case study of the UCLA experiment, George Rekers called Kirk "Kraig" to protect his identity. He considered his work with Kirk a success, writing Kraig's feminine behavior was gone, claiming Kirk became "indistinguishable from any other boy."

In numerous other published reports and studies over his nearly three-decade career since, George Rekers has continued to write positively about Kirk's treatment, using it as proof homosexuality can be prevented. Kirk's family has only recently discovered Rekers' writings, and they're outraged. They say Kirk was gay, but because of the treatment he was subjected to as a child, struggled with his attraction to men his whole life. MARIS MURPHY: He acknowledged himself as a gay man in 1985 on. He never had a committed loving relationship, because he wouldn't allow himself to.

COOPER: Unable or unwilling to have a committed relationship with a man, Kirk focused on his work and chose a career where being openly gay wasn't even possible. He spent eight years in the U.S. Air Force and then held a high-profile position with an American finance company in India.

MARIS MURPHY: Kirk, what do you think of your nephew?

KIRK MURPHY, SUBJECTED TO EXPERIMENT: Are we on camera?

MARIS MURPHY: Yes.

KIRK MURPHY: Are you taking pictures?

COOPER: This visit home in June of 2003 was the last time Kirk's family saw him alive.

Nearly six months later, he took his own life, hanging himself from a fan in his apartment in New Delhi. Kirk Murphy was 38 years old.

MARIS MURPHY: I used to spend so much time thinking why would he kill himself at the age of 38? It doesn't make any sense to me. What I now think is I don't know how he made it that long.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Make sure to tune in tomorrow night. Dr. George Rekers' response to the family's allegation that his therapy ultimately led to Kirk's suicide. Until CNN told him of the suicide, Dr. Rekers says he did not know that the little boy he has often cited as a success ended up taking his own life. That's tomorrow night 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

And coming up next, my conversation with the paralyzed baseball player just drafted by the Texas Rangers. What he said when I asked him if he thinks he'll ever play or walk again.

But first, every day millions of children around the world pick through piles of trash hoping to find enough scraps to sell to buy food for their families. These kids can spend their entire lives scavenging unless they can manage somehow to get an education. And that's where this week's CNN Hero ** steps in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENA DURON MIRANDA, CNN HERO (through translator): Currently, in Argentina, there a lot of children working. Most children work recovering waste from the garbage dump to sell for a small profit. They can be very small children, 3, 4, 5 years old.

All parents want a better life for their children than what they had, but there are times when the whole family has to work and try to make ends meet.

My name is Elena Duron Miranda. I founded an organization to help the boys and girls of the trash dump to get out so they no longer have to work there to survive.

When I arrived in Argentina, it is hard to see so many small children picking through garbage. Many of these boys and girls had dropped out of school. I decided I had to do something for them.

We tried to be as fully integrated as possible. There's a school tracking group and colleges and a social worker. We work with the family on the value of putting them in school. Anytime, we get a child close to school, it's a seed we are planting. You hope not to see the child on the street again. If he returns, we go after him.

Education is how we start to break vicious cycle, to give children a better future. I learned something from the children every day, to be happy even under very complex circumstances.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Jonathan Taylor was one of the most promising baseball players for the University of Georgia until March when a collision with a teammate on the field broke his neck and left him paralyzed.

You might think that that would end his dreams of reaching the major leagues. But you would be wrong. This week, the Texas Rangers picked Jonathan in the 33rd round of the draft. Jonathan joined me earlier along with the scout that lobbied for him. His name is Ryan Coe. I asked, Jonathan, what this gesture means, what it means to him in tonight's "What Matters."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN TAYLOR, PARALYZED PLAYER DRAFTED BY RANGERS: It's a real pleasure to be drafted by a major league team after all I've been through. I was very shocked. I mean, the first day the coach called me I didn't believe him for a minute. But when he told me that and then my trainer, Mike Dylan, told me too, I was oh, my gosh, I can't believe I actually got drafted after all I've been through.

LEMON: So, Jonathan, this is the first time that you're seeing Ryan since your injury. What do you want to say to him?

TAYLOR: I mean, I just want to say thank you a lot. It's a real pleasure to be drafted by the Texas Rangers. I mean, it's one of my favorite teams. I play them on the video games. And it's just a real pleasure. And I thank the Texas Rangers Organization for what they've done for me so far.

LEMON: How did you find out that the Rangers drafted you? And did it come as a surprise to you?

TAYLOR: It was around 12:00. I was eating lunch with my mom. And then Coach Perno called me. I missed the first call. And I was like I was wondering why is he calling me. And then I called him back later on about 15 minutes later, and he's like, congratulations JT, you got drafted by the Texas Rangers. I was like for real? Yes. Congratulation, man. I was like, OK, appreciate it.

LEMON: You know the teammate that you collided with, Zach Cone was also drafted by the Rangers. You're close friends, have you spoken to them since the draft. And if so, what did you guys say to each other?

TAYLOR: Yes. Actually, the day on Wednesday that I got drafted, he came up later on that night and he was just like, what's up, baby? He was like we are on the same team once again. I was like, man this, is awesome. So, you know, him just coming up that day, unexpectedly, you know -- that was really special to me.

LEMON: You know, Ryan, you have watched Jonathan since his high school days. What did you see in him then and what do you see in him now?

RYAN COE, SCOUT, TEXAS RANGER: You know, first of all I want to say this, this young man deserved to be drafted, you know, injury or no injury. This guy was a great baseball player. He's a fun guy to watch. Table setter type of guy. He could really run and play defense. And I was just happy to be able to be the one to draft him because this young man, injury or no injury, this guy deserve to be drafted and he was a great player.

LEMON: Hey, does this mean that Jonathan is going to have some kind of role within the Rangers organization?

COE: I sure hope so. I think there are a lot of discussions right now as to what exactly we're going to be able to do and not do. We can't really comment at that time because we don't really know exactly what his role is going to be. But we do want him to be part of our organization. He can be nothing but an asset to the Texas Rangers organization.

LEMON: So Jonathan, I have to ask you this. You're in physical rehab now. Do you think you'll ever be able to place baseball again, because doctors do say that you can regain your ability to walk?

TAYLOR: Yes. I believe only I can get back on a baseball field. All I have to do is, you know, keep on working hard every day 9:00 to 5:00. You know, just keep getting stronger, continue to make progress, and you know, just ignore all the negative criticism that some people might say about me, you know, not being able to walk. You know, all you got to do is be able to fight and continue to work hard and trust in God. And I think I'll get out there again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And up next, the hour's top stories and the move today by Congressman Anthony Weiner that will leave his seat in Congress vacant for at least a while.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now back to Atlanta for the top stories at this hour, and CNN's Susan Hendricks.

Susan?

SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. Here's what we're following.

Congressman Anthony Weiner is now seeking professional treatment after the strongest calls yet for his resignation. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is one of three top Democratic members of his own party who now wants him gone. This week the married congressman admitted to graphic online communications with women after initially denying it.

A 13-year man hunt is over for the alleged al Qaeda mastermind of two U.S. embassy bombings in Africa. Fazel Abdullah Mohammed seen here in a number of FBI photos is believed to have been the architect of 1988 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Both Kenyan and U.S. officials say, he was gunned down at a Somali check point in Mogadishu.

The wallow fire in northeast Arizona has burned an area the size of Houston. That massive. Some 430,000 acres. That makes the second largest blaze in state history. Already there are signs that it's spreading in to neighboring New Mexico. Utility companies are making plans if the fire gets too close to important power lines.

A 24-1 long shot beat the odds today to win the Belmont Stakes. Ruler on Ice surged past Preakness winner Shackleford to win the last race of the Triple Crown. Shackleford led most of the race, but faded at the end to finish bid. Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom came in sixth. Again, Ruler on Ice the winner.

Now back to Don who is braving the elements in New Hampshire. Has it stopped raining, Don?

LEMON: So close -- no, it hasn't. It was so close. But, you know, it hasn't stopped. So I hope it stops so I can walk back over to the buses.

HENDRICKS: The college kids are waiting.

LEMON: All right. Susan. Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow.

I'm Don Lemon live in New Hampshire. I'll see you back here at 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night. Have a good night. Thanks for watching everyone.