At The New York Times, I urge caution on use of the race analogy and argue that the issues are more complex than they’re typically treated: The present debate is too often dominated by hasty generalizations and false inferences, on both sides. The left slides too easily from “similar” to “the same.” The right correctly […]
Gay Rights and the Race Analogy Read More »
Let’s ask John Corvino! (Ahem.) At The New York Times’ “Room for Debate,” I team up with my buddy Ron Belgau to defend, among other things, the sanctity of marriage. From the exchange: [T]he argument in the present case is not that Mr. Rayhons physically or emotionally harmed his wife, but rather that he violated
Can People With Dementia Have a Sex Life? Read More »
The Philosopher’s Magazine has finally posted my piece on the fact/opinion distinction. Why worry about the fact/opinion distinction? One reason is that precise thinking is valuable for its own sake. But there’s another, more pragmatic reason. Despite its unclear meaning, the claim “That’s just your opinion” has a clear use: It is a conversation-stopper. It’s
John replies to Michael Hannon’s startling response to “Thinking Straight” at Commonweal: You don’t have to be a “libertine” to recognize that what the young boy is experiencing is not just a really, really, really strong desire for friendship. More important, you don’t have to be a libertine to acknowledge that willful blindness to what
Against Obsessive Celibacy Read More »
At Commonweal, John explains how a little queer theory (misunderstood and misapplied) can be a dangerous thing: What social conservatives want is nothing less than to dismantle the very vocabulary by which we express and realize our inchoate longings for intimacy. They want to push us back to a time when homosexuality was not merely
“Thinking Straight?” at Commonweal Read More »
In a New York Times “Room for Debate” discussion on plural marriage, John rebuts the slippery slope: Polygamy raises a number of public-policy concerns that same-sex marriage does not. That said, the gay-rights movement has bolstered the polygamist-rights movement in one key way: by insisting that finding a practice weird or icky or religiously anathema
John on Polygamy in NYT “Room for Debate” Read More »
At the New York Times “Room for Debate,” John argues that gay rights and transgender rights are related but distinct: Each group has distinctive needs and challenges. By jumbling them all together into one alphabet soup — L.G.B.T.Q.I.T.S.L.F.A.A., anyone? — we run the risk of covering or erasing people’s experiences, especially those who are
John at NYT “Room for Debate” on Gay/Trans Connection Read More »
In a recent issue of The Philosophers’ Magazine, John dismantles the “Definitional Objection” to same-sex marriage offered by Sherif Girgis, Robert P. George, and Ryan T. Anderson, among others. From the article: How did we end up in such a spot? Part of the problem is that ‘comprehensive union’ is a rather vague and slippery
John in The Philosophers’ Magazine Read More »
Yesterday evening I was informed that Providence College had “rescheduled” my event there—this time in the form of a debate with Sherif Girgis. The announcement was made in a statement from the provost. The events of the last several days have been dizzying, and I would like to clear up the record on several matters.
Response to Providence College’s “Rescheduling” of My Event Read More »
My first full-length op-ed at the New York Times. Here’s an excerpt: [When he says] “who am I to judge,” surely the pope is not relinquishing the church’s assertion of authority in matters of faith and morals. But he was adopting a tone of humility. And tone matters. Read the full piece here.
A Papal Surprise: Humility Read More »