John’s column “The Gay Moralist” appeared bi-weekly in Michigan’s Between the Lines from 2002-2007, and then weekly at 365Gay.com from 2007-2011. His columns and op-eds have also appeared in other venues, including the Independent Gay Forum, The Advocate, the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic and the New York Times. Most of these columns are archived here.
First published September 9, 2004, in Between the Lines. Gay-rights opponents are fond of noting that the majority of Americans are against same-sex marriage. This is a reasonable claim for them to make. For one thing, it’s true (although by increasingly narrow margins). Furthermore, it’s rhetorically effective. America is, in spirit if not always in […]
200 Million Americans Can Be Wrong Read More »
First published August 12, 2004, in Between the Lines One of the most persistent debates surrounding homosexuality regards whether gays are “born that way” or whether homosexuality is a “chosen lifestyle.” The debate is ill-formed from the start, in that it conflates two separate questions: 1. How did you become what you are? (By genetics?
Nature? Nurture? It Doesn’t Matter Read More »
First published June 17, 2004, in Between the Lines The more things change, the more they stay the same. Or so it seems as gay-rights opponents, in a desperate last-ditch effort to win their cultural war against homosexuality, trot out arguments that have been discredited for decades. Many of these focus on the alleged harms
Is Homosexuality Harmful — and So What? Read More »
First published October 1, 2003, in Between the Lines In a recent Advocate interview Massachusetts Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry told reporter Chris Bull that, despite his otherwise strong support for gay rights, he could not bring himself to support gay marriage. In a previous Washington Post interview Kerry had stated, “Marriage is
Senator Kerry’s Marriage Contortions Read More »
First published August 19, 2003, in Between the Lines. It was the sort of headline that’s become common these days: “When gays advance, America squirms.” I should be used to such headlines by now. When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws in June, we all knew there would be backlash. But I still
Gay Marriage and the ‘Ick Factor’ Read More »
First Published at Between the Lines on May 1, 2003 By now you’ve no doubt heard the flap about Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who, in response to a question about whether homosexual persons should remain celibate, stated that “if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home,
The Inclusive Santorum Read More »
First published in “Between the Lines” in March of 2003 Once upon a time there was a great magazine called the Advocate. Founded in 1967, the Advocate was for many years a groundbreaking gay and lesbian newsmagazine. At a time when The New York Times would not even print the word “gay,” the Advocate kept
The Death of the Advocate Read More »
First Published at Between the Lines on February 7, 2003 I HAVE SPENT my last five columns — and a good deal of my career — defending homosexuality against various moral attacks. Yet sometimes I spend so much time explaining why homosexuality is “not bad” that I neglect to consider why it’s positively good. Can
Homosexuality and Morality, Part 6: The Virtue of Homosexuality Read More »
First Published at Between the Lines on January 23, 2003 OVER THE LAST MONTH I’ve been exploring various attempts to show that homosexuality is morally wrong. Not surprisingly, I’ve concluded that these anti-gay arguments don’t hold much water. At this point in the debate opponents usually try to change the subject. “Oh yeah?” they say.
Homosexuality and Morality, Part 5: Retaining the Moral High Ground Read More »
First Published at Between the Lines on January 9, 2003. Based on the author’s article, “Why Shouldn’t Tommy and Jim Have Sex?” in Same Sex: Debating the Ethics, Science, and Culture of Homosexuality (Rowman & Littlefield, 1997). PEOPLE OFTEN ARGUE that homosexual sex is “unnatural.” But what does that mean? Many things we value —
Homosexuality and Morality, Part 4: The Unnaturalness Argument Read More »