First published in Between the Lines on Thursday July 13, 2006. By now you’ve probably heard about the New York Court of Appeals’ deciding that their state constitution does not require equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. Problem is, much of what you’ve heard is misleading. Yes, the Court declared that “The New York Constitution […]
The New York Ruling, Take 2: …So Make Lemonade Read More »
First published in Between the Lines, May 4, 2006 My Grandma Rose stood at just under 5 feet–in recent years, even less than that, as osteoporosis took its toll on her small frame. But she will always be a towering figure in my mind. She was born on May 8, 1921, in the town of
Grandma Rose’s Family Values Read More »
First published in Between the Lines on December 22, 2005. It was the kind of film that changes lives. And it changed mine—seeing a true gay love story, playing in major theaters, with a passionate performance by a talented young actor in a role quite different from anything he had tackled before. I’m talking, of
The Brokeback Buzz Read More »
First published September 15, 2005, in Between the Lines. One of the delights of being a philosophy professor is that I occasionally come across charming texts in the history of ethics. Here’s Mary Warnock in her 1960 classic Ethics Since 1900: Many people…feel strongly that some kinds of behavior, though utterly harmless to other people,
In Defense of Pleasure Read More »
First published July 7, 2005, in Between the Lines. Luther Vandross was the avatar of romance. Other people’s. The famed R&B singer, who died last week at 54, zealously declined to discuss his personal life, telling reporters that it was “none of your damn business.” Indeed, when his biographer Craig Seymour tried repeatedly to broach
Luther Vandross’s Glass Closet Read More »
First published January 20, 2005, in Between the Lines Some of the nastiest mail I receive is not from right-wing homophobes, or even bitter ex-boyfriends, but from members of our own community who think I’m not progressive enough. For example, shortly after I argued in Second Thoughts on Civil Unions that we ought to fight
Civil Discourse on Civil Unions Read More »
First published January 6, 2005, in Between the Lines. New Year’s is a time for looking at where we’ve been and where we’re going. It’s a time for resolutions, such as “I resolve not to eat so much and spend so much during next year’s holiday season.” (Yeah, sure.) As a college professor, I tend
It Was a Good Bad Year Read More »
First published in “Between the lines” in December of 2004. On December 17 my current state of residence (Michigan) will amend its constitution to declare that “the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose.” Same-sex marriage is already
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 in “Between the Lines” in September of 2002 I have just returned from two weeks in Finland, with brief excursions to Estonia, Russia, and Norway. It was my first trip to Europe, and I came away from it having learned a profound and valuable lesson: My gaydar is useless in Europe. Nobody warned