First published at 365gay.com on March 18, 2011 Why does “love the sinner; hate the sin” ring so hollow in the gay-rights debate? One reason, as I’ve argued before [http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-why-%E2%80%9Clove-the-sinner%E2%80%9D-rings-hollow/], is that part of loving the “sinner” is making an effort to understand him—something our opponents seldom do. If they did make that effort, it […]
Are we Defined by our Sexuality? Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on March 11, 2011 Recently I received the following inquiry via my website [http://johncorvino.com/]: “As a single older closeted gay man. I don’t understand how we can ask for marriage rights when so many gay couples don’t even understand monogamy. Care to explain?” My first reaction was, “No, not really.” That
Will Gay Marriage Undermine Monogamy? Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on February 11, 2011 When I floated the idea of writing a Valentine’s Day column, my friends’ reactions ran the gamut—from suggestions for themes (“Talk about what makes a successful relationship!”) to wariness (“Are you sure you want to reinforce this Hallmark holiday?”) to sheer disgust. (“Ugh. Please don’t.”) Either because
Love, Partnership, and Valentine’s Day Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on January 14, 2011 A diversity speaker I know (who also happens to be a dear friend) is fond of saying, “People do the best they can with what they have.” When I first heard her say this, my immediate reaction was, “Well, that’s obviously false.” In fact, I still think
When my Grandfather Learned I was ‘Queer’ Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on January 7, 2011 This is my first column after a month’s hiatus. I want to begin by thanking Chase Whiteside, who filled in for me while I was gone. Chase has a knack for keeping the big picture in sight while keenly highlighting details. I look forward to his future
New Year, New Family Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on November 12, 2010 When I first acknowledged to myself at 19 that I was gay, there were two friends that I needed to tell right away. I told Scott first. We were fellow candidates with the Capuchin Franciscans, aspiring to be priests. (We continued to affectionately call each other “Brother”
Friendship, Gayness, and Death Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on October 29, 2010 I’ve been engaging in quite a bit of dialogue lately with conservative Christians. It usually involves their asking me a question along the following lines: “Look, we feel awful about the recent reports of gay teen suicides. We believe each of these kids is a child of
What do We do With Evangelicals Who ‘Want to Help’? Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on October 8, 2010 About twenty-five years ago, my sister (who was then around ten years old) decided one day to practice cartwheels in our modestly-sized suburban living room. Had my parents been around, they would have stopped her. They would have mildly scolded her, and she would have felt mildly
Bullying, the Blame Game Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on September 24, 2010 Once upon a time, in a land far away, a Council of Elders convened to ponder the challenges of human relationships. Noticing that male-female relationships frequently involve sex, and that sex often makes babies, this “Relationship Council” decided that an institution was needed to regulate adults’ behavior
The Invention of Marriage Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on September 17, 2010 Some weeks ago I wrote a piece [http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-taking-on-the-new-argument-against-gay-marriage/] responding to a Ross Douthat column which draws on the celibate lesbian author Eve Tushnet. Tushnet had written, “If you have a unisex model of marriage, which is what gay marriage requires, you are no longer able to talk
Gay Marriage, Straight Marriage and La Difference Read More »