"I need to tell you something about myself that is sometimes difficult to say on a college campus, which is I'm a Christian and a conservative," said journalist, blogger and author Andrew Sullivan at Elmhurst College at an April 2 lecture entitled The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage. "I know that those are two somewhat outrageous things to be these days on college campuses, but I'm also very happily gay and married."
Founder of the now-defunct political blog The Dish ( which had 1.3 million subscribers ), Sullivan chronicled almost every major political and cultural moment over the past 13 years. Earlier this year, Sullivan announced that he would be ending the blog. His last post was on Feb. 6.
Sullivan previously served as a senior editor for The Atlantic and was The New Republic's youngest editor-in-chief. He also worked for Time Magazine and The New York Times Magazine, among other publications.
"I've never seen any conflict between my conservative principles, my Christian [Catholic] faith and the right of gay men and women to marry," said Sullivan. "It's been a source of great anguish to me to see the Republican Party betray almost every conservative principle there is including this issue."
Sullivan noted that while he was growing up and figuring out his sexual orientation, he always thought he wouldn't be able to have a relationship like his mom and dad did ( being married ) because he could never imagine having a relationship with another man.
"What happens to children when they figure out that they aren't quite the same as other children?," he asked. "There is a huge psychic wound in a developing human being and what the possibility of marriage for gay people does is heal that wound. If you believe in the value of family as an institution then this reform [marriage equality] is probably the most pro-family reform that we've ever instituted in modern times in this country. A pro-family political party that opposes this is a fraud."
Sullivan noted that marriage makes everybody more independent, self-sufficient and mutually supportive, and those things are indicative of limited government involvement in people's lives. He explained that the state-by-state, i.e. federalist, approach to legalizing same-sex marriage was the right way to handle the issue. Sullivan noted that the two biggest changes in society that caused the marriage equality movement to emerge were lesbian's giving birth and gay men dying of AIDS. These two cultural shifts brought the issue of next of kin recognition to the fore, said Sullivan.
"The primary reason why [marriage equality] is being challenged is due to religion," he said. "Marriage is a civil institution and there is a distinction between a civil right and a religious belief. … If gay people are made in the image of God then they have … an intrinsic value that is non-negotiable."
"I believe very profoundly in religious freedom which is why I'm an outlier in the gay community. I don't want to sue a florist who doesn't want to sell me flowers for my wedding or a baker who doesn't want to bake my wedding cake if they feel it would compromise their conscience," said Sullivan. "Can't we just leave them alone and go find another baker or florist who supports gay marriage."
Sullivan said that he doesn't believe that all opponents of marriage equality are bigots. He noted that if the LGBT community is going to ask the rest of society to respect them then the LGBT community should respect those who don't want to associate with them. Sullivan explained that for example, he doesn't believe in the Boy Scouts exclusion of gay scout leaders, however, he supports their decision to exclude them since they are a private institution.
"There are elements on the left that are seeking, in my view, to overreach, punish, demonize, ostracize and stigmatize people of sincere religious faith and I think it's wrong. Do I think that people with sincere religious faith are misguided? You bet I do," said Sullivan. "The freedom to be a bigot is real and profound and resting in the first amendment of the Constitution. I don't want to force anyone to change their mind or act in ways that they don't feel comfortable for any reason whatsoever."
Sullivan noted that he does believe that the recent spate of religious-freedom acts were written specifically to exclude the LGBT community from public spaces. He said he is very happy that, due to the outcry in Indiana, a compromise was reached in Indiana and Arkansas regarding this issue.
"The great liberal fiction that somehow this country is too high bound and bigoted ever to change without the court forcing it to has been disproven," said Sullivan. "Yes the courts have played a role but you'll notice that they started to really play a role only after public opinion [on marriage equality] had reached a 50 percent level and then the dam began to break. That's the right way to do it."
Sullivan said that no civil-rights movement has ever succeeded without Christianity. He said that the evidence is in the many churches that have realized the dignity of LGBT people, most especially those who practice the Catholic faith. Sullivan explained that among Christians Catholics are the biggest supporters of marriage equality.
Sullivan dealt with questions covering various topics during the Q&A.
When asked about businesses refusing services to the LGBT community, Sullivan explained that he doesn't want a government that is so powerful that it would be able to expunge people's homophobia. He added that the LGBT community won't be comfortable in some places so they need to get over it, stop complaining and get on with their lives. Sullivan also said same-sex couples should travel to another location and get married there if they can't find LGBT-friendly services where they live. Sullivan also called out those on the left who go after places of business that don't want to serve the LGBT community; he said that driving them out of business is wrong.
An Elmhurst student asked about marriage equality in relation to the other issues that face LGBT people. Sullivan indicated that marriage bans are the greatest denial of civil rights in the United States right now, but it isn't the only issue. When the student also asked about preachers who use hate speech and the effect that it has on LGBT people, Sullivan replied that the LGBTA community should stand up to these preachers; however, Sullivan added that preachers should be able to say whatever they want. He said the LGBT community has to generate greater self-esteem and share their stories with straight people to move things forward.
Another person asked why it's OK for people to say anti-LGBT things. They also asked about those who have killed themselves because of the verbal abuse they've suffered due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Sullivan said he's not in favor of hate speech; however, he added that, in a free country with First Amendment protections, everyone has a right to say whatever they want.
Sullivan signed copies of his latest book, Love Undetectable: Notes on Friendship, Sex and Survival, following his lecture and the Q&A session.
