thoughts on andrew sullivan
I keep hearing about Andrew Sullivan.
First the facts:
-Openly gay
-Former editor of the New Republic
-HIV positive
-Self-described "conservative Libertarian"
-Currently writes for the Atlantic Monthly
-Vocal opponent of promiscuity.
-Bear
-Practicing Catholic
-Supported Bush in his first election
-Was publicly discovered placing ads for anonymous bareback sex online
-Has a blog
-British citizen
I've never read much by him, but with his resume as editor of the New Republic and the wild popularity of his blog, I decided I should try to figure out what this guy is about.
At first I found his public admissions of self-doubt to be almost courageous. But as his opinions become ever more omnipresent, I find him to be someone who needs to present himself as a type of moral guardian but comes off in desperate need of public acceptance. Like so many of those who call themselves conservatives, he criticizes the way others live, usually the ones who are doing what he most wants to do himself.
There is absolutely no need for gays or lesbians to even join the current moralistic debate in this country. Gays and lesbians have been shamed into being de facto apologists for the way we live in the seemingly never-ending struggle for equal acceptance. In order to be American, you have to put away the "unseemly" parts of your life and adopt the proper stance.
John Boswell, a practicing gay Catholic, espoused a much more inclusive, compassionate, and genuine type of tolerance. Sullivan could learn a lot from him.