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Ryan T. Anderson

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Ryan T. Anderson
Anderson in May 2023
Born
Ryan Thomas Anderson

1981 (age 42–43)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Education
Princeton University (AB)
Known forOpposition to LGBT rights in the United States, including the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States, laws that ban discrimination against LGBT people, and laws that ban the practice of conversion therapy on children
Notable work
What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense
TitlePresident of the Ethics and Public Policy Center
MovementReligious conservatism

Ryan Thomas Anderson[1] (born 1981)[2] is an American author and teacher as well as political and legal thinker known primarily for his opposition to LGBT rights in the United States. Anderson's thought is widely recognized to fall in line with religious conservatism in the United States.

Anderson is currently president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the John Paul II Teaching Fellow in Social Thought at the University of Dallas.[3] He was previously a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation,[4] and the founder and editor-in-chief of Public Discourse, an online journal of the Witherspoon Institute.[5][6]

Early life and education[edit]

Anderson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1981,[2] the second youngest of five sons. He attended Princeton University, where he received his B.A. degree, and then the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a Ph.D.[7]

Career[edit]

In November 2003, Anderson wrote an article for the Daily Princetonian, the student newspaper at Princeton University, entitled "Catholic teaching on sexuality asks the same of everyone."[8] Anderson wrote to clarify the Catholic Church's teaching on human sexuality in response to a "recent flood of opinions on human sexuality" in the Princetonian. Anderson argues that "[f]rom the premise that homosexual characteristics are 'determined,' many make the unwarranted leap of asserting the moral legitimacy of homosexual acts." Anderson then cites the examples of alcoholics, pedophilic priests, and Mother Theresa. Anderson argues that while these individuals' predilections might have a genetic basis, their moral status is judged solely on the basis of their actions. Thus, while homosexual sexual attraction and orientation may have a genetic basis, homosexual sexual activity can still be considered immoral.

In February 2007, Anderson wrote an article for First Things about his pseudonymous friend "Chris" who had recently revealed to Anderson that he was gay. The article is meant to praise Chris in his decision to live a life in line with Catholic teaching on sexuality while also decrying "our troubled culture, the sexual chaos our parents’ generation bequeathed us, the lack of support the Church provides, and the hostile environment the university [where Chris attended] maintains." Writing of Chris, Anderson states that "[h]e labors to remedy the unwanted causes and side effects of attractions he never desired, aware all the while that a cure isn’t certain, that in this fallen world some disorders may always be with us."[9]

In 2012, again writing for First Things, Anderson promoted an article about self-labeled ex-gay men who believed their attractions had been altered in some way through conversion therapy and who fought against laws banning the practice of conversion therapy.[10]

In 2012, Anderson co-authored the book What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense with Sherif Girgis and his mentor Robert P. George, published by Encounter Books.[11] In it, they argued that the purpose of marriage is reproduction and thus that the concept of same-sex marriage is philosophically unsubstantiated. Justice Samuel Alito referenced the book in his dissenting opinion in United States v. Windsor.[12]

In 2014, Anderson wrote a dissertation titled Neither Liberal Nor Libertarian: A Natural Law Approach to Social Justice and Economic Rights, advised by University of Notre Dame professor Michael Zuckert.[7][2]

In 2017, Anderson co-wrote the book Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination with Girgis and John Corvino. The book received positive reviews for its constructive, back-and-forth discussion on religious freedom and anti-discrimination law.[13][14]

In 2018, Anderson released his book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment.[15][16][17] The book, critical of what Anderson calls "transgenderism" and heavily influenced by the works of Paul R. McHugh, came under scrutiny after it topped the Amazon bestsellers list in the Gay & Lesbian Civil Rights History category.[18] On February 21, 2021, Anderson's book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, was removed from Amazon.[19] On March 11, 2021, Amazon explained its decision in a letter addressed to Republican Senators Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, Mike Braun, and Josh Hawley.[20] Anderson denied that his book described transgender people as "mentally ill."[21]

In 2019, Anderson voiced his opposition to a state law in Massachusetts that bans the practice of conversion therapy on children.[22][23] As Catholic News Agency quotes Anderson, "[o]f course the state has authority to regulate medicine to ensure safety, but that's not what this law is about. This law imposes an ideological ban because the state disagrees with the viewpoint of certain professionals. It's not targeted at harmful practices, but at particular values."

In 2020, Anderson co-wrote an article with his mentor Robert P. George in which they restated and reaffirmed their own philosophical and religious commitments to traditional Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality in a cautiously critical response to recent comments by the Pope supporting civil union status for same-sex couples.[24]

In February 2021, Anderson wrote an article in opposition to the Equality Act.[25]

Personal life[edit]

Anderson is a Catholic.[26] He resides in Virginia with his wife and four children.

Criticism[edit]

The GLAAD Accountability Project "monitors and documents individual public figures and groups using their platforms to spread misinformation and false rhetoric against LGBTQ people, youth, and allies."[27]

The Project has a page on Anderson in which they criticize Anderson for, among other things, his belief that homosexuality is disordered including his defense of conversion therapy, his opposition to LGB rights including marriage and sexual activity, and his writings on the transgender movement in When Harry Became Sally.[28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "O nowej teorii prawa naturalnego, małżeństwie i wolności religii" (in Polish). Central and Eastern European Online Library. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Anderson, Ryan T. (2014). Neither liberal nor libertarian: a natural law approach to social justice and economic rights (Ph.D.). University of Notre Dame.
  3. ^ "Ryan T. Anderson". Ethics and Public Policy Center. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "Ryan T. Anderson". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Masthead". Public Discourse. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  6. ^ "UD Establishes St. John Paul II Teaching Fellow in Social Thought". University of Dallas. February 5, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Ryan T. Anderson, Author at Ethics & Public Policy Center". Ethics & Public Policy Center. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  8. ^ Ryan Anderson (November 5, 2003). "Catholic teaching on sexuality asks the same of everyone". Daily Princetonian. Archived from the original on March 22, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Ryan T. Anderson (February 2007). "Struggling Alone". First Things. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  10. ^ Ryan T. Anderson (November 1, 2012). "The New York Times, Same-Sex Attraction, and Struggling Alone". First Things. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Worsnip, Alex (January 30, 2013). "Arguing against gay marriage". Prospect. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  12. ^ United States v. Windsor, 570 (U.S. 2013).
  13. ^ Picciotti-Bayer, Andrea (July 18, 2017). "Religious Liberty vs. Anti-Discrimination: Toward a 'Political Settlement'". National Review. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  14. ^ Vischer, Robert K. "Agreeing on How to Disagree". Commonweal. No. September 20, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  15. ^ Anderson, Ryan (2018). When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment. Encounter. p. 264. ISBN 9781641770484.
  16. ^ Greenesmith, Heron (June 17, 2020). "Non-Affirming Therapists Endanger Trans Youth". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  17. ^ Lu, Rachel (July 29, 2018). "The Assault on Reality". National Review. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  18. ^ Eunjung Cha, Ariana (February 2, 2018). "Ryan Anderson's book on transgender people is creating an uproar". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  19. ^ Fung, Katherine (February 22, 2021). "Best-Selling Controversial Book on Transgender People Removed From Amazon 3 Years After Publication". Newsweek. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  20. ^ Trachtenberg, Jeffrey (March 11, 2021). "Amazon won't sell books framing LGBTQ+ identities as mental illnesses". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  21. ^ Gstalter, Morgan (March 12, 2021). "Amazon removing books that frame LGBTQ issues as mental illness". The Hill.
  22. ^ Christine Rousselle (April 11, 2019). "Mass. bans therapists from efforts to change minors' orientation or gender identity". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  23. ^ "AMA supports federal ban on 'conversion therapy'". Catholic News Agency. November 25, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  24. ^ Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George (October 27, 2020). "Pope Francis, Civil Unions, and Moral Truth". Public Discourse. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  25. ^ Anderson, Ryan (February 21, 2021). "Biden's Equality Act is a danger to women's and conscience rights". New York Post. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  26. ^ "Franciscan University Welcomes Catholic Scholar, Ryan T. Anderson, PhD, as Visiting Fellow at the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life". Franciscan University of Steubenville. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  27. ^ "GLAAD Accountability Project," GLAAD, accessed June 7, 2024, https://glaad.org/gap.
  28. ^ "Ryan T. Anderson". GLAAD. Retrieved February 15, 2024.

External links[edit]

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