September 28, 2026
That’s NOT it. On why gayness is not only a sexual orientation.
On Real Time with Bill Maher, James Kirchick said gayness is only a sexual orientation. David Halperin's *How to Be Gay* shows why that's a fantasy, not history.
Articles for category: Queer Politics
I’m a Queer Gay, Not Gay. It Matters.
Matthew Vines's New York Times essay argues that "queer" endangers gay rights. Drawing on David Halperin's account of gayness as identity, culture, and desire, I argue that the problem is not queerness. It's a politics that trades the dignity of others for approval.
November 6, 2025
The Anti-Homoness of Straight Hipster Politics: On Homo Family Values and the Question of Political Change
Hipster irony is just more of the same: straight (male) resentment and self-righteousness masquerading as progressive politics.
July 6, 2025
Against (Virtually) Normal: Law, Politics, and the Trans/Queer Body
Andrew Sullivan follows the SCOTUS majority, naturalizing a conservative theology of sex while masquerading it as liberal neutrality.
April 29, 2025
Gender Politics & the Indoctrination of Boys
Democrats fight to secure and defend a boy's right to become a man who desires like a woman/mother. That's the maternal politics we need.
July 18, 2024
Political Desire: A Challenge for U.S. Democracy
Political desire into democracy will not go. Political desire feeds on the ideal. It does not compromise. It hates frustration. It must have exactly what it wants, its ideal, or . . . else. Democracy is perpetually threatened by a people’s political desire. Saint Paul offers us something different: a redeemed political desire.
June 17, 2024
Possessed by “Demons”
A sermon based on the Gospel of John 19:25-29 (FYI: the word “home” is NOT in the Greek text): * As Jesus is dying on the cross, the disciple he loves—the boy he loves—the one, we are told, who is responsible for the Gospel of John, is on his mind. In the final moments of Jesus’ life, his beloved’s future is his ultimate concern. We don’t know the identity of the man Jesus loved, but what we do know is that he is the only disciple Jesus is explicitly said to have loved. We also know that he is the
Rest From Cruel Dominion: Embracing Mercy on the Sabbath Day
A Sermon Based On Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and Mark 2:23-3:6 [5/20/24: Sermon writing is a laborious process, and most clergy spend a lot of time, in the midst of hospital visits, countless meetings and emails, and other obligations, getting it just right. I posted my first draft of this sermon, to be given June 2nd, on May 15th. It has undergone a lot of changes, but I think I am hitting the right notes now. **Guiding statement: I propose to preach that we rest from cruel dominion, from thwarting animal justice and restoration, and to the end of becoming compassionate and
May 3, 2024
The Social Meaning(s) of Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Lori Lightfoot’s tenure as Chicago mayor is the subject of Gregory Pratt’s The City Is Up For Grabs, which critiques her leadership as chaotic and ultimately bad for the City of Chicago. Using Lightfoot’s ill-fitting suits as a metaphor, this analysis examines her portrayal as a complex political figure, both empowered and constrained by intersecting social perceptions of gender, race, and authority.
