Sullivan speaks at Middlebury college continued from front page between “political hate” (i.e. government-sanctioned hate— the Nazis, ethnic cleansing campaigns, apartheid) and “social hate,” or bigotry. The latter he sees as intrinsic to human nature and to a free society. As such, he believes “not much” can be done about it beyond punishing violent expression and making sure the government itself is not propagating hatred. One can attempt to reduce hatred and increase tolerance through acts of inspiration, faith, and love, but, in his view, these attempts will ultimately fail, at which point it’s best to simply “let go.” Though homosexuality was not the sole focus of Sullivan’s visit, it figured prominently in his arguments and in listeners’ questions. Sullivan’s writings on homosexuality (including his books Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality and Love Undetectable: Notes on Friendship, Sex, and Survival) have been the cornerstone of his career and the primary source of the controversy sur- rounding him since he became, in 1991, the youngest ever edi- tor of The New Republic mag- azine. Why does what Andrew Sullivan has to say matter, and why does he piss people off so? Why he matters is simple. As Sarah Schulman pointed out in her prickly interview with Sullivan in The Advocate, he is the “most visible gay per- son in the media of this coun- try.” His books sell. He writes for widely read, influential publications. When Larry King needs a homosexual to debate’ right-wing zealots, Andrew’s the man. He’s got access. , Access, of course, is one of the reasons Sullivan pisses people off at both ends of the political spectrum. To many conservatives, with whom he aligns on a number of issues outside of gay rights, he’s the precocious fag who’s dragged the unpleasant topic of homo- sexuality into mainstream pub- lic discourse. His reasoned arguments, particularly on same-sex marriage, are hard to refute without seeming hypo- critical or twisting logic into knots. He’s well-mannered, devoutly religious, better look- ing than most of them. He isn’t Larry Kramer. To many gay people, partic- ularly those with leftist lean- ings, Sullivan is a self-loathing traitor, a sex-phobic assimila- tionist, a prototypical privi- leged white male——-not even an American white male!—hold- ing his nose over the grass- roots trenches while declaring himself spokesman for the movement, a free-market lov- ing British snob who happens to dig boys: Maggie Thatcher toting a gym bag instead of a hairdo. Sullivan himself says that his most visceral critics are gay and uses this observa- tion to bolster his claim that the most virulent hate can arise from the hated. And if this is the case, he theorizes——if it is the victimized rather than the powerful most likely to express their bigotry through violence—who are hate crimes laws really targeting? Amid the brouhaha, where does Sullivan actually stand on gay issues? Like most of us, he believes gays should have the right to marry and to serve in the military. (He’s said that once our demands for these rights have been met, we should throw a party and call it a day.) Unlike many of us, he opposes hate crimes legisla- tion and private sector employment nondiscrimina- tion lawslbecause in them he sees a “germ of truth” to fun- damentalist assertions we’re asking for “special,” not “equal” protections. He views Stonewall not as the milestone that spawned the modern gay movement, but as part of its downfall. His now infamous New York Times Magazine piece titled “When Plagues End” was interpreted as Sullivan personally declaring AIDS over. For many, these stands (as well as his stands on issues such as abortion and affirma- tive action) send up red flags. When Sullivan was first pro- posed as a potential speaker for Coming Out Week, those who weren’t delighted reacted as if Pat Robertson had been suggested. Because Sullivan is an articulate, persuasive debater, he challenges the assumptions even of those who reject his views outright. This can make people uncom- fortable, and angry. Those who automatically embrace Sullivan probably haven’t thought hard enough; those who automatically dismiss him probably haven’t either. It’s easy to dispute some of Sullivan’s more provocative ideas (he does play the provo- cateur), but it’s hard to do so lightly. Increasingly, Sullivan’s work has become more per- sonal, dealing openly and hon- estly with his struggles around faith, HIV, and relationships. This willingness to display vulnerability in his writing, without sacrificing the logical foundation for which he’s known, is one of the things I admire about him, even when I disagree. I know Andrew Sullivan, unlike Pat Robertson, has the same goal we all do: making life better for gay people. Defining how best to do this is complicated, as complicated as defining hate, but when we listen respectfully to one another, far more positive. V 800-639-4520 X17 ll_1__e; Condo Guy Introduces... If you are thinking about selling your condo and buying a single-family home OR if you are thinking about selling your single family home and buying a condo, we're the team to do it. The Single Family/ Condo Connection Louanne Nielsen, one of the leading real estate agents in Chittenden County, has joined The Condo Guy Team. When you work with our team, you get the best of both worlds! 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