Ryan Timothy Anderson (born 1981) is an

American conservative Conservatism in the United States is a political and social philosophy based on a belief in limited government, individualism, traditionalism, republicanism, and limited federal governmental power in relation to U.S. states. Conser ...

political philosopher who is best known for his opposition to same-sex marriage. He is currently president of the

Ethics and Public Policy Center The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) is a conservative, Washington, D.C.-based think tank and advocacy group. Founded in 1976, the group describes itself as "dedicated to applying the Judeo-Christian moral tradition to critical issues of pu ...

. He was previously the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow at

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...

and the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Public Discourse'', the Witherspoon Institute's online journal.

Early life and education

Anderson was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He grew up with three older brothers and one younger brother. Anderson received his bachelor of arts degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

and his doctorate in

political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, ...

from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

Published works

Anderson's 2014 dissertation is titled ''Neither Liberal Nor Libertarian: A Natural Law Approach to Social Justice and Economic Rights'', advised by Professor Michael Zuckert. Anderson co-wrote the 2012 book '' What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense'' with Sherif Girgis and mentor Robert P. George. In it, they make the argument that the purpose of marriage is procreation and thus

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

s should not be possible. Justice Samuel Alito referenced the book in his dissenting opinion in ''

United States v. Windsor ''United States v. Windsor'', 570 U.S. 744 (2013), is a landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case concerning same-sex marriage. The Court held that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denied federal recognition o ...

''. In 2017, Anderson co-authored ''Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination'' with Girgis and

John Corvino John Frank Corvino (born 1969) is an American philosopher. He is a professor of philosophy and the dean of the Honors College at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and the author of several books, with a focus on the morality of homosexu ...

. The book received positive reviews for its constructive, back-and-forth discussion on

religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

and anti-discrimination law. In 2018, Anderson released his book '' When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment''. The book, critical of what it calls "transgenderism" and heavily influenced by the works of Paul R. McHugh, came under scrutiny after it topped the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

bestsellers list in the Gay & Lesbian Civil Rights History category. On February 21 2021, the book was removed from Amazon. On March 11 2021, Amazon explained its decision in a letter addressed to Republican Senators Marco Rubio,

Mike Lee Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Lee began his career as a clerk for the U ...

Mike Braun Michael Kent Braun (; born March 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Indiana since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 63rd district in the India ...

, and

Josh Hawley Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the junior United States senator from Missouri since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Hawley served as the 42nd attorney general of Mi ...

. Anderson denies that his book describes transgender persons as "mentally ill." Anderson opposes the Equality Act.

Personal life

Anderson is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

References

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Ryan T. 1981 births Date of birth missing (living people) Living people Writers from Baltimore Princeton University alumni Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters alumni The Heritage Foundation Witherspoon Institute 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American philosophers American political philosophers Philosophers from Maryland American anti-same-sex-marriage activists Ethics and Public Policy Center