# Ryan T. Anderson

Ryan Thomas Anderson (born 1981) is an American religious conservative political commentator who is primarily known for his opposition 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.
Anderson is currently president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He was previously a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Public Discourse, the online journal of the Witherspoon Institute.

## Early life and education

Anderson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1981, 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 received his Ph.D.

## Career

In November 2003, Anderson wrote an article for The Daily Princetonian comparing what he called homosexual "characteristics" and homosexual "acts" to "alcoholism" and "the crimes of a pedophiliac priest" in arguing for his religious belief about homosexuality, which is contrary to the scientific consensus that homosexuality is a positive and normal variation of human sexual orientation.
In February 2007, Anderson wrote an article for First Things about his friend in which he speculated about his "problem" of same-sex attraction, said that his friend "suffers" same-sex attraction, mused about a "cure" for homosexuality, and labelled homosexuality as a "disorder", which is contrary to the scientific consensus that homosexuality is a positive and normal variation of human sexual orientation and that conversion therapy is a discredited, harmful, and pseudoscientific practice.
In 2012, Anderson wrote an article in which he promoted an article about advocates for a "cure" for homosexuality who fought against laws that ban the practice of conversion therapy on children and quoted his previous article in justification, which is contrary to the scientific consensus that conversion therapy is a discredited, harmful, and pseudoscientific practice..
In 2012, Anderson co-wrote the book What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense with his mentor Robert P. George and Sherif Girgis, published by Encounter Books. In it, they argued that the purpose of marriage is reproduction and that same-sex marriage should not be permitted. Justice Samuel Alito referenced the book in his dissenting opinion in United States v. Windsor.
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.
In 2015, Anderson wrote an article in opposition to the landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Obergefell v. Hodges, which led to the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States.
In 2017, Anderson co-wrote the book Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination with John Corvino and Sherif Girgis. The book received positive reviews for what was viewed by critics as its constructive back-and-forth discussion on religious freedom and anti-discrimination law.
In 2018, Anderson wrote the book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment. The book, critical of what Anderson labelled as "gender ideology" or "transgender ideology" 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.
In 2019, Anderson voiced his opposition to a state law in Massachusetts that bans the practice of conversion therapy on children, which is contrary to the scientific consensus that conversion therapy is a discredited, harmful, and pseudoscientific practice.
In 2020, Anderson wrote an article in opposition to the landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Bostock v. Clayton County, which led to the legal recognition of sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In 2020, Anderson co-wrote an article with his mentor Robert P. George in which they labelled what they called homosexual "inclinations" as "disordered", which is contrary to the scientific consensus that homosexuality is a positive and normal variation of human sexual orientation, in criticizing Pope Francis for his support for legal recognition for same-sex couples.
In 2021, Anderson wrote an article in opposition to the Equality Act, which is a bill in the United States Congress that would ban discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in federal law.
In 2021, Anderson's book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, was removed from Amazon. On March 11, 2021, Amazon explained its decision in a letter addressed to Republican Senators Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, Mike Braun, and Josh Hawley. Anderson denied that his book described transgender people as "mentally ill". Amazon reverted to selling Anderson's book on February 5, 2025.
Anderson co-authored the anti-abortion book Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing with Alexandra DeSanctis.

## Personal life

Anderson is a practicing Catholic.