Andrew Sullivan Cannot Separate LGB from TQ Because Gay Marriage Already Destroyed the Sex Binary
Source: Glenn T. Stanton. "No Andrew Sullivan, You Can’t Separate LGB From TQ." June 12, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that Andrew Sullivan can't now distance gay rights from transgender activism because gay marriage already broke down the idea that being male or female matters for families and society. Since gay marriage said men and women are interchangeable in marriage, it opened the door for transgender people to say men and women are interchangeable everywhere else too.
Conclusion
Andrew Sullivan cannot legitimately separate LGB from TQ+ because the gay rights movement, particularly through gay marriage advocacy, already established the principle that male and female are interchangeable, which directly enabled the transgender movement he now opposes.
Premises
- The 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision establishing gay marriage legally eliminated the necessity of male and female distinctions in marriage, family, and parentage
- If male and female are not essential for marriage and family formation, then the sex binary no longer exists in any practical way in law, society, and culture
- The transgender movement's core claim that men and women are interchangeable is the same foundational principle that enabled gay marriage
- Sullivan and other gay rights advocates dismissed warnings about this logical progression as 'slippery slope' arguments, but are now experiencing exactly what was predicted
- Gay marriage was always a radical idea that sought to 'de-sex' marriage and remove its essential function, despite Sullivan's claims it was conservative
- The declining public support for LGBTQ+ issues demonstrates that people are recognizing the movement's inherent radicalism that was present from the beginning
Assumptions
- Marriage has an essential natural function tied to the male-female binary
- Legal and social definitions shape cultural understanding of fundamental concepts like sex and gender
- Logical consistency requires that principles applied in one context (gay marriage) extend to related contexts (transgender issues)
- Public opinion shifts reflect people's recognition of underlying logical connections between different social movements
- The sex binary is a natural, universal norm that should not be challenged