The mainstreaming of homosexuality took a long time. Gore Vidal’s The City and the Pillar, a literary mediocrity but a cultural milestone, was published in 1948. Fifty-five years later, homosexual acts remained criminal in much of the United States, until Lawrence v. Texas was decided. The culture wasn’t quite sure where it stood: Americans are generally liberal about these things, and positive depictions of gay characters had been an ordinary part of American culture for decades. But even after Lawrence, both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama felt it prudent to run as candidates opposed to gay marriage in the …
The Transgender Culture War
Accommodation will never be enough
In This Issue
Articles
The Better Jacksons of Trump’s Nature
He has tapped into a tradition that has thankfully grown more inclusive.
Features
Exit Britain?
Britons are considering whether to assert their sovereignty in leaving the EU.
Gary Johnson Asks You to Google Him
The leading Libertarian candidate for president sees a moment to seize
Books, Arts & Manners
Beyond the Language of the Living
The publication of this definitive, annotated edition of all of T. S. Eliot’s poems is one of the scholarly monuments of humane letters of this decade.
Crumbs of the Upper Crust
Three informative new books that all deal with the politics of our ruling class.
The Regressive Progressives
Various strains of Progressive thought -- philosophy, history, biology, law, and economics -- were all amalgamated in the Progressive embrace of eugenics.
The Hubby State
One of the by-products of this growing rejection of marriage is that single American women are closing in on a quarter of the electorate today.
Black and White and Read: All Over
The city is becoming like the nation’s capital, as newsstands slowly disappear.
Youthful Longings
A review of the film "Sing Street," in comparison to "Brooklyn."
Sections
Letters
Free Men and 401(k)s
There are three ways to get a man to do something. You can coerce him, you can fool him, or you can talk him into it. The ...
The Week
‐ Perhaps there’s some sort of battle of the sexes playing out in the Sanders household: She bankrupted one college, and now he proposes bankrupting them all.
‐ Following his victory ...
To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before
Today’s lesson from the bright-eyed scribes at the website Buzzfeed: “Gender Segregated Bathrooms Have a Long Ugly History.”
Poetry
INERTIA
High glinting leaves,
glazed by the post-storm light,
are hushing dusk
in reassuring waves.
Our lichen-clad
old maple lost three limbs
to rain that felt
like reprimands of God.
Scraggly, and cut
unevenly for years
to spare town wires,
it angles ...
Recommended
Biden Signs Executive Order Allowing the U.S. to Fund Global Abortions
The policy was first instated by President Reagan to ensure that taxpayers would not be required to indirectly fund abortions in other countries.
Exclusive: 48 Senators Promise to Oppose Any Bill that Funds Abortion
Pro-life lawmakers pledge to resist spending bills that don’t include the Hyde amendment.
Cruz: Actually, It Is Constitutional to Impeach and Convict a Former President
Never mind how he voted.
What Happened to Officer Sicknick?
Democratic impeachment managers have a duty to explain how Officer Sicknick died.
Minnesota Nasty
Minneapolis is a nice city no longer.
The Absurd Criticism of Rand Paul’s Rachel Levine Questioning
How likely is it that this dangerous ideological agenda is about to get worse?
The Latest
Biden Fires a Warning Shot at Iran
The U.S. strike against Tehran’s proxies in Syria indicates there will be no quick return to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Cotton Rips ‘Total Meltdown’ at NYT over Troops Op-Ed
Cotton skewered the paper in his speech at CPAC.
U.S. Intel Report Finds Saudi Crown Prince Responsible for Khashoggi Killing
The report was compiled by the U.S. intelligence community during the Trump administration, but its release was delayed until now.
Biden Admin to Open Additional Holding Facility as Migrant Surge Continues: Report
Two Homeland Security officials spoke to the The Washington Post on Friday.
Amnesty International’s Position on Navalny Is Unconscionable
No matter what the organization says, Alexei Navalny is indeed a prisoner of conscience in Putin’s Russia.
Dozens of States Ignoring Guidance to Prioritize Clergy for COVID Vaccine: Report
A new report from the Napa Legal Institute details the problem.