Ryan Thomas Anderson (born 1981) is an American

religious conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

political commentator who is primarily known for his opposition to the legal availability of

abortion in the United States Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnanc ...

as well as

LGBT rights in the United States Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the United States are at risk of erosion under the Second presidency of Donald Trump, with transgender rights being most at risk. While lesbian, gay and bisexual rights remain a ...

, including the legal recognition of

same-sex marriage in the United States The legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States expanded from one state in 2004 (Massachusetts) to Same-sex marriage law in the United States by state, all fifty states in 2015 through various court rulings, state legislation ...

, legislative bills and judicial rulings that ban

discrimination against LGBT people in the United States Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sexu ...

, and laws that ban the practice of

conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have ...

on children in the United States. Anderson 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 "working to apply the riches of the Jewish and Christian traditions to contempora ...

and a

teaching fellow A teaching fellow (sometimes referred to as a TF) is an individual at a higher education institution, including universities, whose work involves teaching and potentially pedagogic research. The work done by teaching fellows can vary significantl ...

at the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas, United States. Established in 1956, it is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Southern Associat ...

Early life and education

Anderson was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in 1981. He is the second youngest of five sons. He attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

where he received his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degree in music. He later attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

where he earned a Ph.D. in political philosophy. His dissertation, completed in 2014, was entitled ''Neither Liberal Nor Libertarian: A Natural Law Approach to Social Justice and Economic Rights'' and it was advised by University of Notre Dame professor Michael Zuckert.

Career

Anderson is currently president of the

and a

at the

. Previously, he was a senior research fellow at

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

, the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Public Discourse'', the online journal of the

Witherspoon Institute The Witherspoon Institute is a social Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank in Princeton, New Jersey founded in 2003 by Princeton University professor Robert P. George, Luis Tellez, and others involved with the James Madison ...

, an adjunct professor of philosophy and political science at

Christendom College Christendom College is a private Catholic college in Front Royal, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1977. History 1977—2000 Christendom College was founded by Warren H. Carroll, a contributor at ''Triumph'' magazine. Carroll ...

, a research fellow at the Veritas Center at Franciscan University, and an assistant editor for ''

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is a journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society", focusing on theology, liturgy, history of religion, church history, culture, education, society, politics, literat ...

''.

Views

Homosexuality

In 2003, Anderson wrote an article for ''

The Daily Princetonian ''The Daily Princetonian'', originally known as ''The Princetonian'' and nicknamed the Prince, is the independent daily student newspaper of Princeton University. The newspaper is owned by The Daily Princetonian Publishing Co. and boasts a cir ...

'' comparing what he called

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

"characteristics" and

"acts" to "

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

" and "the crimes of a

pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

" in arguing for his

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

belief A belief is a subjective Attitude (psychology), attitude that something is truth, true or a State of affairs (philosophy), state of affairs is the case. A subjective attitude is a mental state of having some Life stance, stance, take, or opinion ...

about

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

. In 2020, Anderson co-wrote an article with his mentor Robert P. George that criticized

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

for his support for

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

s for

same-sex couple A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage Marriage, also called ma ...

s. In the article, Anderson and George labelled what they called

"inclinations" as "disordered" in arguing for their

about

. The

of Anderson and George is contrary to the

scientific consensus Scientific consensus is the generally held judgment, position, and opinion of the majority or the supermajority of scientists in a particular field of study at any particular time. Consensus is achieved through scholarly communication at confer ...

that

is a positive and normal variation of

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...

Conversion therapy

In 2007, Anderson wrote an article for ''

'' 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

, and labelled

as a "disorder". In 2012, Anderson wrote an article in which he promoted an article about advocates for a "cure" for

who fought against laws that ban the practice of

on children. In 2019, Anderson voiced his opposition to a

state law State law refers to the law of a federated state, as distinguished from the law of the federation of which it is a part. It is used when the constituent components of a federation are themselves called states. Federations made up of provinces, cant ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

that bans the practice of

on children. The advocacy by Anderson is contrary to the

that

is a positive and normal variation of

and that

is a discredited, harmful, and

pseudoscientific Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...

practice.

Same-sex marriage

In 2010, Anderson co-authored and published the article "What is Marriage?" in the ''

Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy The ''Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy'' (JLPP) is a law review at Harvard Law School published by an independent student group. It has served as the flagship journal of the Federalist Society. Established by Spencer Abraham and Stephen Eber ...

'' with Sherif Girgis and his mentor Robert P. George. The article was later published in 2012 under the name '' What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense'' by

Encounter Books Encounter Books is a book publisher in the United States known for publishing conservative authors. It was named for '' Encounter'', the now defunct literary magazine founded by Irving Kristol and Stephen Spender. Based in New York City since 20 ...

. In the article and book, Anderson, George, and Girgis argued their opinion that the defining feature of

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. There are two forms of reproduction: Asexual reproduction, asexual and Sexual ...

and therefore

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

should be considered a contradiction of their definition, and, accordingly, to preserve the benefits of what they called "true" marriage, same-sex marriage should not be recognized by law.

Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Samuel Alito Supreme Court ...

referenced the book in his dissenting opinion in the

landmark decision Landmark court decisions, in present-day common law legal systems, establish precedents that determine a significant new legal principle or concept, or otherwise substantially affect the interpretation of existing law. "Leading case" is commonly ...

by the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

in ''

United States v. Windsor ''United States v. Windsor'', 570 U.S. 744 (2013), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case concerning same-sex marriage in the United States, same-sex marriage. The Cou ...

'', which led to the federal legal recognition of

. In 2015, Anderson wrote an article in opposition to the

of the

in ''

Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of th ...

'', which led to the nationwide legal recognition of

. 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

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...

and

anti-discrimination law Anti-discrimination law or non-discrimination law refers to legislation designed to prevent discrimination against particular groups of people; these groups are often referred to as protected groups or protected classes. Anti-discrimination laws ...

LGBT rights

In 2020, Anderson wrote an article in opposition to the

of the

in ''

Bostock v. Clayton County ''Bostock v. Clayton County'', , is a landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights decision in which the Court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation ...

'', which led to the legal recognition of

and

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...

protected class A protected group, protected class (US), or prohibited ground (Canada) is a category by which people are qualified for special protection by a law, policy, or similar authority. In Canada and the United States, the term is frequently used in co ...

es in the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

. In 2021, Anderson wrote an article in opposition to the Equality Act, which is a bill in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

that would ban discrimination based on

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

, and

in federal law.

Transgender rights

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 The anti-gender movement is a global phenomenon that opposes concepts often referred to as "gender ideology" or "gender theory". These loosely-defined terms are commonly used by the movement to critique a range of issues related to gender equ ...

" or " transgender ideology" and heavily influenced by the works of Paul R. McHugh, came under scrutiny after it topped the

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

bestsellers list in the Gay & Lesbian Civil Rights History category. In 2021, Anderson's book was removed by Amazon from its website.

wrote a letter on March 11, 2021, addressed to Republican Senators

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...

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. A member of the Republican Party, Lee became Utah's senior senator in 2019, whe ...

Mike Braun Michael Braun (born March 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 52nd governor of Indiana since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2019 to 2025 as a United States senator from Indiana and from 2 ...

, and

Josh Hawley Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri, a seat he has held since 2019. A member ...

explaining its decision, saying it would not sell books that framed

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

+ identity as a "mental illness". Anderson denied that his book described

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

people as "mentally ill". Amazon reverted to selling Anderson's book on February 5, 2025.

Abortion

In 2022, in anticipation of the decision of the

in ''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', 597 U.S. 215 (2022), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court in which the court held ...

'', Anderson co-authored the book ''Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing'' with Alexandra DeSanctis. The book aims to disarm arguments in favor of

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

and chart a path forward for the

United States anti-abortion movement The United States anti-abortion movement, also called the pro-life movement or right-to-life movement, is a movement in the United States that opposes induced abortion and advocates for the protection of Fetus, fetuses. Advocates support legal ...

Personal life

Anderson is a practicing

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Books

Author

* ''Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom'' (2015) * ''When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment'' (2019)

Co-Author

* With Robert P. George and Sherif Girgis - ''What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense'' (2012) * With Sherif Girgis and John Corvino - ''Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination'' (2017) * With Alexandra DeSanctis - ''Tearing Us Apart: Why Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing'' (2022)

Co-Editor

* With Daniel Philpott - ''A Liberalism Safe for Catholicism? Perspectives from the'' Review of Politics (2017) * With Andrew T. Walker - ''Natural Law: Five Views'' (2025)

Articles

* "Disagreement Is Not Always Discrimination: On Masterpiece Cakeshop and the Analogy to Interracial Marriage." ''Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy'' 16, No. 1 (2018): 123–45.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Ryan T. 1981 births Living people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century Roman Catholics American anti-abortion activists American anti-same-sex-marriage activists American male non-fiction writers American religious writers American Roman Catholic writers Catholics from Maryland Date of birth missing (living people) Ethics and Public Policy Center The Heritage Foundation people Natural law ethicists Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters alumni Princeton University alumni Witherspoon Institute Writers from Baltimore