Dan Savage Walks Into a Church and Gets Applauded By A Priest

Thankfully YouTube has allowed our account to upload more than 15 minutes at a time because this is seriously a great video. Last but not least in our Book Fest video series this year came from the last and likely largest panel of the day featuring Dan Savage.

With marriage equality on everyone’s lips, it still seems valid to ask the question, “Why marriage?” and “Why monogamy?” Our authors weigh monogamy, marriage, its alternatives, and what it all means for how we live today. Syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage (The Commitment) has advocated “monogam-ish” relationships; anthropologist Christopher Ryan, Ph.D. (Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality), argues that monogamy isn’t inherent to humans; Kristin Davis (The Manhattan Madam’s Guide to Sex), aka “The Manhattan Madam,” will provide her insights into the tangled web of sex and commitment; and Eric Klinenberg (Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone) examine what these changing attitudes look like at a societal level. Moderated by Kate Bolick (upcoming Among the Suitors: Single Women I Have Loved).

Watch the video at 19:45 as the openly gay pastor of St. Ann’s church pipes up and introduces himself to the liberal gasps from the audience. He belies their anxiety and says, “The foundations of this church haven’t shaken to the ground because we grasp for an honest conversation about human relationships and human sexuality,” adding later, “I just want to say a public thank you to Dan Savage for It Gets Better.”