Staff > Paul Varnell
Paul Varnell
Paul Varnell writes a weekly column for the Chicago Free Press and other gay newspapers.
He has also written for Reason magazine, the Advocate, Lambda Book Report, and the Chicago Reader. Some of his essays were included in Beyond Queer (Free Press, 1996) and The Bedford Guide for College Writers (Bedford, 1999).
Varnell has been involved in gay advocacy for more than two decades. He headed the education committee of the Gay/Lesbian Union in DeKalb, Illinois, 1977-1982, was a board member of Parents and Friends of Gays in Chicago, 1983-84; and chaired the Media Committee of the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Chicago, 1983-1990. He was a co-founder of Gay History Month in 1994.
He was a member of the Chicago AIDS Task Force and was appointed to the Illinois Department of Health's AIDS Advisory Committee.His areas of interest include class ical music, gay history, political philosophy, libertarian theory, and socio-economic analysis. He may be contacted via e-mail.
Contributions
- The Pleasures of Aging, by Paul Varnell, January 3, 2010
- Marriage Isn’t for Everyone, by Paul Varnell, December 17, 2009
- It Could Have Been Worse, by Paul Varnell, November 24, 2009
- Self-Help Helps Most, by Paul Varnell, September 23, 2009
- Lutherans Accept Gays, by Paul Varnell, September 6, 2009
- 2010 or 2012: A False Choice, by Paul Varnell, August 20, 2009
- The Gay Agenda after Marriage, by Paul Varnell, August 4, 2009
- Preventing Anti-Gay Bullying, by Paul Varnell, July 30, 2009
- Self-Made Schism, by Paul Varnell, July 29, 2009
- Adventures in a Nursing Home, by Paul Varnell, July 3, 2009
- Gays in School, by Paul Varnell, February 24, 2009
- Exploring Gay Businesses, by Paul Varnell, February 18, 2009
- Harassment? Or Politics?, by Paul Varnell, January 28, 2009
- A Map of Evangelical Paranoia, by Paul Varnell, January 20, 2009
- Think National, but Act Local, by Paul Varnell, December 17, 2008
- Mr. Claus’s Christmas Letter—2008, by Paul Varnell, December 15, 2008
- Are Democrats Useless?, by Paul Varnell, December 3, 2008
- World AIDS Day: A Dissent, by Paul Varnell, November 27, 2008
- Much to Be Thankful For, by Paul Varnell, November 23, 2008
- Anti-Gay, Anti-Logical, by Paul Varnell, November 11, 2008
- Gay History Month. Again., by Paul Varnell, October 17, 2008
- Marriage in Connecticut, by Paul Varnell, October 15, 2008
- A Gay-Supportive School?, by Paul Varnell, October 1, 2008
- A Life Well Lived, by Paul Varnell, August 31, 2008
- Marriage for Us—but Not for Me, by Paul Varnell, August 27, 2008
- High Time for a Schism, by Paul Varnell, August 13, 2008
- Gay Movements Abroad, by Paul Varnell, July 29, 2008
- Unity, or Else What?, by Paul Varnell, June 27, 2008
- Diversity…or Divergence?, by Paul Varnell, June 23, 2008
- What California Did, by Paul Varnell, June 10, 2008
- Gay Pride—Again? (Sigh), by Paul Varnell, June 4, 2008
- Creating Community, by Paul Varnell, April 12, 2008
- Let Them In, by Paul Varnell, April 2, 2008
- Action, Not Words, by Paul Varnell, March 26, 2008
- Equality through Visibility, by Paul Varnell, March 22, 2008
- None of the Above, by Paul Varnell, March 5, 2008
- Christian, Maybe. Compassionate, Hardly., by Paul Varnell, February 11, 2008
- Winning with the Young, by Paul Varnell, January 27, 2008
- Can Gay Enclaves Survive?, by Paul Varnell, January 17, 2008
- Bad Science II: Less Than Zero, by Paul Varnell, January 12, 2008
- The Age of the Bachelor, by Paul Varnell, January 2, 2008
- Countering Fundamentalisms, by Paul Varnell, December 16, 2007
- DADT Once Again, by Paul Varnell, December 9, 2007
- A Gay Population Explosion?, by Paul Varnell, December 2, 2007
- We Values Voters, by Paul Varnell, October 24, 2007
- Banned Books Week, by Paul Varnell, September 26, 2007
- Straight Families, Gay Sex, Double Standards, by Paul Varnell, September 21, 2007
- Seedy, but Why Illegal?, by Paul Varnell, September 5, 2007
- Progress for Lutherans, by Paul Varnell, August 29, 2007
- Helping Gays Abroad, by Paul Varnell, July 25, 2007
- Seven Dissents from Gay Orthodoxy, by Paul Varnell, June 27, 2007
- Becoming Bourgeois, by Paul Varnell, June 20, 2007
- Failure to Follow Up, by Paul Varnell, June 13, 2007
- Much to Be Proud Of, by Paul Varnell, June 6, 2007
- Appreciating Gay Maturity, by Paul Varnell, April 25, 2007
- Apollo and the Midnighter, by Paul Varnell, April 11, 2007
- Larry Kramer’s Jeremiad, by Paul Varnell, April 4, 2007
- The Pace Breakthrough, by Paul Varnell, March 21, 2007
- The Underground Issue, by Paul Varnell, February 21, 2007
- ‘Faggot’, by Paul Varnell, February 14, 2007
- After AIDS...What?, by Paul Varnell, February 11, 2007
- An Inevitably Political Pregnancy, by Paul Varnell, February 7, 2007
- More Support for Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, January 24, 2007
- The Mass. Vote (2): Don't Cut Constitutional Corners, by Paul Varnell, January 10, 2007
- Why ‘Just’ Discrimination Isn't, by Paul Varnell, January 3, 2007
- Seven Ideas for 2007, by Paul Varnell, December 20, 2006
- Those Amusing Bishops, by Paul Varnell, November 22, 2006
- Throwing the Bums Out, by Paul Varnell, November 15, 2006
- Don't Forget Thanksgiving, by Paul Varnell, November 8, 2006
- Where are the Gay Adults?, by Paul Varnell, November 7, 2006
- Frontlash, by Paul Varnell, October 25, 2006
- Gay Men Vs. ‘MSM’, by Paul Varnell, October 16, 2006
- Internalized Homophobia — Not, by Paul Varnell, October 4, 2006
- New Light on the Gay Market, by Paul Varnell, August 30, 2006
- New Attacks on Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, August 23, 2006
- Winning — but Slowly, by Paul Varnell, August 9, 2006
- The New York Ruling, Take 1: It's a Lemon..., by Paul Varnell, July 13, 2006
- A Library that Refuses Books, by Paul Varnell, June 28, 2006
- That Amendment Again, by Paul Varnell, June 7, 2006
- Telling Our Stories, by Paul Varnell, May 31, 2006
- Mandating Gay History, by Paul Varnell, May 27, 2006
- Leather Entrepreneurship, by Paul Varnell, May 24, 2006
- Do Gays Want to Marry?, by Paul Varnell, May 10, 2006
- Simon LeVay's Same-Sex Distraction, by Paul Varnell, May 3, 2006
- For Civil Unions, by Paul Varnell, March 8, 2006
- The Sodomy Delusion, by Paul Varnell, February 28, 2006
- Blacks on Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, February 15, 2006
- The War on Gay Visibility, by Paul Varnell, February 8, 2006
- Neither Liberal nor Conservative, by Paul Varnell, January 18, 2006
- In Praise of Advertising, by Paul Varnell, January 11, 2006
- The Vatican Stumbles Again, by Paul Varnell, January 4, 2006
- Around the Political Impasse, by Paul Varnell, November 23, 2005
- Another Flawed Sex Survey, by Paul Varnell, November 2, 2005
- Kansas Finally Gets It Right, by Paul Varnell, October 26, 2005
- The Vatican's Blame Game, by Paul Varnell, September 28, 2005
- Privacy and the Ninth Amendment, by Paul Varnell, September 14, 2005
- Bailey's Bisexuality Study, by Paul Varnell, August 3, 2005
- A Theology for Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, July 20, 2005
- Changing Rhetoric on Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, June 22, 2005
- Batman — Gay Recruiter?, by Paul Varnell, June 8, 2005
- Pride Month — Doing It Right, by Paul Varnell, May 25, 2005
- Drugs, Sex, and AIDS, by Paul Varnell, May 18, 2005
- The Denial of Gay History, by Paul Varnell, May 11, 2005
- Sodomy and the Military, by Paul Varnell, April 27, 2005
- The Last Medieval Pope, by Paul Varnell, April 6, 2005
- The Ten Best Gay Non-Fiction Books, by Paul Varnell, March 30, 2005
- 'Queer Wars' Distorts History, by Paul Varnell, March 23, 2005
- Sex, Drugs, Drink and Excuses, by Paul Varnell, March 16, 2005
- Scalia's Constitutional Errors, by Paul Varnell, March 9, 2005
- Don't Blame the Drugs, by Paul Varnell, February 23, 2005
- New York's Marriage Decision: Courting Backlash?, by Paul Varnell, February 9, 2005
- College FreshmenTake a Fresh Look at Gays, by Paul Varnell, February 2, 2005
- Lincoln May Well Have Been Gay..., by Paul Varnell, January 26, 2005
- Illinois's Gay Rights Bill — and Other Signs of Life, by Paul Varnell, January 19, 2005
- Be Careful What You Wish For, by Paul Varnell, December 8, 2004
- It's Earlier Than You Think, by Paul Varnell, November 17, 2004
- What Now?, by Paul Varnell, November 10, 2004
- What If Kerry Wins?, by Paul Varnell, October 6, 2004
- Free Speech and Hate Music, by Paul Varnell, September 22, 2004
- Gay-Obsessed Conservatives: Keyed Up and Going Nowhere, by Paul Varnell, September 8, 2004
- Oh, What a Day It Was, by Paul Varnell, August 19, 2004
- Goodbye, Federal Marriage Amendment, by Paul Varnell, July 23, 2004
- How to Make Pride Matter, by Paul Varnell, June 23, 2004
- Love Matters, by Paul Varnell, June 3, 2004
- Gay Marriages Change Straight Minds, by Paul Varnell, May 19, 2004
- Guns, Gays, and Propaganda, by Paul Varnell, May 7, 2004
- The Gay & Lesbian Atlas, by Paul Varnell, April 28, 2004
- Higher Learning? Contradictions of the Academically Alienated, by Paul Varnell, April 14, 2004
- Michelangelo's Hunks, by Paul Varnell, April 7, 2004
- Prospects for Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, March 5, 2004
- Gay Marriage, then Polygamy?, by Paul Varnell, February 25, 2004
- National Gay Leaders: Worth the Price?, by Paul Varnell, February 11, 2004
- Homosexuality in Leviticus, by Paul Varnell, February 4, 2004
- College Freshmen: A Pause in Gay Progress, by Paul Varnell, January 30, 2004
- Anti-Love Isn't Pro-Marriage, by Paul Varnell, January 7, 2004
- The Prospects for 2004, by Paul Varnell, December 24, 2003
- Ayn Rand and Homosexuality, by Paul Varnell, December 3, 2003
- A Plain and E-Z Guide to Goodridge, by Paul Varnell, November 26, 2003
- Paul's Letter to the Romans, by Paul Varnell, November 12, 2003
- Homophobia and Anti-Semitism, by Paul Varnell, November 5, 2003
- The Schwarzenegger Temblor, by Paul Varnell, October 15, 2003
- The Gay Summer of '03: What It Means, by Paul Varnell, September 24, 2003
- The Failed Case Against Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, September 17, 2003
- Gay Marriage: The Vatican Vapors, by Paul Varnell, August 13, 2003
- J. Michael Bailey on Gay Femininity, by Paul Varnell, July 23, 2003
- Weird Science: J. Michael Bailey's 'The Man Who Would Be Queen', by Paul Varnell, July 23, 2003
- The Psychology of Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, July 16, 2003
- A Brief Guide to Lawrence, by Paul Varnell, July 2, 2003
- The Rate of Gay Progress, by Paul Varnell, May 28, 2003
- Moral Quackery in the Senate, by Paul Varnell, April 30, 2003
- More Pro-Gay, More Libertarian, by Paul Varnell, January 29, 2003
- What's Changed Since Hardwick?, by Paul Varnell, January 15, 2003
- Harry Hay: One Big Idea, by Paul Varnell, October 30, 2002
- WWJD: Jesus on Anti-gay Slurs, by Paul Varnell, October 23, 2002
- Capitalism, Creativity, Tolerance, by Paul Varnell, October 16, 2002
- Revising Early Gay History, by Paul Varnell, October 2, 2002
- Exorcising the Ghost of Anita, by Paul Varnell, September 18, 2002
- Good-bye, Eppie, by Paul Varnell, September 11, 2002
- Israel, Palestine, and Gays, by Paul Varnell, August 28, 2002
- Market and Movement, by Paul Varnell, July 31, 2002
- "...But We Don't Talk about It", by Paul Varnell, July 23, 2002
- The Normalization of Gay Lib, by Paul Varnell, July 10, 2002
- Pim Fortuyn: The Trouble with Labels, by Paul Varnell, May 15, 2002
- Priests, Celibacy and Youths, by Paul Varnell, May 1, 2002
- Reason and Liberation, by Paul Varnell, April 3, 2002
- A New Dutch Gay Politician:Pim Fortuyn, by Paul Varnell, March 27, 2002
- The Abuse of Authority, by Paul Varnell, March 20, 2002
- Conservative Judaism Catches Up, by Paul Varnell, March 13, 2002
- Samuel Barber: America's Composer, by Paul Varnell, March 6, 2002
- Helping Islamic Gays, by Paul Varnell, February 6, 2002
- College Freshmen Support Gay Marriage, by Paul Varnell, January 30, 2002
- Victimization, Virtual and Otherwise, by Paul Varnell, January 2, 2002
- Bombing for Justice, by Paul Varnell, December 5, 2001
- America in Red and Blue, by Paul Varnell, November 28, 2001
- Western and Islamic Culture, by Paul Varnell, October 31, 2001
- Punishing Gays under Islam, by Paul Varnell, October 21, 2001
- Islamic Doctrine on Gays, by Paul Varnell, October 17, 2001
- Activism after Sept. 11, by Paul Varnell, September 26, 2001
- The New Culture War, by Paul Varnell, September 19, 2001
- Preparing for Gay History Month, by Paul Varnell, September 12, 2001
- Exploring the Gay Market, by Paul Varnell, August 29, 2001
- Some Economics of Being Gay, by Paul Varnell, August 22, 2001
- Globalizing Sex, by Paul Varnell, July 25, 2001
- What Gay Entrepreneurs Contribute, by Paul Varnell, July 18, 2001
- Gays and Economic Development, by Paul Varnell, July 4, 2001
- Why the Parade Matters, by Paul Varnell, June 27, 2001
- Toward a Gay Foreign Policy, by Paul Varnell, May 30, 2001
- Those Not Very "Ex" Gays, by Paul Varnell, May 16, 2001
- Menotti at 90, by Paul Varnell, May 2, 2001
- Dirkhising: Are We Complicit?, by Paul Varnell, April 11, 2001
- Faith on the Dole, by Paul Varnell, March 28, 2001
- Public Ignorance and Gay Equality, by Paul Varnell, January 17, 2001
- 'Civic Inclusion' Not 'Civil Rights', by Paul Varnell, January 3, 2001
- DADT Unravels Further, by Paul Varnell, November 22, 2000
- Inexorable Gay Progress, by Paul Varnell, November 15, 2000
- Evangelical Christian Gays, by Paul Varnell, November 8, 2000
- Kuzmin and Gay Petersburg, by Paul Varnell, October 11, 2000
- How the Vatican Can Change, by Paul Varnell, September 27, 2000
- Which Speech to Subsidize, by Paul Varnell, September 13, 2000
- Aaron Copland at 100, by Paul Varnell, August 30, 2000
- Defending Our Morality, by Paul Varnell, August 16, 2000
- My Formal Public Statement, by Paul Varnell, August 9, 2000
- Gay Cyberactivism and the Marketplace, by Paul Varnell, July 26, 2000
- Gay Cyberactivism and the Marketplace, by Paul Varnell, July 26, 2000
- Methodists in Transition, by Paul Varnell, July 12, 2000
- Heterosexual Scouts of America, by Paul Varnell, July 5, 2000
- The Threat of Assimilation, by Paul Varnell, June 28, 2000
- Gay Pride, Gay Gratitude, by Paul Varnell, June 21, 2000
- L.S./M.F.T (Laura Schlessinger/Means Fuzzy Thinking), by Paul Varnell, June 1, 2000
- God's Plan for Mankind, by Paul Varnell, May 24, 2000
- Allan Bloom's Last Testament, by Paul Varnell, May 17, 2000
- Sour "Notes on Camp", by Paul Varnell, May 3, 2000
- Sodom: A Visitor's Guide, by Paul Varnell, April 29, 2000
- How to Be Gay 101, by Paul Varnell, April 5, 2000
- Census and Sensibility, by Paul Varnell, March 22, 2000
- What's Wrong with 'Queer'?, by Paul Varnell, February 9, 2000
- Welcome Back, Ellen, by Paul Varnell, January 26, 2000
- Don't Ask, Don't Mind, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Changing Churches, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Racha, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- After Equality, What?, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Ayn Rand among Gay Youth, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Kinsey, Computers and Kids, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Ending Sodomy Laws, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Gay Consumer Clout In the Early 20th Century, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- My Gay History Month — and Yours, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Gays and Voters: Over the Hump, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Taking Jesse Seriously, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- The Market versus Politics, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- A Valentine's Story, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- The Bible Tells Me So, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- More Gays than Lesbians, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- So, Where's Our Tax Cut?, by Paul Varnell, November 30, 1999
- Free Speech, Forced Speech, by Paul Varnell, November 17, 1999
- Assessing the Gay Panic Defense, by Paul Varnell, November 10, 1999
- Defusing the Culture Wars, by Paul Varnell, October 27, 1999
- Scouting the Gay Ban, by Paul Varnell, October 20, 1999
- Gay Rights on the Right, by Paul Varnell, October 13, 1999
- The Language of Evasion, by Paul Varnell, September 8, 1999
- Gays and the Sixties, by Paul Varnell, June 17, 1999
- Stonewall: Get A Grip, by Paul Varnell, June 10, 1999
- The Talking Gay Pride Blues, by Paul Varnell, June 3, 1999
- Gay Youth at Risk, by Paul Varnell, August 27, 1998
- The 'Ex-Gay' Pop Gun, by Paul Varnell, July 30, 1998
- Homosexuality in Renaissance Florence, by Paul Varnell, May 28, 1998
- A Preface to Morals, by Paul Varnell, April 23, 1998
- Gay Marriage: Ready, Set ..., by Paul Varnell, March 12, 1998
- A Demurrer on Relationships, by Paul Varnell, September 11, 1997
- What's Wrong with Queer, by Paul Varnell, August 29, 1996
- Gay Community: How We Got There, by Paul Varnell, June 27, 1996
- Enjoy Being A Market, by Paul Varnell, April 4, 1996
- Credo: Basic Gay Political Principles, by Paul Varnell, February 15, 1996
- A Theory of Gay Progress, by Paul Varnell, February 1, 1996
- The Nazi Fiction of William Pierce, by Paul Varnell, July 20, 1995
- Catholic Anti-Semitism and Us, by Paul Varnell, June 15, 1995
- My Pride Column:What Stonewall Means to Me, by Paul Varnell, June 2, 1994
- Why We Need Gay History Month, by Paul Varnell, March 24, 1994