Providence College, a Roman Catholic school in Rhode Island, has
canceled a lecture on gay marriage by Dr. John Corvino, also known as
the “Gay Moralist.”
Corvino, the author of What's Wrong with Homosexuality?, is
a philosophy professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan
and is known for taking on religious opponents of marriage equality.
He co-authored Debating Same-Sex Marriage with Maggie
Gallagher, a former president and chairman of the board of the
National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's most
vociferous opponent of same-sex marriage.
Corvino told The
New York Times that he enjoys speaking to a conservative
audience.
“I want to convince them that same-sex marriage is not only
possible, but is also a good thing, for the couple and good for
society at large,” Corvino said. “But I also want to engage in a
deeper dialogue about issues that we agree are important.”
He said that he had given lectures and debated at many Catholic
colleges. A 2008 talk at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan
was also canceled.
Hugh F. Lena, the provost and senior vice president of Providence
College, told the paper that he uninvited Corvino because the event
largely focused on only one side of a controversial issue.
(Related: John
Corvino: There's more to gay sex than anal sex.)