Jamain, gay and Ayn Rand ma OK: My amazg "Atlas Shgged" love story |

ayn rand gay

I was young, atheist and gay a very homophobic untry. I had no tellectual armor, until I disvered Ayn Rand

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JAMAIN, GAY AND AYN RAND MA OK: MY AMAZG "ATLAS SHGGED" LOVE STORY

To the extent that much of this movement is anythg but sympathetic to LGBT rights—and Rand herself was far om an ally— would be remarkable to fd gay or proto-gay characters or suatns her wrgs.

And yet, there is: a recurrg and distctly homoerotic subtext her novels. “The Fountahead Has Homoerotic Unrton.

AYN RAND’S PHILOSOPHY, THE LAWS OF NATURE, AND A GAY JAMAIN

“Sciabarra on Ayn Rand and Homosexualy. “Ayn Rand and Homosexualy. Given this emphasis, is easy to unrstand why many gays and.

is even listed the "Gay Rsian Hall of Fame" mataed by a.

lled "a landmark of gay culture, " prumably for s theme of. strongly negative view of homosexualy which durg the 1960s and.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* AYN RAND GAY

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data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl ContentHearByl-cZqgyJ bqbBYQ"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH ivtvgj byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU byle__name"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss byle__preamble">By </span><a class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM ByleLk-gEnFiw iUEiRd ggMZaT cXqSTL eErqIx byle__name-lk button" href="/ntributors/masha-gsen">Masha Gsen</a></span></span></p></div><time data-ttid="ContentHearPublishDate" dateTime="2019-06-06T05:00:00-04:00" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearPublishDate-eIBicG iUEiRd kYZrFA kEBrdf">June 6, 2019</time></div></div></div></div></div></hear></div><div data-attribute-verso-pattern="article-body" class="ArticlePageContentBackGround-cNiFNN kbAoLA article-body__ntent"><div 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grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa bDyAMU body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><div class="GenericCalloutWrapper-tojWn iHBnEl llout--has-top-borr set-embedd-le" data-ttid="GenericCallout"><figure class="AssetEmbedWrapper-eVDQiB byBkf asset-embed"><div class="AssetEmbedAssetContaer-eJxoAx dBHGoQ asset-embed__asset-ntaer"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset AssetEmbedRponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__rponsive-asset"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO KhjZz AssetEmbedRponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__rponsive-asset rponsive-image rponsive-image--expandable"><noscript><img alt="Ayn Rand was an Amerin wrer om St. Petersburg Rsia who ed her novels to discs her philosophi of ratnal..." class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src=" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w, 960w, 1280w, 1600w, 1920w, 2240w" siz="100vw"/></noscript></picture></span></div><div class="CaptnWrapper-jSZdqE iTuhkZ ptn AssetEmbedCaptn-fNQBPI fmQnYP asset-embed__ptn"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptnText-bHjzlu iUEiRd hWyo iXWezO ptn__text">Ayn Rand, the thor of “Atlas Shgged,” birthed what the profsor Lisa Duggan lls the “Neoliberal Theater of Celty.”</span><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptnCred-ejegDm iUEiRd iicloT jbIJNS ptn__cred">Photograph by Osr Whe / Getty</span></div></figure></div><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg">In a dark rner of my hoe, where a built- bookshelf curv out of sight and out of reach, near the ceilg, I keep a uple dozen books that I haven’t brought myself to get rid of but don’t want anyone to see. It’s a nnoissr’s llectn of the wrg of <a href=">Ayn Rand</a> and her discipl, assembled by teen-age me a long, long time ago. My first girliend, an olr woman her early twenti, troduced me to Rand. I had recently immigrated to the Uned Stat om Rsia, e out, and dropped out of high school, and somehow Rand’s wrg spoke to me, ma the world appear simple and nquerable. My Rand phase was relatively brief, but, before end, I bluffed my way to my first job publishg by talkg Rand wh my future boss, a trailblazg gay publisher who was siarly obssed wh her.</p><p class="paywall">Acrdg to a new book, this is normal, sort of. In “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed,</a>” Lisa Duggan, a profsor of social and cultural analysis at New York Universy, not that, although Rand’s brand of sexual liberatn didn’t extend to homosexualy, her female hero refe to nform to feme norms, and her male hero are all love wh one another. I was certaly not the only queer teen-ager who was sced by the books, which Duggan lls “nversn mach that n on lt.” The theraptic value of Duggan’s book go well beyond eeg me om shame for my teen-age lack of lerary taste and polil discernment; also provis an explanatn for our current cultural and polil moment.</p><p class="paywall">Part of Amerin Studi Now, a seri of slim volum published by the Universy of California Prs, Duggan’s book sums up Rand’s life and philosophy unr nety pag—an afont to a novelist whose magnum op, “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Atlas Shgged</a>,” me at more than ten tim that length. “How uld a thoand-pl-page novel, featurg rtoonish characters movg through a melodramatic plot peppered wh long didactic speech, attract so many rears and so much attentn?” Duggan asks. “Clearly, the fantasi animatg the novel stck a ep chord.”</p><div class="Contaer-bkChBi byNLHx"></div><p class="paywall">Rand’s novels promised to liberate the rear om everythg that he had been tght was right and good. She ved her rears to rejoice celty. Her hero were superr begs certa of their superry. They claimed their right to triumph by stroyg those who were not as smart, creative, productive, amb, physilly perfect, selfish, and thls as they were. Duggan lls the mood of the books “optimistic celty.” They are mean, and they have a happy endg—that is, the superr begs are happy the end. The novels reverse moraly. In them, there is no duty to God or one’s fellow-man, only to self. Sex is plentiful, ee of nsequence, and rough. Money and other good thgs e to those who take them. Rand’s plots legimize the worst effects of palism, creatg what Duggan lls “a <em>moral enomy of equaly</em> to fe her softly pornographic romance fictn wh the polil eros that would ptivate a mass rearship.”</p><p class="paywall">Duggan trac Rand’s fluence, both direct and direct, on Amerin polics and culture. Rand’s fictn was a vehicle for her philosophy, known as Objectivism, which nsecrated an extreme form of laissez-faire palism and what she lled “ratnal egoism,” or the moral and logil duty of followg one’s own self-tert. Later life, Rand promoted Objectivism through nonfictn books, articl, lectur, and urs offered through an stute that she tablished, lled the Foundatn for the New Intellectual. She was closely allied wh Ludwig von Mis, an enomist and historian who helped shape neoliberal thkg. When Rand was actively publishg fictn—om the neteen-thirti until 1957, when “Atlas Shgged” me out—hers was a margal polil perspective. Crics panned her novels, which gaed their immense populary gradually, by word of mouth. Mid-century Amerin polil culture was domated by New Deal thkg, which prized everythg that Rand spised: the welfare state, empathy, terpennce. By the neteen-eighti, however, neoliberal thkg had e to domate polics. The enomist Alan Greenspan, for example, was a disciple of Rand’s who brought her philosophy to his role as chairman of the Council of Enomic Advisers unr Print Gerald Ford and, om 1987 until 2006, as the chairman of the Feral Rerve.</p><p class="paywall">Duggan don’t blame Rand for neoliberalism, exactly, but she spotlights the Randian spir of what she lls the “Neoliberal Theater of Celty.” This theatre would clu players we don’t necsarily scribe as neoliberal. Pl Ryan, the former Hoe Speaker, is <a href=">a Rand evangelist</a> who gave out pi of “Atlas Shgged” as Christmas prents to his staff and said that she “did the bt job of anybody to build a moral se of palism.” When the Tea Party me out force agast the Affordable Care Act, 2009, some of s members rried signs readg “Who Is John Galt?,” a reference to “Atlas Shgged.” Rand’s spir is proment Silin Valley, too: the billnair Peter Thiel, Elon Mk, Travis Kalanick, and others have creded Rand wh spirg them. The image of the Amerin tech entreprenr uld have e om one of her novels. If she were alive today, she would probably adopt the word “disptn.”</p><p class="paywall">The llapse of the subprime-mortgage market and the fancial crisis of 2007 and 2008 should have brought about the ath of neoliberalism by makg pla the human st of regulatn and privatizatn; stead, wr Duggan, “zombie neoliberalism” is now stalkg the land. And, of urse, the spir of Ayn Rand hnts the Whe Hoe. Many of <a href=">Donald Tmp</a>’s associat, cludg the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and his precsor, Rex Tillerson, have paid homage to her ias, and the Print himself has <a href=">praised</a> her novel “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Fountahead.</a>” (Tmp apparently intifi wh s archect hero, Howard Roark, who blows up a hog project he has signed for beg sufficiently perfect.) Their versn of Randism is stripped of all the elements that might acunt for my abily to throw out those books: the pretense of tellectualism, the ant atheism, and the explic advocy of sexual eedom. From all that Rand offered, the men have taken only the worst: the celty. They are not even optimistic. They are jt pla mean.</p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><asi class="PersistentAsiWrapper-VGrR daRVRt persistent-asi" style="posn:absolute;top:to;height:to" data-ttid="PersistentAsiWrapper"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box ArticlePageSplAdRail-OyjwD jikppc"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="ArticlePageSplAdRailContent-jsltpq iZDmmY spl-ad-rail-ntent"><div class="ArticlePageSplAdRailTop-jUrrVY jzzFg"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="i6jgf"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div><div class="ArticlePageSplAdRailMiddle-tiRvu hiZeZX spl-ad-rail-middle"></div><div class="ArticlePageSplAdRailBottom-dBKMGQ jmCMsn spl-ad-rail-bottom"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="lc8pqh"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></asi></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 PaywallInleBarrierWhWrapperGrid-fyrGfS kLQIUk grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="body body__le-barrier article__body"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"><asi class="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper-iBnuqk lfXXa-D" data-ttid="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper"><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--paywall-le-barrier" role="prentatn" aria-live="pole" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--paywall-le-barrier"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></asi></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ContentWrapperGrid-fvkmBv brYtrA grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="body body__ntaer"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"></div></div></div></div></div></div></article><div class="ContentFooterWrapper-jVNdRG dTJkpP ArticlePageContentFooterGrid-ccsXYy eMZRHU article-body__footer"><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="ContributorsWrapper-eNpWFu GWFsc ntributors" data-ttid="Contributors"><div class="ContributorBWrapper-bnVHbt gMon"><div class="ContributorBAvatar-bIGTqf eMWbvj"><a href="/ntributors/masha-gsen"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW jvZaPI rponsive-asset"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa rponsive-image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></picture></span></a></div><div class="ContributorBContent-ubQdr jZTSSi"><div class="ContributorBHear-ledood XOIEx"></div><div class="ContributorBB-fBolsO giFhKz"><a href="/ntributors/masha-gsen">Masha Gsen</a> beme a staff wrer at The New Yorker 2017. Their latt book is “<a href=">Survivg Autocracy</a>.”</div><div class="ContributorBFooter-brqDlv ezUmSv"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div data-ttid="TagCloudWrapper" class="TagCloudWrapper-gGgndx ctyZyK ContentFooterTagCloud-krQmRG ZLGh"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudSectnHear-cOforY iUEiRd bPyAoD kQQRmu">More:</span><a href="/tag/ayn-rand" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Ayn Rand</span></a><a href="/tag/pl-ryan" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Pl Ryan</span></a><a href="/tag/donald-tmp" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Donald Tmp</span></a><a href="/tag/atlas-shgged" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Atlas Shgged</span></a><a href="/tag/the-fountahead" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">The Fountahead</span></a></div></div></div></div><div data-ttid="ContentFooterBottom" class="ContentFooterBottom-jwWZfC kcbyiW"><div class="ContentFooterNewsletterContentWrapper-bmjtna kixtae"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper-fCqqkN jKSBhE newsletter-subscribe-form ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper-fpMElW eglIBL"><h3 class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDangeroHed-kRwWjt kbxOa-D newsletter-subscribe-form__hed ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf">Daily</h3><div class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDek-kXonvc cKOhTM newsletter-subscribe-form__k">The bt of <i>The New Yorker</i> today, cludg sential reads, fictn, humor, and a peek behd the scen of our biggt stori.</div></div><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper-keARJE hVWbzr"><form class="form-wh-validatn NewsletterSubscribeFormValidatn-iCYa-Dt dweEln" id="newsletter" name="newsletter" novalidate="" method="POST"><span class="TextFieldWrapper-Pzdqp hNhevp text-field" data-ttid="TextFieldWrapper__email"><label class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TextFieldLabel-klrYvg iUEiRd stdEm fvoOvz text-field__label text-field__label--sgle-le" for="newsletter-text-field-email" data-ttid="TextFieldLabel__email"><div class="TextFieldLabelText-cvvxBl eeDYTb">E-mail addrs</div><div class="TextFieldInputContaer-jcMPhb oFrOs"><put type="email" aria-scribedby="privacy-text" aria-valid="false" id="newsletter-text-field-email" required="" name="email" placeholr="E-mail addrs" class="BaseInput-fAzTdK TextFieldControlInput-eFUxkf eGzzTT lglhcT text-field__ntrol text-field__ntrol--put" data-ttid="TextFieldInput__email"/></div></label><button class="BaseButton-bLlsy ButtonWrapper-xCepQ bqVKKv dwpimO button button--utily TextFieldButton-csBrgY edxbrw" data-event-click="{"element":"Button"}" data-ttid="Button" type="subm"><span class="ButtonLabel-cjAuJN hzwRuG button__label">Sign up</span></button></span><div id="privacy-text" tabx="-1" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDisclaimer-bTVtiV bsgLJZ"><span><p>By signg up, you agree to our <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">User Agreement</a> and <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement</a>. 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