Andrew Michael Sullivan is a highly influential writer, editor, and political commentator, known for his pioneering work in the field of political blogging. He gained widespread recognition through his blog, andrewsullivan.com’s Daily Dish, which quickly became one of the most popular blogs in the world. Sullivan’s exceptional literary skills and bold personality have made him a controversial figure, while his support for gay marriage and identification as a member of the gay “bear community” have made him a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Despite being diagnosed as HIV-positive in the 1990s, Sullivan remains in good health and continues to make significant contributions to the world of journalism.
Quick Facts
- Name: Andrew Michael Sullivan
- Age: 60 Years
- Gender: Male
- Spouse/Ex-Spouse: Aaron Tone
- Occupation: Editor
- Nationality: British
- Height: 1.75 m
- Diseases & Disabilities: HIV
- Education: Magdalen College, Oxford, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Reigate Grammar School
Childhood & Early Life
Andrew Sullivan was born on 10 August 1963, in South Godstone, Surrey, England, into a Roman Catholic family. His father worked in an insurance company. Andrew has two siblings. He was a bright child and went to Reigate Grammar School. Later on, he studied at the Magdalen College, Oxford, from where he did his Bachelor of Arts in modern history and modern languages. As a teenager, he had realized that he was gay and this made him very confused. He felt lonely and alienated. He furthered his education at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, earning a Master in Public Administration in 1986.
Career
He started working with ‘The New Republic’ magazine in 1986. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in government from Harvard in 1990. His doctoral thesis was on ‘Intimations Pursued: The Voice of Practice in the Conversation of Michael Oakeshott’. In 1991, he became the editor of ‘The New Republic’ magazine. He helped to expand the magazine’s political coverage to include broader cultural issues and popularized the publication. He also kindled considerable controversy with his outspokenness.
In 1994, he published excerpts from a controversial book called ‘The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life’ by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray which was considered racist by the editorial staff at the ‘The New Republic’ magazine and they threatened to resign. His relations with the staff deteriorated a lot after this incident and he ultimately left the magazine in 1996. During his tenure as the editor, he had presided over 250 issues of ‘The New Republic’ and helped to grow the magazine’s circulation to well over 100,000.
During the 1990s, he authored several books. His book ‘Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality’ (1995) went on to become one of the best-selling books on gay rights and was translated into five languages. In 1998, he wrote the book ‘Love Undetectable: Notes on Friendship, Sex, and Survival’. He also worked as a regular contributor to ‘The New York Times Book Review’ and a weekly columnist for ‘The Sunday Times’ of London in the late 1990s.
He started writing for ‘The New York Times’ Magazine in 1998. However, he was fired in 2002 by the editor Adam Moss. Sullivan felt that he had been fired because he had criticized the magazine in his blog. In 2000, he started experimenting with blogging and created his own political blog, andrewsullivan.com’s Daily Dish. The blog became very popular and developed a large online readership. Sullivan is considered to be a pioneer in political blogging and soon became one of the most widely read bloggers in the world. He also blogged for Time.com and eventually moved his independent blog to TheAtlantic.com in 2007. A few years later, he further shifted it to TheDailyBeast.com. After blogging successfully for years, he posted his final blog entry on February 6, 2015, and retired from blogging.
Major Work
He is best known as the political blogger who founded the blog andrewsullivan.com’s Daily Dish. The blog marked the beginning of the era of the political blog and made him an internationally famous blogger.
Awards & Achievements
In 2009, The Daily Dish won The 2008 Weblog Award for Best Blog.
Personal Life & Legacy
Andrew Sullivan is openly gay. He was diagnosed to be HIV-positive in the 1990s but has managed to keep the infection from progressing further. He is an outspoken supporter of gay rights and same-sex marriages.