About the Editor: Ben Appel
“He drew a circle that shut me out —
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him in!”
Ben Appel is more than just a dear friend; he’s an exceptional writer whose voice couldn't be more vital right now. As Guest Editor for the Heretic Issue of Queer Majority, Ben’s work and vision strike at the heart of the questions that surround heretics: Can we ever come back to the community? Can the community’s circle be widened to embrace us?
Ben brings a sharp intellect and compassionate heart to the most pressing conversations in queer politics. His insightful writing, including his wave-making Newsweek article, "The New Homophobia", showcases his ability to analyze complex social dynamics with nuance. Ben is also the author of the forthcoming memoir, Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic, scheduled for release on November 4, 2025, by Bombardier Books. It explores his journey from a strict religious upbringing to gay activism and his subsequent alienation from the LGBT community over his dissent from activist orthodoxies.
“It’s disappointing when friends or colleagues turn on you over political differences,” Ben told me, “but once you become confident in your views, excommunication isn’t as traumatizing. I can also understand why people do it. There’s a lot of pressure to conform, and the consequences for fraternizing with the enemy can be severe. Besides, in the past, before I knew better, I’m sure I did the same thing to other people.”
As a lesbian healthcare worker who blew the whistle on the dangers of pediatric gender transitions in a viral Free Press piece, “I Thought I Was Saving Trans Kids. Now I’m Blowing the Whistle,” I know firsthand what it’s like to be a heretic. I know the urgency of standing up for one's values and speaking uncomfortable truths within their community, even if it means facing a brutal backlash. I know what happens when the circle “shuts me out.” Just like Ben.
“The freedom to think and speak for oneself is the greatest freedom,” Ben said. “It’s also a big responsibility. It’s definitely much easier to be told what to think. But once you gather the nerve to form your own independent opinions, there’s really no going back. When it comes to gender issues, I’m adamant that everyone’s voice is heard because it seems like at some point a lot of powerful people just decided what progress looks like and demanded everyone fall in line.”
For generations, queer people have inhabited the space of the heretic, challenging norms through their lives and loves. This history of being othered has cultivated resilience and a deep understanding of the dangers of exclusion — whether it comes from the dominant culture or from one’s own community. Having fought for and gained inclusion against external forces, we must now critically examine our own tendencies to create exclusionary circles.
As Guest Editor, Ben Appel investigates not only this history but also its impact on modern queer life. In so doing, he invites us to reflect on the legacy of the heretic.
“I want readers to be inspired to question their own views and assumptions. And if they realize they’ve changed their mind about something, or that they’re actually in disagreement with a lot of the people around them, I hope they take the risk of saying what they actually think. Essays are great for this, because they force us to argue our points clearly: ‘This is how I got here.’”
The question is: By understanding our history as outsiders and acknowledging the ongoing experiences of those who face similar challenges from within queer spaces, can we build a community that values robust debate and resists the urge to hastily draw exclusionary circles? It’s a crucial conversation Ben has had to grapple with in his own life and career, and one he seeks to ignite here.
Published Jun 15, 2025
Published in Issue XIII: Heretic
