Richard Swinburne described homosexuality as a disability in a talk.

Posted by Robinson's Podcast, Sep 23, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

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Sources: 6 support
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 85%

Robinson's PodcastSep 23, 2026

Multiple sources report that Richard Swinburne, in a keynote at the 2016 Midwest Society of Christian Philosophers meeting, called homosexuality a "disability" and an "incurable condition"; the APA committee and Inside Higher Ed both report it, and the Society's president later disavowed the remarks.

What we found

Supports. The APA Committee on LGBTQ Philosophers states that Swinburne, a keynote speaker at the Midwest meetings of the Society for Christian Philosophers, argued that homosexuals are disabled and have an incurable condition.[2]

Supports. Inside Higher Ed reports that Swinburne reportedly referred to being gay as a "disability" and an "incurable condition" in the Society of Christian Philosophers' Midwest conference keynote.[3]

Supports. First Things reports that in a Swinburne keynote paper, homosexuality is characterized as a "disability" and, in many instances, "incurable," and that SCP president Michael Rea later expressed regret for the hurt caused.[4]

Supports. The American Conservative and attendee accounts quote Swinburne's keynote as calling homosexuality a "disability" in the lacking of the ability to have children, though the lecture text itself was not found online.[1][5][6]

Context. The sources date the talk to 2016, not to the post's date. Swinburne's own lecture text is not available, so the wording rests on reports from the audience and on secondary coverage.[1][3][5]