Love, Sex and Dorothy Day

If G. K. Chesterton is the “Prince of Paradox,” Dorothy Day (who was influenced heavily by Chesterton) ought to be dubbed the princess. Devoutly orthodox when it came to doctrine, liturgy and spirituality, and radical in her politics and love for the poor, Day is not someone who fits neatly into our ideological boxes. She was a woman committed to a “both/and” mentality, synthesizing seemingly contradictory values with insight and nuance. Perhaps the most perplexing of her beliefs were those on sexuality and romantic love.