David A. French

David Austin French (born January 24, 1969) is an American political commentator and former attorney. He is a columnist for The New York Times and a visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University. He was formerly senior editor of The Dispatch, a fellow at the National Review Institute, and a staff writer for National Review.

Early life and education French was born on January 24, 1969, in Opelika, Alabama. His parents were students at nearby Auburn University. He grew up in Georgetown, Kentucky.

French graduated from Lipscomb University in 1991 with a B.A., summa cum laude. He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1994 with his Juris Doctor (J.D.), cum laude.

Career French has spent much of his career working on religious rights issues. He served as a senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and the Alliance Defending Freedom and as president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), now known as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). French retired from FIRE in 2005, citing plans to serve in the United States Army Reserve as a judge-advocate general officer. Before leaving the legal practice in 2015, he also lectured at Cornell Law School.

From 2015 to 2019, he was a staff writer for National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute. He is a former senior editor of The Dispatch In January 2023, he became a New York Times columnist.

French has authored several books, He is a distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University, his alma mater.

LGBTQ issues

French has been described as anti-LGBTQ by GLAAD following the release of his New York Times column, connecting his hiring to a larger pattern of anti-trans coverage from the New York Times and Pamela Paul.

In August 2017, French was one of several co-authors of the Nashville Statement, which affirmed "that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness." The statement was criticized by pro-LGBTQ Christians and LGBTQ rights activists, as well as by several conservative religious figures.

In November 2022, French announced that he had "changed his mind" on the legal recognition of same-sex marriage, although stating he was still morally opposed to it. He wrote that his "reasoning tracked my lifelong civil libertarian beliefs" and that: Millions of Americans have formed families and live their lives in deep reliance on Obergefell being good law. It would be profoundly disruptive and unjust to rip out the legal superstructure around which they've ordered their lives. In a 2022 article for his column in The Dispatch, French stated that he doesn't believe that "trans men are 'men' or that trans women are 'women'" and that he refuses to use individuals' preferred pronouns, describing their use as "a form of assent to a system of believe to which I don't subscribe."

In earlier writings for National Review, he described a young transgender woman as a "man" who is "on the verge of mutilating himself" and wrote critically of what he called "transgender entitlement."

Military service French is a former major in the United States Army Reserve and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was awarded a Bronze Star.

Attacks by the alt-right In 2016 French, his wife, and his family were the subject of online attacks when he criticized then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and the alt-right. French was bombarded with hateful tweets, including an image of his daughter in a gas chamber.

Dispute with Sohrab Ahmari A dispute between French and conservative New York Post editor Sohrab Ahmari broke out in the summer of 2019 as a result of the publication of Ahmari's polemical First Things article entitled "Against David French-ism." The dispute centered on their differing opinions on how conservatives should approach cultural and political debate and issues, with Ahmari arguing for a more ideologically firm approach against French's views.

Pluralism French believes that pluralism and classical liberalism are essential to a nation's success. He is listed on the New Pluralism website as a field partner, and specifically as a Founding Field Builder.

Personal life French is married to author Nancy French. He and his family live in Franklin, Tennessee. They have three children, including a daughter adopted from Ethiopia.

Until early 2024, David French was a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a staunchly conservative denomination that upholds the traditional definition of marriage and the inerrancy of Scripture. Despite formerly sharing these theological foundations, French faced increasing friction with his congregation and the denomination at large because of his positions on political and legal issues, including gay marriage and opposition to Christian nationalism. As a result, French and his family decided to leave their Nashville congregation.