Photography by M. Sharkey
A former special assistant to President Bill Clinton, Socarides has been a frequent commentator on news programs, especially during this election year. His staunch Democratic partisanship and spin-doctor expertise (he founded the LGBT watchdog arm of Media Matters) make him a forceful, quotable source on everything from Chick-fil-A to gay conversion clinics. On that last topic, he's worked doggedly to delegitimize the work of his late father, the reparative therapy advocate and psychoanalyst Charles Socarides.
Photographed at Sun Studios in New York City on September 13, 2012
