Volokh’s Slippery Slope
Eugene Volokh is being an idiot. He’s arguing that “[t]he broad gay rights program isn’t just about increasing the freedom of gays; it is also about decreasing the freedom [...] of those who don’t want to associate with gays in various ways.”
Yes, Eugene, and the women’s rights movement is about decreasing the freedom of misogynists, and the black rights movement is about decreasing the freedom of white supremacists. So what? Is there some reason for society to hold these hateful freedoms above the inclusive freedoms being fought for?
In actuality, he’s just using this to support his “slippery slope” argument, which is complete bollocks. He’s said (in an earlier piece) that “the more proposals the gay rights movement wins on, the easier (generally speaking) it would be for it to win on other proposals.” That’s true, but in actuality, the slide down this slope of his is always brought into check before it gets too far. No legislator will pass a law making anti-gay speech illegal, or forcing people to welcome homosexuals into their homes with open arms. The slope will carry society to whatever point it deems currently acceptable as a whole; if the gay rights movement steps over the boundaries and begins to infringe on freedoms that the majority hold dear, society will push back until a balance is found.
The gay rights movement is not seeking superiority. It’s just striving for equality. We want homosexuals to have the same rights as anyone else, no more and no less, and to be treated, rightly, as if their sexuality has no bearing on anyone other than themselves any more than a heterosexual’s does.
August 13th, 2004 at 4:13 pm
Quite naturally. I didn’t notice a ‘gay exception’ in the 14th Amendment.