In response to Dan Johnson, who critiques my New York Times piece “Gay Rights and the Race Analogy,” I offer a rejoinder at The Partially Examined Life. An excerpt: I actually support antidiscrimination laws that cover sexual orientation and gender identity. But I think we need a better argument for them than “because … segregated… Continue reading Rejoinder to Dan Johnson
Tag: race
Gay Rights and the Race Analogy
At The New York Times, I urge caution on use of the race analogy and argue that the issues are more complex than they’re typically treated: The present debate is too often dominated by hasty generalizations and false inferences, on both sides. The left slides too easily from “similar” to “the same.” The right correctly… Continue reading Gay Rights and the Race Analogy
Paula Deen and DOMA
My take on lessons from Paula Deen and DOMA, at HuffPost: Just as you don’t have to be throwing around the “n-word” to exhibit racism, you don’t have to be calling gays “faggots” in order to signal that they, and their love, and their families, are less worthy than others. Read the full column here.
The Race Analogy
The interracial marriage analogy is actually a collection of analogies, some of them stronger than others. One can, for example, analogize race to sexual orientation, as Craig does here. But one can also analogize it to sex or gender. Read the full column at HuffPost.