Reply #76: There are some parallels, but also some big differences

[Donald Ian Rankin]

The two issues are similar in that they both deal with a group being discriminated against on grounds which have nothing to do with impedences being placed in their way. OTOH

:- The two sets of things being forbidden are very different indeed - no-one ever suggested forbidding blacks from marrying or gays from voting.

:- Everyone agrees that being black is purely a matter of birth; to what extent homosexuality is a function of genetics vs choice vs environment remains controversial.

:- The opponents of "civil rights" (a phrase I dislike, incidentally - "rights" is a silly word) held that blacks were *inferior*; the opponents of "gay rights" hold that gays are *sinful*.

:- There were far more blacks than there are gays.

:- The "civil rights" struggles didn't break down so clearly along party lines, I believe.


I'd say that the underlying principle in the two issues was basically the same - don't prohibit someone from doing something for no good reason - but that the way they're likely to play out will be very different.