Reply #7: The presumption that only a member of a demographic minority can fairly adjudicate issues ...

[TahitiNut]

... impacting that minority is buying in to the "identity politics" of conservatism. It's NOT a liberal (or progressive) viewpoint at all. Implicit in such a posture is the notion that "identity politics" is somehow valid and worth embracing. It's NOT. Do liberals and progressives REALLY want to send the message that whites should "vote white" and straights should "vote straight" and males should "vote male"????? That's EXACTLY the message being sent when it's presumed that ONLY a black can represent a "black perspective" or ONLY a gay can represent a "gay perspective" or ONLY a female can represent a "female perspective." Indeed, the more such messages are sent then the more such messengers are implicitly validating the conservative posture of "special rights" and "narrow interests" ... instead of human rights and human interests.

I'm a liberal. I'm an independent liberal. I support equal rights for women, even as a male, because I'm a liberal. I support equal rights for gays, even as a straight, because I'm a liberal. I support equal rights for all human beings because I'm a liberal. Period. There's NOTHING inherently 'liberal' about women supporting equal rights for women, gays supporting equal rights for gays, or blacks supporting equal rights for blacks. That's just self-serving "identity politics."