Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Jeffrey Jordan on the difference between anti-gay and racial discrimination

The grounds of objection differ in the respective cases: one concerns racial identity; the other concerns behavior thought to be morally problematic. Racial identity is an immutable trait and a complaint about mixed-race marriages necessarily involves a complaint about immutable trait. Sexual behavior is not an immutable trait and it is possible to object to same-sex marriages based on the behavior which would be involved in such marriages. Objections to mixed-race marriages necessarily involve objections over status, while objections to same-sex marriages could involve objections over behavior. Therefore, the two cases are not analogues since there is a significant modal difference in the ground of the objection. 

2 comments:

Jimmy S. M. said...

I'd be careful with only aligning rights with immutable traits, religious identity is not an immutable trait

Victor Reppert said...

This doesn't imply this, obviously. Discrimination because we think you made bad choices may be justified, but not under all circumstances. Nevertheless, the mixed marriage comparison, so popular with marriage equality defenders, is mistaken. The issues are far more complex.