"Gay Rights Don't Matter; Equal Rights Do"

The Columbia Political Union of Columbia University invited Dr. Nigel Ashford of George Mason University's Institute for Humane Studies to speak last Tuesday (9/20) on gay rights. Ashford is a politically savvy academic with an impressive resume, but more importantly, he delivers one sizzling lecture.

According to Ashford, the issue of gay rights does not involve homosexuality but the philosophy of government. "The issue," the esteemed lecturer said, "Is not whether you are for or against gay rights... [But rather] do you believe in the inalienable natural rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?"

According to libertarian philosophy, the government should give its people absolute freedom to pursue these rights. "The government claims the monopoly of the use of legitimate force over a territory," Ashford explains, "but the use of force to control a person's actions is wrong and should be prevented."

Ashford said that not only should homosexuals be free to practice homosexuality and even marry, but that those who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle should be free to express their position. This live-and-let-live maxim would even allow conservatives to practice their exercise of freedom of association by refusing to hire gays or refusing to allow them to join non-governmental organizations, such as churches or Boy Scouts.

"I think it is morally the wrong decision to exclude gays from the Boy Scouts," Ashford said. "But it would also be morally wrong to force the Boy Scouts to include homosexuals... It is not the role of the law to impose morality."

In one of his written articles, Ashford further clarified his point with the statement, "Gays must have equal rights to straights. They are entitled to nothing less-but also nothing more."

I was wooed by the statement, "also nothing more." In a political and social world full of intolerance and irrational partisan loyalties on both sides, it is refreshing to hear so universally consistent and impersonal an approach to the gay issues discussion. Neither gays nor straights should be oppressed; neither gays nor straights should receive special treatment from the government. This balance is hard to argue with.

Yet, whether or not it is true that government should not legislate what Ashford dubbed "morality" is a deeper debate. In the arena of marriage, for instance, how would morality, the right of free association, and absolute equality merge to please both homosexuals seeking union and heterosexuals seeking to conserve societal traditions? Is there a happy medium?

As delightful and thought-provoking as Ashford's lecture was, it failed to convince me that there is a satisfying meeting ground for conservatives and liberals on the "gay" or equal rights issue. The law may not have the right to impose morality, but do rights have the right to ignore it? The libertarian approach, though, deserves some looking in to.

For more information on Ashford, the Institute of Humane Studies at George Mason University, or the Columbia Political Union, visit www.TheIHS.org or http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cpu/.