Dignity and the right to be lesbian or gay

Abstract

Richard Mohr emphasizes the importance of dispelling false beliefs about lesbians and gay men, and establishing legislation that protects the rights of sexual minorities. He argues that homophobic policies originate in the belief that gay men and lesbians are categorically less morally valuable than others, rather than deserving of unequal treatment because of their behaviors or actions. In response, I show that homophobic panic over lesbian or gay sex acts is actually quite influential, and argue that Mohr fails to take account of the political and philosophical significance of sexual freedom, and the inextricability of sexual being and sexual doing. © Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007.