From: briand@anasazi.com (Brian Douglass)
Subject: Re: Protection for homosexuals *is* valid (Was "Colorado Amendment2 Query")
Organization: Anasazi Inc Phx Az USA
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 22:28:56 GMT

In article <C0FsE6.1Bz@csugrad.cs.vt.edu> jaker@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Jake Rose) writes:
>mrl28033@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Michael R Linksvayer) writes:
>
>>The 14th amendment is equal protection before the law. The
>>Colorado amendment (quoted at the end of this article, thanks
>>for posting it) seems to force Colorado local governments to
>>comply with the 14th amendment by not giving some groups
>>more-than-equal protection before the law. Unless I've totally
>>lost my ability to understand written english the amendment
>>does not prevent anyone from claiming discrimination on the
>>basis of (race, creed, gender, age, etc.) - it just prevents
>>people from claiming discrimination on the basis of
>>homosexuality. If a 70 year old black jewish crippled
>>homosexual feels discriminated against the amendment would not
>>prevent her from claiming discrimination because she is a
>
>This is entirely correct.  However, people do discriminate against
>people solely for their sexual behavior - witness the upsurge of
>"Gay-Bashing" as a national pastime in recent years.  Protection from
>this kind of discrimination is prohibited by Amendment 2.

Funny, I didn't read that Amendment 2 abolished Assault & Battery laws
in Colorado?

>>is a major task, and the Colorado amendment is a step in the
>>right direction. It seems that the amendment may have been
>>written to appeal to bigotry (mentioning only same-sex
>>orientations, rather than simply any sexual orientation) but its
>>effect is to increase freedom and equality under the law. Life
>>is ironic sometimes, isn't it?

As many have pointed out, IF it prohibited any discrimination law based on
sexuality, instead by singly out homosexuality, it slashes back to right,
instead of seeking the middle ground.  A bad law is a bad law.

But in either case, I think just as Assault and Battery laws prohibit
physical attacks against another except in the most extraordinary
circumstances (self-defense), and makes no distinction as to sex or
sexuality of the victim or perpertrator, cannot we come up with
anti-descrimination laws of equal universality?

I mean for such an enlightened society has changed its description of
people from Negroes, to Colors, to Blacks, to African Americans, can't we
figure out a catch-all law to prohibit descrimination?

[deleted stuff]
>
>>My proposed super equality before the law amendment:
>>NO PROTECTION BASED ON ANY CATEGORIZATION ... [Your State] Shall
>>not adopt any law ... whereby any categorization ... shall
>>entitle any person ... to claim of discrimination.

Nah.  That's a head in the sand approach.  Descrimination does happen, I've
seen it with my own eyes.  A universal law stating no one can claim it 
would just exacerbate the problem

>
>No, but any person should be free to make claim of discrimination on
>any basis, since any person is likely to discriminate against any other
>for the most idiotic reasons - hot topic in racial discrimination today:
>blacks discriminating against blacks because of skin *darkness*!  Where
>does it end?  Nowhere.  We need the ability to make discrimination claims
>no matter what the basis.

We need the ability to prohibit discrimination whatever the basis except in
the extraordinary situations, which the courts would eventually dilineate
as they have done with laws prohibiting A&B, murder, free-speech, etc.

>
>>Mike Linksvayer   m-linksvayer@uiuc.edu   +1 217 344 1326
>-- 
>:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>Jake Rose              :: Two men look out through the same bars.
>jaker@csugrad.cs.vt.edu::                     One sees mud, and one the stars.
>:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


-- 
"The best government of all is that government which governs the least."
	Jefferson
Brian Douglass		briand@anasazi.com 	602-870-3330 X657
Newsgroups: alt.rush-limbaugh,talk.politics.misc,alt.fan.rush-limbaugh