Talk:Right-libertarianism
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[edit] Libertarians and Gay Marriage vs Gay Rights
I changed the assertion that libertarians support gay marriage to an assertion that they support gay rights. While most libertarians probably support the concept of the right to gay marriage, not all do. This is important because a more recent principled libertarian position is to remove marriage from the domain of the state, rather than to redefine marriage, as redefining it would not solve the problem society has dealing with the issue (because of the involvement of the state, most libertarians would eventually agree.) To some, this may resemble the school choice issue or the church and state issue. While most non-libertarians would argue their positions on school choice and church vs state within an assumed context of a large and controlling government, libertarians would typically say the problem is the expanding domain of government, and that a free market would correct the problem by allowing unconstrained choice. In the same way, a "free market" in marriage would correct the gay rights issue to marriage. Leaving the state out of it allows all individuals to contract marriage on their own, or with organizations, to define what it is, and avoids a societal "rubber stamp."
Thus, the idea that libertarians support gay marriage can be more generally and correctly stated, that libertarians support gay rights. Put bluntly, if gay people want to marry, that's fine--as with any kind of people. It's not the government's business to stop it or to sanction it. This is markedly different from saying that we (all) support gay marriage, as marriage is currently inextricable from the state, because of licensing (which was introduced to keep people of certain races from marrying people of certain other races.) Individual libertarians may or may not support gay marriage, but most probably believe that government should not be used to interfere with it or to sanction it.
I've tried to be objectively clear and impersonal, though my individual view may show through. I hope I've been respectful in that endeavor, and in turn, can be respected for it. 206.124.31.24 06:26, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
