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Originally Posted by chillrob
In one way I don't particularly care much one way or another whether the laws are enacted, because I think they accomplish nothing. I am bothered by laws specifically protecting certain people and excluding others, because I am afraid that it may justify / encourage discrimination against those left out.
You argue against your own position. You are worried that a discrimination law WILL have an effect, that by leaving people out it might justify and encourage discrimination. Yet right before you believe that discrimination laws accomplish nothing. Well, do they encourage discrimination or not?
I believe that extending anti-discrimination protections for LGBT alongside race and gender
will help to discourage discrimination. Partly it is just symbolic, as in not a direct fear of a lawsuit but by the fact that society has accepted this principle functions in society to enshrine increased acceptance and decreased discrimination. It is like with gay marriage. It let gay people marry, but it ALSO helped random gay teens contemplating suicide because it said yes, as a society, we accept you and will protect you and afford you protections against discrimination even thought 45% of the population would deny that right.
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If these laws are enacted protecting a sexual preference, but only on gender preference, I think it validates discrimination against pedophiles or people with other preferences generally considered to be bizarre or immoral. Luckily it would not likely be experienced by many, as non - practicing pedophiles do not generally advertise their status.
Are you worried that protecting being black but not being gay validates discrimination against gay people?
Again, I'm not worried about discrimination against "non-practicing pedophiles". Pedophilia is extremely harmful "in practice" - unlike being gay - and is rightly ostracized in society to the point that people,as you say, don't generally advertise their status. This should never be used as an argument against protecting gay people.
Also, you should be aware of the long, and disgusting history of comparing gay people to pedophiles by people advocating against rights like ability to marry, and before that even to exist in society. I really think if you want to advance this discussion you should find a comparison with less of a disgusting and homophobic history.
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Originally Posted by chillrob
I would still honestly like to know if anyone thinks there should be legislated protection for short people or ugly people, and if not, why not?
I do not think so. I agree, there is discrimination based on physical appearance. And I actually think it can be quite bad, and is something our society is currently not doing enough to combat. However, it has a distinctly different historical flavor than for blacks or gays. It isn't the same kind of category discrimination as faced them. I may be statistically less likely to hire a short person, but it isn't like my religion advocates that being short is an abombination, or that I believe being short makes you a lazy monkey. I see cleanly how to append sexual orientation onto the existing, successful, legal apparatus of enumerated protected classes, but not these.