People sometimes ask me: “How can you be against anti-discrimination laws? Are you in favor of discrimination?”
In a word: Yes.
Let me explain. I’m in favor of the idea that discrimination can be rational, or not. I’m also in favor of the idea that people are allowed to discriminate on their own property — whether that discrimination is rational, irrational, or perhaps a matter of opinion.
There’s something in our Constitution called freedom of association. Freedom of association means precisely that: The freedom to associate — or NOT associate — with whomever you please.
Even today, most would be outraged if the government passed a law requiring each of us to have an equal number of white, black, gay or straight friends. Yet laws are routinely passed requiring us to have an equal number of white, black, gay or straight employees. It makes no more sense in one case than it does in another. “Association” is a term which applies to the economic and business realm as well as the personal.
Gays, blacks and other minority activists attempt to gain “equal rights” through unequal means — through subverting the right of free association for some, while guaranteeing it for others. In the process, they undermine the very notion of free association that a free society depends upon. Someday, this subversion of rights could come back to haunt them, when we’re no longer a free country at all.
Do I find irrational discrimination abhorrent? I absolutely do. But there are valid reasons to oppose “non-discrimination” laws. Bigotry is an invalid reason. Preserving freedom of association — for everyone, including minorities — is THE reason that matters to me.