Doing Ethics

Singer and musician Melissa Etheridge recently said about homosexuality that: "Love is all there is, and love is never wrong. Why should we be threatened by love?"

The subtitle of the chapter on "Sex" in Doing Ethics in a Diverse World is "Consent Plus What?" Love is a good answer, as long as by love we mean mutual respect and commitment and not only passion.

In the law we presently have a clash of rules. Marriage in most places is heterosexual by definition, but the human right of nondiscrimination weighs in favor of gay marriage if civil unions do not provide rights equal to marriage. In the US civil union laws in several states do not override federal laws, which do not recognize civil unions as creating rights equal to marriage.

Do our stories about character and relationships help to resolve this conflict of duties and rights? Melissa Etheridge seems to think so, and I agree. How about you?

Labels: sex