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Objectivism is a philosophy created by Ayn Rand, which some gay and lesbian people have been interested in for its celebration of personal freedom and individuality at the expense of government power. However, Rand's personal views of homosexuality were unambiguously negative. Objectivism is the philosophical system developed by Russian-American philosopher and writer Ayn Rand. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that The Ayn Rand Collective be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Gay (disambiguation). ... A lesbian is a female who is aesthetically, sexually, or romantically attracted to other females. ...

Ayn Rand

Public statements

In 1971, Rand published The New Left, a collection of essays which directly attacked the feminist and sexual liberation movements, including the gay rights movement. She called them "hideous" for their demand for what she considered "special privileges" from the government. She also addressed homosexuality itself, writing that "[T]o proclaim spiritual sisterhood with lesbians... is so repulsive a set of premises from so loathsome a sense of life that an accurate commentary would require the kind of language I do not like to see in print." ("The Age of Envy") 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ...

In response to questions from the audience at the two Ford Hall Forum lectures she gave at Northeastern University, Rand explained her stance in more detail. In her 1968 lecture, she said, "I do not approve of such practices or regard them as necessarily moral, but it is improper for the law to interfere with a relationship between consenting adults." (Ayn Rand Answers, p. 18) In 1971, Rand repeated this stance, then explained that homosexuality "involves psychological flaws, corruptions, errors, or unfortunate premises", concluding that homosexuality "is immoral, and more than that; if you want my really sincere opinion, it's disgusting." [1] Northeastern University (NU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, in the New England region of the United States. ...

While Rand resisted the label of libertarian, her views were consistent with a form of libertarianism called minarchism. Her stance on the legalities of homosexuality likewise matched the mainstream libertarian perspective, leading to support of certain rights but not others. In specific, while she endorsed rights that protect gays from discrimination by the government, she rejected the "right" to be protected from discrimination in the private sector. Many individuals found their support of libertarianism upon philosophical elements derived from the philosophy of philosopher novelist Ayn Rand, which she called Objectivism. ... Libertarianism is a political philosophy advocating that individuals should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others. ... In civics, minarchism, sometimes called minimal statism or small government, is the view that the size, role and influence of government in a free society should be minimal - only large enough to protect the liberty of each and every individual, without violating the liberty of any individuals itself, thus maximizing... The libertarian perspective on gay rights has been a topic of debate among libertarians, especially in the United States. ... A right is the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled or a thing to which one has a just claim. ... The private sector of a nations economy consists of those entities which are not controlled by the state - i. ...

On sex roles

Rand asserted that the "the essence of femininity is hero worship — the desire to look up to man" and that "an ideal woman is a man-worshiper, and an ideal man is the highest symbol of mankind." In other words, Rand felt that it was part of human nature for a psychologically healthy woman to want to be ruled in sexual matters by a man worthy of ruling her. In an authorized article in The Objectivist, psychiatrist Nathaniel Branden, Rand's extramarital lover and onetime "intellectual heir," explains Rand's view as the idea that "man experiences the essence of his masculinity in the act of romantic dominance; woman experiences the essence of her femininity in the act of romantic surrender." (1968) Nathaniel Branden is a psychotherapist and author of psychology books and multiple articles on ethical and political philosophy. ...

Reactions

In 1983, Nathaniel Branden wrote that she was "absolutely and totally ignorant” about homosexuality. Branden added that he saw her perspective "as calamitous, as wrong, as reckless, as irresponsible, and as cruel, and as one which I know has hurt too many people who ... looked up to her and assumed that if she would make that strong a statement she must have awfully good reasons." 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Harry Binswanger, of the Ayn Rand Institute writes that, while Rand generally condemned homosexuality, she would adopt a more tolerant view of it "when she was in an especially good mood." [2] He also noted that he "asked her privately (circa 1980) specifically whether she thought it was immoral. She said that we didn't know enough about the development of homosexuality in a person's psychology to say that it would have to involve immorality." Harry Binswanger (born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1944) is a philosopher and writer. ... The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism (ARI) was established in 1985, three years after Ayn Rands death, by Leonard Peikoff, Rands legal and intellectual heir. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Post Rand

After Rand's death in 1982, Objectivist organizations have generally had little to say about homosexuality or gay rights. Being homosexual was never grounds for exclusion from the ARI, and contemporary Objectivists generally continue to support the view that the government must allow anyone other than itself to discriminate against homosexuals. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

For example, according to Objectivist Damian Moskovitz:

While many conservatives believe that homosexuality should be outlawed and many liberals believe that homosexuals should be given special rights, Objectivism holds that as long as no force is involved, people have the right to do as they please in sexual matters, whether or not their behavior is considered by others to be or is in fact moral. And since individual rights are grounded in the nature of human beings as human beings, homosexuals do not deserve any more or less rights than heterosexuals. [3]

Like Rand, leading Objectivist psychologist Michael J. Hurd supports gay marriage as falling under the rights of individuals to associate voluntarily. Unlike Rand, however, he does not view homosexuality as immoral, stating that "a gay marriage... though unconventional and highly controversial, can be a loving and highly satisfying union between two individuals [4]." Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of... Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by esthetic attraction, romantic love or sexual desire exclusively for members of the opposite sex or gender, contrasted with homosexuality and distinguished from bisexuality and asexuality. ... Michael J. Hurd, Ph. ... Same-sex marriage is marriage between individuals who are of the same legal or biological sex. ...

Notes

References

• Rand, Ayn, Homosexuality and Human Liberation (2003) [5]
• "The Female Hero: A Randian-Feminist Synthesis", Thomas Gramstad (1999) [6]

See also

• Libertarian perspectives on gay rights