Outright Libertarians
Outright Libertarians is a United States association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and other self-identified "queer" (LGBTQ) people who are active in the Libertarian Party.
History
Outright Libertarians was created in 1998 by a group of libertarian gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons that wanted to persuade their fellow LGBTQ persons to support a libertarian perspective on gay rights issues, and to support the United States Libertarian Party.
It became the third such organization to exist, with the defunct "Libertarians For Gay and Lesbians Concerns" being the first, and the "Gays and Lesbians for Individual Liberty" being largely inactive since 2001.
Position on LGBTQ rights
Due to its philosophical basis in libertarianism, the organization is often in the position of having to oppose civil rights legislation for involving what it contends are intrusive and unnecessary government regulations into private affairs. This opposition often places it at odds with proponents of expanded protections for [...] minorities.
- Sodomy laws - opposes sodomy laws as "unwarranted intrusion into the private bedrooms of ALL consenting adults." Even through the United States Supreme Court has ruled that sodomy laws are unconstitutional (see Lawrence v. Texas), Outright Libertarians seeks to have states repeal the laws from the books, such as the one in Utah.
- Marriage - While the government is involved in the business of civil marriage, it should not exclude same-[...] couples, but eventually Outright Libertarians want the government to have "no role to play in the relationships of people, other than possibly as a record keeper." Outright Libertarians oppose any government law requiring a license to marry or a private employer to provide any type of benefits to its employee.
- Adoption - opposes any government rule in the adoption of children, except as a record keeper and to address fraud, coercion or abuse.
- Civil rights - usually opposes both the expansion of civil rights laws to include [...] orientation or gender identity like the hate crimes legislation but varies.
- AIDS funding - opposes any usage of taxpayers' money to help fund, treat or fight the AIDS-HIV pandemic. All AIDS research, prevention, education, and treatment should be private and voluntary.
- Taxation - opposes most forms of taxation and supports libertarian free market economics.
- Gays in the military - opposes Don't ask, don't tell policies. Supports allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the armed forces.
- Boy Scouts of America - supports the right of private clubs and organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, to absolute "freedom of association," but is opposed to any form of government subsidy. It also varies.
Coalitions
The organization is supportive of much of the work of the Pink Pistols, and is sometimes cited by the conservative authors at the Independent Gay Forum. As a Libertarian Party lobby, the group shares some positions, but also has multiple disagreements with, other partisan gay organizations such as the Log Cabin Republicans and Stonewall Democrats.
Activities
As a grassroots organization, Outright Libertarians frequently hosts forums, participates in debates on LGBTQ issues, encourages debate and discussion on its blog, issues press releases and statements of position, and surveys Libertarian candidates about their positions related to gay rights concerns.
The organization also conducts active outreach through sponsorship of booths at major US gay pride events, having a presence at pride events in Boston, Atlanta, and San Francisco in recent years.
See also
- Lavender Greens
- Log Cabin Republicans
- Stonewall Democrats
- Libertarian perspectives on LGBT rights
External links
fr:Outright Libertarians