We are frequently confronted with claims that LGBT rights are under attack by conservatives. There is a problem with this claim, and the problem is: There is no such thing as LGBT rights. There are only individual rights, and they apply to all individuals, including lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and heterosexuals.
The problem with any claim pertaining to LGBT rights is two-fold. First, it implies that LGBT individuals have rights that are separate and distinct from heterosexuals. In fact, all individuals have a moral right to live their lives as they choose, so long as they respect the freedom of others to do the same.
Second, claims of LGBT rights alienate many potential allies. For example, when activists were pressing for gay marriage to be legalized, they made it a gay “rights” issue when in fact it was an individual rights issue. Consenting adults have a moral right to marry the person of their choosing, and this applies to both gays and straights. Rational people would agree with this.
But when the issue is presented as a gay “rights” issue, it implies that gays have a right pertaining to marriage that heterosexuals don’t have. And this can alienate many who would otherwise support an individual’s freedom to marry whom he chooses.
Certainly, LGBT individuals have have been subject to discriminatory laws, such as the ban on gay marriage. But the solution isn’t to argue for LGBT “rights.” The solution is to argue for individual rights.