Special rights 1069074 195590029 2008-03-03T17:37:56Z Cydebot 1215485 Robot - Moving category Civil rights to Civil rights and liberties per [[WP:CFD|CFD]] at [[Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2008 February 25]]. '''Special rights''' is a [[:Category:Political slogans|political term]] originally used by [[libertarianism|libertarians]] <!--in the USA, right?--> to refer to laws granting rights to one or more groups which are not extended to other groups, such as [[affirmative action]] or [[hate crime]] legislation with regard to ethnic, religious or sexual minorities. More recently, [[social conservatism|social conservatives]] have used the term to refer to measures that either mirror rights for gays and lesbians that already exist for heterosexuals, such as in the case of [[same sex marriage]], or extend anti-discrimination protections that exist for other minority groups to sexual minorities as well. This term is used internationally, for example "Sonderrechte" in Germany. In many situations such as employment (in the European Union and the United States), as well as housing and public accommodations (in the United States), it is illegal to discriminate based on [[gender]], [[Race (classification of human beings)|race]], [[religion]], and other attributes. Some states and localities outlaw discrimination based on [[sexual orientation]] in certain circumstances, but many do not. The European Union forbids such discrimination in employment, but not in regard to other matters, though some member states do. [[Minority rights]] advocacy groups often contend that such protections confer no "special" rights, and describe these laws instead as protecting [[equal rights]].<ref name="glaad">{{cite web|url=http://www.glaad.org/media/guide/offensive.php|title=Offensive Terminology to Avoid|publisher=GLAAD|accessdate=2006-05-30}}</ref> The differing vocabulary (some might say [[rhetoric]], though these views are often deeply held) thus mirrors the political disagreement. [[Ralph Reed]], Republican political strategist and former executive director of the [[Christian Coalition of America|Christian Coalition]], which opposes the extension of rights to sexual minorities, said "No one should have special rights or privileges, or minority status because of their sexual behavior. We don't have it for people who are polygamists, we don't have it for people who have affairs on their wives or husbands."<ref name="gay_agenda">{{cite web|url=http://facstaff.buffalostate.edu/netzhaec/gayagn2.htm|title="The Gay Agenda" and "Gay Rights, Special Rights" and the Construction of a Homosexual Role|publisher=Buffalo State|accessdate=2007-02-24}}</ref> ==See also== ===Articles=== * [[Civil rights]] ==References== <references/> [[Category:Political terms]] [[Category:Civil rights and liberties]] {{poli-stub}} {{lgbt-stub}}