Threat to sexual freedom: Moralistic intolerance instills a spiral of silence

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Abstract
Moralistic intolerance threatens sexual freedom. Sex‐negative ideologies, characterized as Normative and Jehovanist, regard sexuality as dirty—producing moral corruption and creating social disorder. The New Right silences its critics by calling them “permissive” or “secular humanists.” Although they flout the rule of reason, unjust sexual laws remain as a heritage of antisexual ideologies. Most Americans favor tolerance of sexual variations and lifestyles. Yet they remain confused about their moral grounds, cowed into a spiral of silence. Sexual freedom is justified by the universal ethical principle of concern and respect for persons. Rawls’ theory of justice provides an ethical framework for justifying equal liberty and equal justice for sexual minorities. Responsible sexual choices are grounded by reasoning from universal ethical principles about self, partner, and society.

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