Amoredifficultquestioniswhetherstateruleslimitingcivil“marriage”todifferent-sexcouplesisdiscriminationagainsthomosexuals.Ontheonehand，marriagehastraditionallybeenlimitedtodifferent-sexcouples，andthislimitationdoesnotreflectanti-gayprejudice.Ifyouunderstandmarriageasaninstitutionuniquelyforprocreationbetweenthespouses，thenstatenon-recognitionofsame-sexmarriageisnotadiscrimination-indeed，itwouldbeillogicaltorecognizesuchunionsasmarriages.Ontheotherhand，civilmarriageinmostmoderncountriesisnotlimitedtoprocreation；thepointofcivilmarriageistoencourageunionsofcoupleswholoveoneanotherandwanttoformafamily，withorwithoutchildren.Becausemanylesbianandgaycoupleshavethesameaspiration，theirexclusionfromcivilmarriagemaythenbediscrimination（EskridgeandSpedale，2006，chap.1）.
2.Shouldanti-gaydiscriminationbeamatteroflegalconcern？
Notall“discriminations”shouldbeillegal.IntheUnitedStates，forexample，theSupremeCourthasalloweduniversitiesto“discriminate”infavorofracialminorities（andthereforeagainstapplicantsofEuropeanancestry），inordertoachieveagreatergood，namely，harmonyanddiversityinstudent’seducationalexperience（Grutterv.Bollinger，2003）.Somediscriminationsaresominorandepisodicthatfewpeoplebelievetheyshouldbeillegal；socialdisapprovalissufficient.Thatmaynotbethecaseforanti-gaydiscrimination.ItiscertainlywidespreadinWesterncountries，andwillprobablybecomemorewidespreadinthePeople’sRepublicaslesbianandgaycommunitiesbecomemoresociallynoticeable.
Inthelastgeneration，Westerngovernmentshavewithdrawnmost（butnotall）oftheiranti-gaydiscriminationsandsometimesevenbarredprivatediscriminations（Eskridge，1999，app.B1）.Thereasonforthischangeinpolicyisthatmorepeoplehavecometoknowopenlylesbianandgaycitizens，andhaveconcludedthatitiswrongtotreatthemunfairly.Discriminationsimposeunfairburdensonlesbiansandgaymen.Atthesametime，andevenmoreimportant，thoughtfulobservershaveconcludedthatanti-gaydiscriminationimposessignificantcostsonsocietyasawhole.Considerseveralpoints.
（a）Harmony.Anti-gaybeliefsandpoliciesaretypicallymotivatedbyemotionalprejudice，andusuallynotcalmjudgmentaboutsocialwelfare.Whenpublicpolicyisdrivenbyprejudiceagainstanunpopularminority，socialharmonywillsuffer.Thisisthecasewithanti-gaypolicies，especiallypersecutions.Theyservenopublicpurposeandoftenexistsimplytoexpressdisgustorevenhatetowardaminority.
Althoughnooneknowswhat“causes”peopletohaveparticularsexualorientations，scientistshaveconcludedthathomosexualityisnotaconsciouschoice.Norisitassociatedwithhyper-sexualityorevenartisticabilities.Lesbiansandgaymenareprettymuchindistinguishablefromtherestofthepopulation，exceptfortheirsexualtastes.Onetothreepercentofthepersonsinanysocietyarehomosexualinorientation（Posner，1992）.Scientistshavealsoconcluded，evenmorefirmly，thathomosexualityisnotamentaldisease，sickness，ordefect.Indeed，itis“homophobia，”emotionalhatredofhomosexuality，thatscientistssayisthepathology，thementaldisease（e.g.，UnitedStatesNationalInstituteofMentalHealth，TaskForceonHomosexuality，1969）.
Giventhesefacts，publicpersecutionoflesbiansandgaymenisparticularlywastefulandsociallydisastrous.Thegovernmenthaslimitedcrime-fightingresources，andthereisplentyofaggressive，irresponsibleactivityinanymoderncountry.Todivertpreciousresourcesawayfrompredatoryandassaultiveactivities，towardpersecutingaharmlessminorityisextremelyunproductive.Moreimportant，itunderminesthepossibilityofsocialharmony.Policiesofpersecution，whenthevictimsareasociallyproductivegroup，stirupsocialhatredsandempowerthemostviciousamongcitizens.ThiswascertainlytheexperienceintheUnitedStatesduringthe1950s.Inthenameofnationalsecurity，thousandsofAmericanhomosexualswerehuntedlikedogs，andourcountry’spoliticswasforabrieftimedominatedbycrazypeople，whoseprejudice-basedcampaignsagainst“Communists”and“sexperverts”turnedcitizensagainstoneanother（Johnson，2004）.
Evenlessaggressivestateandprivatepoliciesexcludinglesbiansandgaymencancontributetodisharmony.Suchpoliciessendamessagethathomosexualsareinferioranddegraded，perhapsevensubhuman.InsocietiesliketheUnitedStatesandperhapsalsoChina，wherethereisanti-gaysocialanxiety，youngpersonswhoperceivethemselvesashomosexualwilloftenbeoverwhelmed；somewillcommitsuicide（UnitedStatesDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices，1989）.Othercitizenswillunderstandthosepoliciesaspublicsupportfortheirprivateprejudices.Whetheritisracialorreligiousoranti-gay，prejudicecontributestoviolence.GaypeopleintheUnitedStateshavebeensubjecttoviciousattacks，encouragedbyhomophobicpolicies（e.g.，HerekandBerrill，1992）.Toencourageviolenceagainstaminorityisnotgoodforoverallsocialharmony.
（b）Diversity（andtheCloset）.Mostlargecountriesconsistofvariousgroups-racialgroups，religiousminorities，andnowsexualizedgroupssuchasgaypeople.ThatChinaandtheUnitedStates，forexample，consistofseveraldifferentraces，livingandworkingtogether，isnotjustanoccasionfortolerance，butforcelebration.Moreover，inourincreasinglyinterdependentworld，everyoneneedstoappreciatedifferencesinrace，sex，religion，andevensexualorientation.Acountrythatteacheshostilitytominoritiesisnotpresentingitsbestfacetosuchaworld.Norisitpreparingitsowncitizensforfruitfulparticipationinthelarger，andextremelyheterogeneous，worldeconomyandcommunity.