I support LGBTQ rights. I do so without equivocation. I also really feel like I have made that clear in my past writings and videos. So when someone asked me about it recently, the first thought that went through my head was, “Clearly this person does not know me.”

So, let’s lay it out clearly: If you are a human being, you should have the right to do all the same things other people get to do. You know: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

All Rights Matter

At the same time, you should not use your rights to infringe on another person’s rights. And before any extremists out there start emailing things like, “So people should just be able to do ANYTHING?,” stop and think. There are exceptions. We elect representatives to make laws that are supposed to preserve order and protect people. I believe that when you violate those laws, you should lose some of your rights. But, by and large, if what you are doing is not adversely impacting public safety or taking away something that rightfully belongs to another, I have no problem with you doing it.

If you want to get married, get married. If you want to live together without getting married, do that. If you want to worship a certain way, fine. As long as your style of worship does not require, or even suggest, that you attack another for his or her style of worship, I support you. I’m sure there are more examples, and I’m sure there is room for discussion and debate. But I don’t have the time or the inclination to go through every “what about” scenario. I try to be rational, logical and kind. I figure if I am doing that, I’m OK.

If you must have a reason why I support LGBTQ rights (and lots of other groups we will talk about later), here it is: If you can take away rights from one group, someday you will take away rights from me. I stand up and speak up to stop the erosion of rights because I know that if I don’t, one day someone could try to take away my rights.

Guns Make Us Equal

I especially support LGBTQ gun rights. And I support Maj Toure, the founder of Black Guns Matter. (I still need to buy one of his “All Gun Control Is Racist” T-shirts.) I also support JPFO.org — that’s “Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.” I support all these groups because, in all honesty, minority groups are the people who most need the protections guns afford. People who are outside the mainstream are the people who are most often singled out for persecution and violence. I believe EVERY human being has the right to defend his or her life, liberty and property. Yes, we have established some guidelines covering what makes such defense legal and righteous, but those guidelines should be universally applied.

Guns make us equal. A gun allows a 97-pound woman to stop a 250-pound man from attacking her. A gun will stop a group of drunken idiots from beating a gay couple for holding hands on the street. Guns, when available, have stopped lynchings. Without guns, we would be ruled by the mob, just like the hierarchy inside a prison. In there, the young, the strong and the many make the rules. If you are older, weaker or choose not to be part of a gang, you are at their mercy.

I support freedom. And I realize that “freedom” means freedom for all — not just for the people who think the same, look the same or act the same way as I do. If you think someone should not get the same freedoms as you because they are different from you, that makes you part of the problem.

Giving freedom and equal rights to others does not take anything away from you. And you might just get another ally in the fight against gun control.