To the editor:

In response to M. Lindeman’s comments (Public Forum, April 20) about the gay-rights movement and the assertion that “a behavior is not a civil right,” my sexual behavior as a heterosexual man is a very small part of who I am as a human being. That it would be the sole basis for my being treated with respect, dignity and fairness is very offensive. It has nothing to do with my worth as a human being, nor does it form any basis for the human worth for a gay man or a lesbian woman. To suggest this issue is about the civil rights surrounding a behavior ignores the bigger issue: inherent worth of all of us as human beings and the right to fair and dignified treatment we all deserve.

The Founding Fathers set the ideal for us as a nation, that all men are created equal. When the framers of the Constitution said that we all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, they did not stipulate that those rights were contingent on any standard of behavior. They are rights that we all have simply for being human beings.

We owe it to ourselves and the other citizens of this nation to see one another as fellow human beings who deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and fairness, regardless of gender, race, religion, creed, sexual orientation or disability. Only by living up to that standard can any of us lay any claim to liberty and justice for all.

Roger Stahlecker,

Lawrence