Myth of the Mainstream

Yoshino writes on page 605 that the concept if the "mainstream" is only fallacy. He states that although you may be normal in one aspect, you will always differ in another characteristic. For example, a straight, white, protestant man appears to be the typical member of the majority on the outside, but maybe he's colorblind, or a hairstylist, or diabetic. Nobody is a true member of the mainstream because there will always be something that puts him or her in the minority.

Yoshino is reasonably persuasive, but I only half agree with the idea that laws should cover everyone and not a specific group of people. Near the end of page 606 he writes that instead of granted gay marriage, the courts should say that anyone can marry anyone. This is an impossible thing. A law that states, "Party A can marry Party B" will always be interpreted as the law that allows same-sex marriage. It is true that nobody is in the majority for every category, but I don't believe that putting this idea in the minds of those who are considered most normal, or anyone, for that matter, would change anything. People would still get away with discharging a man who refused remove his yarmulke or firing a woman with corn rows.

The term "mainstream" is difficult to define. I would define a person in it as someone who has no characteristics that would allow him or her to be discriminated against, visibly or otherwise. A diabetic man is not a likely candidate to be denied any of his rights unless it prevents something bad from happening to someone else.