"It still strikes me as strange that anyone could have any moral objection to someone else's sexuality. It's like telling someone else how to clean their house"

River Phoenix’s words highlight the puzzling intrusion some people feel entitled to take into the private, personal lives of others, especially regarding sexuality. By likening moral objections to someone’s sexuality to giving unsolicited advice about housekeeping, Phoenix draws attention to the deeply personal nature of both issues. Sexuality, like the manner in which one chooses to organize or clean a home, exists in a private sphere, intimate, individual, and specific to each person’s experiences and preferences. Such things do not harm or affect outsiders, implying that criticism or judgment from others is unwarranted and invasive.

The analogy underscores the arbitrary basis of these moral objections. Just as it would seem absurd to dictate how another person should arrange their furniture or tidy their living room, it is equally irrational to dictate or police another’s sexual identity or orientation, something that is not only personal but also causes no harm. Phoenix suggests that the urge to pass judgment possibly arises more from a desire for control or an inability to accept difference than from any meaningful ethical principle.

Furthermore, Phoenix’s comparison subtly reminds us that matters of personal space, be it a home or an aspect of one’s identity, deserve respect and autonomy. Judging others based on such intimate factors disregards their individuality and undermines their freedom to live authentically. It minimizes the dignity of difference, suggesting that moral objections in this context say more about the objector than the object of their criticism.

By framing sexuality as something as straightforward and private as house cleaning, Phoenix challenges widespread social prejudices. His perspective encourages empathy and self-reflection, urging people to respect boundaries and recognize that, ultimately, how someone chooses to live or love is their own matter, and does not warrant interference, policing, or judgment from others.