[Pizzuti]

As for the presence of gay Republicans, should we even really be surprised?

I see a lot of frustration and animosity toward gay conservatives, and while I, personally, really oppose most political "conservative" thinking in the Amerian context, I don't think it's worth it to express indignation or shock. I'm not surprised in the least.

Most gay Republicans identify as libertarian in some sense. I'll give you that there is an accumulation of views in the conservative movement in which socially conservative peole are also economically conservative - so economic conservatives remind you of anti-gay people. There must be some psychology at the root of that - maybe the beleif, among conservatives, that undesirable "social deviants" are also the ones collecting and benefitting most from social programs.

But not all views necessarily aggregate. There are socially conservative people who are supportive of gun control. There are anti-abortion people who think that free healthcare is a human right. And so forth - there are all kinds of outliers, and I'd venture to say that MOST americans have at least one view that counters their sterereotypical position on the left vs. right continuum.

Say that you growing up in a very conservative Republican household, and at the age of 15 you realize you are gay. Your anti-homosexuality views are going to liberalize quite quickly because of your own self-interest. You know, from experience, that it's not a "choice," that you aren't the destruction of western society, and that you'd like to get married someday. So suddenly you are a "liberal" when it comes to gay rights.

But you've also been taught that immigrants are fundementally untrustworthy and threaten our english-speaking American culture or tradition. Are your views on that going to change because you are gay?

You've been taught that welfare programs are just giveaways to lazy and careless drug-addicted people. Are your views on that going to change just because you are gay?

You've been taught that healthcare is a privelege, not a right, and if you can't afford it you don't deserve it. Are your views on that going to change just because you are gay?

SOME of your views may liberalize because of your sexuality if you are intellectual enough to find paralells from one form of marginalization with other, superficially unrelated forms of marginalization. You may, obviously, be more resistant to your parents' racism because it reminds you of their homophobia. You will be resistant to a lot of arguments against abortion or sexual ethics that come from religious conservative organizations because they remind you of their arguments against gay rights. You might meet a number of people with HIV and your positions on healthcare will liberalize because you realize how few options they have and count them among your friends. You might understand how discrimination continues to exist even among outwardly tolerant organizations and you'll become more open to affirmative action or civil rights lawsuits.

But it doesn't mean that every issue liberalizes. You still may love owning guns. You still may oppose immigration. You still may think that global warming is a myth perpetuated by zellous environmentalists. You still may think a 35% tax rate is way to high. You still may think that Islam is evil, and the fact that you're gay might help that prejudice along because you recognize homophobia in Islamic societies.

Running through the rolodex of my political beleifs I don't think I hold a single conservative view - but honestly, I don't think it's fair to hate on gay Republicans either. You are no more no less obligated to adopt "better" views on an issue because of your sexual orientation - I levy no more judgement than I would on any Republican who is not gay.