I’m all for conservatives sticking to their guns and not compromising on issues that they think are important. Though I myself have no moral issues with homosexuality, don’t want homosexuals to be persecuted, and would rather the conservative movement focus on issues that I think are important.
That isn’t to say that social conservatism isn’t important, it absolutely is. Marriage is important, families are important, but I don’t think that gay people are the problem with straight marriages breaking down.
I'd agree that a socially conservative stance on homosexuality shouldn't be the leading or the forefront issue of social conservatism. While I disagree that it's the albatross social liberals here seem to think it is (opposing homosexual marriage is still a plank of the GOP platform, it's not like this is a change), opposing homosexual marriage probably is at least slightly unpopular with the population as a whole. The focus should be on other issues, particularly issues that generate support or a loyal constituency, the best candidates probably being pro-natal and pro-homeschooling measures, and policies that could reduce the two-income-trap incentives.
That said, I don't think it's an issue that can or should be dropped, either. "Dems are the real homophobes" is never going to get any more traction than DR3, and we're never going to be the more homosexual friendly party. On this issue, the things most worth pressing and most able to be pressed are biological men in women's restrooms- that is unpopular, especially with parents, and biological boys in women's sports- unpopular, maybe especially with a suburban constituency that would be useful to win over more. But that's kind of unrelated to this thread.
To be honest, I was raised in a fairly moderate liberal family and used to have much the same opinion on the matter. Then we got the tumblr vexiollogy enthusiast stuff which I thought was stupid but ultimately not too harmful. Then we got the James Younger stuff and the drag queen kid performing in a gay bar stuff and the story hour stuff and I saw what every June looks like in a left wing city. It might have been more inescapable for me than it was for others, as I was going to university in a very left wing city. And I just thought, if this is where this leads, we've got to rip it out by the roots. A tree is known by it's fruit, and this is poison.
Though I guess the question is this: what should be the legal policy regarding homosexuality?
I think arguing about what should be done if any of us were dictator is kind of pointless.
I do think that limiting homosexuals from positions of authority within IRL conservative organizations is possible and valuable, though. In my (limited, although I'm guessing more than some other people on this site) experience with IRL conservative activism and conservative organizations, they were as a general rule more moderate, much more socially liberal. Some of them get what seems to me to be probably disproportionate promotion on the basis of "look, we have a gay guy who agrees with us." I didn't see any, but I would assume they generally face discrimination on the basis of sexuality as well. Additionally what I am involved with is university-linked, and the while I was (thankfully) never harassed, there are some open homosexuals within conservative activism who hang around for the university activism scene, who at least in my and the other students subjective view seemed somewhat sketch. Nothing I am aware of was even a fraction as bad as what Weaver did, the worst that happened that I'm aware of was one of them Instagram stalking one of my friends, but he was pretty skeeved out and I think rightfully so.
All of this is an issue, in my opinion when it comes to IRL activism. As someone who isn't very moderate, I think they hold organizations back, somewhat. Just on the basis of having naturally different incentives and political proclivities, they form something of a natural fifth column. And there's enough creepiness in general that good people probably do get scared off or leave.
Obviously NAXALT, and there probably are homosexuals worth an exception. But I do think it's reasonable if there's a bit more scrutiny, if a detriment that needs to be counterbalanced somehow for positions of authority and particularly positions of authority interacting with children or those much younger.
Born this way is a meme, it’s not totally genetic, it likely isn’t even majority influenced by genetics.
I agree with you on most of what you've said, but I just want to point out that "not genetic" doesn't necessarily mean it was a choice, either. Not that you said it was.
First, I would put forward that female sexual abuse of children is vastly undercounted, because it isn't considered abuse (South Park has a great episode on this). Studies have shown that about 60% of males in prison were molested by women.
Second, studies have shown (for example,
this one from 1978, and before any cultural force on LGBT's part) that men that molest boys are almost always straight in their adult lives (the sample taken of 175 pedos found 0 that were gay in their adult lives, and about a third assaulted boys).
That's interesting. I'd be surprised if that explained all of the disparity. Do you know what percentage of males in prison were molested by men (prior to prison- obviously confounded once they're in prison)?
With the 1978 study, that's interesting as well but seems likely to be confounded to me in the other direction to me- I assume many gay men in 1978 were also straight in their public lives. The big question here seems to me to go back to one of
@FriedCFour's points- are male pedophiles who abuse boys gay in the same way that ones who don't are gay? Do they prefer adult men to adult women or not? Are they a subset, or are many something else entirely? I'd concede that the 1978 study is evidence that they might be something else entirely, but I don't think it's overwhelming evidence.
The John Weaver and Kevin Spacey things are both relevant here. Both were publicly straight, Weaver was married with kids, I don't know about Spacey. Spacey abused kids, Weaver at minimum groomed them. Both "came out" as gay after allegations.