On The West Wing, they would occassionaly do an episode where a conventional bit of liberal thinking was taken apart. In one episode, a gay Republican congressman argues with Josh over the Defence of Marriage Act, and Josh finally says "how can you be a member of this party". The answer given is that although gay, there was a lot more to the congressman's politics and beliefs than just his sexuality.

For most people, we rarely agree with everything the party we vote for has in its manifesto. You try and find the best fit. I tend to vote Liberal Democrat, but I was uneasy in 2005 with their stance on top-up fees, for example. This is unremarkable. However, for some people, there's a tendency for the rest of us to believe they can only care about one issue, and the LGBT community is one of them. It seemed incredible to Josh in that episode, and it apparently seems incredible to the government that according to a recent survey, 38% of homosexuals would vote Tory at the next election, even though the Conservative Party have had by far the weaker record on supporting gay rights (as acknowledged even by the respondents in the same survey)

The irony here is that this stance is in itself homophobic, implying that the only thing a homosexual cares about is being homosexual, and that the only thing they seek from a government is that it lets they be as homosexual as they want to be. Far be it for gays to be interested in the same concerns that have driven the nationwide decline in Labour support, or to care about a number of issues. A fiscally conservative gay? An anti-EU gay? How can you be pro-business or in favour of tougher immigration policies AND a homosexual? Where would you even find the time?

I find it hard to work out where the Conservative Party currently stands on gay rights, as I don't think the positions espoused by Cameron are necessarily spreading throughout his party, nor do I think he is definitely not posturing. I see nothing on the policy section of the website about gay rights (while I do see a section on the countryside). But it's one area that voters - all voters - get to decide about, and that includes heterosexuals who are also able to care about fringe issues like equality and personal freedom. Making it a rallying call against the Tories makes you as much of a hinderance to progress as the anti-gay Conservative party (if it even exists) that you want to stop getting into power.