"The conservative movement depends heavily on a large number of gay conservatives and libertarians. I've been tempted to present a list but always shied away because I was never quite sure which gays are outed, half-outed, or out but probably not interested in being named. But the list is quite long, and many on it are heavyweights in the movement. What do straight conservatives think about this?" - John Leo, on his blog.
If you include all the closet cases as well as the openly gay conservative leaders - both now and in the past - the gay impact on American conservatism has been immense. From Marvin Liebman and Whittaker Chambers through Roy Cohn, Terry Dolan, Allan Bloom, Arthur Finkelstein, and writers like Paglia and Vincent and King and Rauch and Olson and Boaz and Bawer through new media heavyweights of the 1990s and the present, there are innumerable gay conservatives. If I were to name all the prominent closeted gay conservatives who remain private, most people would be stunned. One day, this kind of cognitive dissonance will be dissected. Good for John Leo for raising it.