This isn't likely about being gay per se - it's an old power network that started in the 1970s with powerful closeted gay political consultants (Arthur Finkelstein, Terry Dolan, Roger Stone) then merged with Peter Thiel's network. Gay MAGA was so important to Jan 6 they got color-coded in summaries.
the article itself has them very specifically saying that being gay is a fundamental social tie that they use to do the thing that they're doing, and tbh i suspect that the fact that it relegates them out of the limelight makes them unthreatening to principals
The problem is this Style section article misses the politics and the history. For example, they have a photo of Jacob Helberg without mentioning that he's the husband of longtime Peter Thiel crony David Rabois. Trump was first pushed to run by Chris Barron of GOProud, and by Roger Stone... 1/
.. Stone being the protege of Arthur Finkelstein, who pushed homophobic and antisemitic campaigns despite being gay and Jewish. The gay MAGA network in DC now is the product of a really long history and some really dark political operators. It's not a lightweight, upbeat Style section topic. 2/
Typo, that should be Keith Rabois, not David Rabois. 3/
oh i suspect this was just the only way they could get permission to cover it at all, since one of the people they're indirectly hinting at is famously litigious wrt newspapers
Any article pointing out the network is good. The coverage can increase from there. Jan 6 had two main domestic backing groups: the fundamentalist religious right, and the techbro neo-fascists (which includes the gay MAGA network). They obviously do not share values.. 1/2
.. so there must be conflict, yet the religious right is strangely quiet right now, seeming to cede power. An expert on the religious right predicted that this is a waiting game, that if Thiel really seized power they would knife him, use his gayness against him. We shall see what happens. 2/2
i would suspect he will always act through a cutout that's religiously acceptable like a certain yalie
Thiel had two cutouts that would be more acceptable - Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz have deep Evangelical credentials. But, Cruz had failed for the presidency already. JD as a recent-convert hard-right tradCath will be a tougher sell, both for the general voter and for religious-right power brokers.