While I respect and understand the rightful indignation of many toward these sort of comments, they, frankly, don't surprise me at all.
The current case against Julian Assange for some specious sex allegation demonstrates that this is a bottom line, a desperate grasp by opponents. (Not sure if many in the US realise, but the principal concern with sending him to Sweden is that the US may attempt to take him from there, while it will be unsuccessful getting him out of the UK).
When I was growing up, homosexuals were perverts, as likely to attack an animal or child as they were another of their own sex. It was even claimed that a homo' would prefer to 'do it' anally with a woman than anything else.
In the last 15 years, we in the UK have suffered some of the greatest infringements of our civil liberities that have ever been seen. Much has been justified to protect children. Yet there are groups of children, boys and girls, as young as 10, selling themselves, openly, on the streets of many of our major cities, every day. Everyone knows they are there, but it is illegal to discuss it. I did a small report on this in the 90s which I submitted. I was told that if I kept any copies I could be prosecuted for possessing material seen as encouraging the sexual exploitaion of children.
What these sort of desperate claims mean, is those that make them, have run out of ideas. They are all but defeated. It doesn't mean we can or should ignore these. It may mean that some completely innocent people will be labeled with accusations.
But it is an endgame. Once this has been played out, there are few arguments left.
If history is anything to go by, there will need to be a few prominant figures facing accusations before the final whistle is blown. Remember McCarthy? He accused the then President. Here in the UK, homosexuality was finally accepted when a number of prominant aristrcrats were found to be gay.
Our best defense is to stick to the line of self expression.
