I think the article makes a lot of sense and the ideas its proposes are important to understand. It seems to me quite accurate to say the identities centered around sexual orientation are something that were constructed relatively recently in human history despite the prevalence of homosexual behavior throughout human history. And so the cultural context determines the expression of these behaviors as evidenced by the Hijra, or third gender, in South Asia that has existed long before the creation of the modern LGBT identity.
These are good ideas to keep in mind when looking at certain paradoxical cases like Afghanistan. Here homosexual behaviors are in fact embedded in their tradition in the form of the dancing boys but nonetheless there is no "gay" identity. The men often have their own wives and children. The dancing boys themselves don't get married to any of the men, they simply grow up(often leveraging favors from the men they established relationships with) and get married themselves. And yet we often see immense hostility from such cultures towards the LGBT community. Why is this the case? It seems to me the problem is not necessarily the behavior itself but rather the LGBT identity that is seen as perverse.
On a rational level I sympathize with the gay liberation movement. They are taking an identity that was thrust upon them as something to be ashamed of and constructed their own community around it to renegotiate their place within society.
On an emotional level though I find myself somewhat aligned with social conservatives here. I understand that this social category is here to stay but nonetheless part of me is rather tired of it. I don't quite care for LGBT issues myself and truth be told I find the very existence of the LGBT identity mildly obscene because its centered around not only sex but a counter culture of sex that seeks to define itself against the norms of sexuality.
I guess here I'm a pre-modern throwback who would prefer that homosexual behaviors have a socially acceptable outlet that doesn't really impact one's identity much. I'm certainly not saying we should import Afghan pederasty but I'm saying I'd prefer if your preferences for same sex or different sex intercourse would be more or less as relevant to your identity as whether or not you're a leg man or an ass man or something like that.
