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Reading Alan Turing: The Enigma, I was struck by how weird and incoherent some of the old forms of homophobia were.

Like the idea of gay men recruiting other guys.  Not like statutory rape, but like some kind of “pusher.” Like having sex with another guy would be so tempting that the population at large had to be protected.

I mean I could sort of understand it if straight guys were like, “What if gay men treat me like a girl?” With lewd stares and constant badgering and, like, “No, it was just a misunderstanding.”

And I’ve had a number of bisexual female friends who found sleeping with guys really tempting, but refused to do it, because it always ended badly.

But the idea of recruitment pretty much goes against the idea of sexual orientation as it has been understood for the last century.

Though, apparently, some evangelicals have a view of (male) homosexuality as a constant temptation sent by the devil, and as something that all men could be susceptible to (apparently this is how many people understood Ted Haggard’s story).

I mean, I know our current view of sexual orientation is influenced by social and historical factors.  But still.