Can you be gay and a Tory? Yes, I know it’s a stupid question, but people continue to ask it. The simple answer is, of course you can, but there are still those who believe that the two things are completely incompatible.

For most people being gay is completely separate to their politics. It’s the same with religion. I had to laugh recently when I saw a LibDem MP argue, apparently with serious conviction, that God is a Liberal Democrat, which presumably implies that Nick Clegg is his representative on earth. Religion, politics and sexuality are three phenomena which are completely separate from each other. Just as there are gay Christians, there are also gay atheists. Just as there are gay Socialists, there are also (whisper it) gay Conservatives.
According to a recent opinion poll 30% of gay people vote Conservative, 38% Labour and 13% Liberal Democrat, which is not far away from the trends in the general population.

This should come as a surprise to no one. We have exactly the same concerns as straight people – mortgages, cost of living, job opportunities, bin collections etc. Why on earth should our voting intention be any different?

Admittedly, there are some people who are single issue voters. A small number of people vote LibDem because they are obsessed by proportional representation. Some people vote Labour purely because they are trade unionists, and some people vote Tory because of fox hunting. But they’re all a very small minority. Most people support political parties because they support 70-80% of the things the party stands for and they like the party leader. Why does anyone think gay people would act differently?

But for some in the gay community, the Tories, no matter what they do, no matter what they say, will always be the party of Section 28. Yes, it may have been 25 years ago, but leopards don’t change their spots (together with countless other clichés), do they?

No one would deny that the bulk of legislative reform related to homosexuality has occurred under Labour governments. Decriminalisation came in 1967 when Roy Jenkins was Home Secretary and Harold Wilson was Prime Minister. Tony Blair’s government reduced the age of consent and brought in civil partnerships. I will admit that had the Tories been in power in 2004, I doubt very much whether that would have happened.

But how times have changed. Only eight years later a Conservative-led government brought in equal marriage. And let no one say that this only happened because of the LibDem part of the coalition. It didn’t. This was a policy pushed forward personally by David Cameron. Yes, it was opposed by a large part of the traditional, authoritarian right of the Tory Party, but over time they are gradually dying out and being replaced by MPs who are as dry as dust economically but very socially liberal. Let’s also remember that there were also Labour and LibDem MPs who opposed equal marriage.

During Manchester Pride, the only float to attract boos was the local Tory LGBT float. I’m sure it was all very good natured, but I wonder if those booing actually thought about the fact that it takes real courage for anyone, no matter what the environment, to stand up and say ‘hey, look at me, I’m different’.

In many ways gay people are natural Conservatives. Conservatives believe in the freedom of the individual to make their own way in life without interference from the state. They believe in equality of opportunity and social responsibility. I could go on.

To argue, as Labour MP Chris Bryant does, that gay people should never vote Conservative because the Tories would abolish all gay rights legislation if they felt they could get away with it, is simply monstrous. If you put the age of consent or civil partnerships to a vote now, I doubt there would be more than two Tory MPs who would vote to put the clock back. Attitudes in the Conservative Party continue to evolve. No one would pretend that the Tory dinosaurs are yet extinct, but even the likes of Gerald Howarth and Peter Bone are mellowing in their old age. And frankly, all they do is reflect the attitudes of a not insignificant part of the population.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying gay people should vote Conservative. What I am saying is that it is perfectly natural to do so.

So yes, you can be out, proud, gay and Tory. There’s a lot of it about.