The issue I have is that what some people consider "homophobic" isn't really homophobic at all. For example:
Not homophobic:
* Having a deeply held belief that homosexuality is wrong.
* Being for laws that provide freedom of conscience.
* Being against laws that elevate people to a protected class.
Actually Homophobic:
* Conspiring against, starting rumors about, or otherwise attempting to defame someone simply because they are gay.
* Verbally or physically assaulting someone simply because they "look gay".
* Believing that anyone who claims to be LGBT isn't really a person (or is somehow lesser) because they aren't like you.
I'm not getting caught up in semantics. If you have a "deeply held belief that homosexuality is wrong", then you probably shouldn't be surprised if a group of people that includes homosexuals doesn't want to include you if you express that view, and/or act on your belief.
But sure, obviously, anything you want to think in your own head and not express publicly is fairly immune to labels. I'm thinking things right now, for example.
So you're OK with blatant discrimination by a certain group of people against one or more people with deeply held beliefs? Are you saying that if a group of Muslims or Christians came to YC that they "shouldn't be surprised" if they were rejected because they made a point to express that they held orthodox beliefs?
I'm failing to see how that isn't blatantly hypocritical.
Homosexuality in other members of the YC community doesn't affect you. Their private actions don't affect their peers at all, and the fact of their attraction to the same sex doesn't preclude anyone else from participating in YC.
If you think homosexuality is wrong but you keep that to yourself and don't let it influence your business decisions, your private beliefs will also have no effect on other YC founders, and you'll be welcome in the community.
If a gay man said "I believe heterosexuality is wrong and I reserve the right to not do business with heterosexuals to keep my conscience free" they wouldn't be included because that's blatantly discriminatory.
A gay man saying "I don't want to work with people who believe my sexuality is wrong and reserve the right not to do business with me because of it" that's just a rational choice to avoid people who want to punish them for something that only matters to them and their partners.
Mutual tolerance isn't a hard concept. Tolerating others' intolerance of you is not part of it.
The issue I have is that what some people consider "homophobic" isn't really homophobic at all. For example:
Not homophobic: * Having a deeply held belief that homosexuality is wrong. * Being for laws that provide freedom of conscience. * Being against laws that elevate people to a protected class.
Actually Homophobic: * Conspiring against, starting rumors about, or otherwise attempting to defame someone simply because they are gay. * Verbally or physically assaulting someone simply because they "look gay". * Believing that anyone who claims to be LGBT isn't really a person (or is somehow lesser) because they aren't like you.