BARTON HINKLE: In Northern Virginia, Democrats Unleash Anti-Gay Hate Campaign Against Gay Republican. “Democrats in Northern Virginia know better than to harp on a candidate’s sexuality. Doing so might bring them short-term gain. But playing to homophobia is a form of participating in it. To paraphrase Imarti: You guys say you’re pro-gay, but you’re running an anti-gay whisper campaign. What you gonna do about it?” Any weapon to hand.