One wonders what Bloom would have said if Dermody had tweeted about Biblical support for slavery, or the once-very-popular Christian teaching that God ordained racist segregation.

Within living memory, a large plurality of U.S. churches taught that the races must remain apart because God wants things that way. Vast numbers of Christians supported those racist beliefs with plenty of Bible verses. I heard the idea preached from pulpits of mainstream churches with my own ears when I was a boy.

But even when I was a boy, if a baseball player had publicly supported racism, he would have been in big trouble with professional baseball.

So, I have to ask Bloom: If you won't tolerate Christian racism, why do you tolerate Christian homophobia? What's the difference? Both sets of beliefs are sincere. Both sets of beliefs are repugnant.

Could it be, Mr. Bloom, that the difference is your own homophobic bigotry?