I assure you, those remarks weren't casual, they were dead serious. Of course, they weren't homophobic, either.
The sexual repression and self-loathing of the modern conservative, particularly the MAGA conservative, is one of the most dangerous phenomena around. Because they build up incredible anger and frustration, and unleash their rage and cruelty on the rest of us. Because maybe that will legitimize them to their peers, and to themselves. Maybe that energy-filled action will distract them from the awful, terrible feelings inside them (being gay). It doesn't work....so they just keep amping it up.
A world in which, instead of turning pent-up self-loathing into rage and cruelty against others, these guys just lived into their true self, and were out and gay and happy, would be so much better for all of us. For them -- be happy. And for us -- we wouldn't have them inflicting their performative cruelty on the rest of us.
I mean, yeah, I guess I hate super-closeted self-loathing gay men who turn their self-loathing into cruelty and inflicting pain on others, but my hate ain't because they're gay. It's because of the cruelty and inflicting pain stuff. And for the record, I have never -- not for a single moment in my life -- had any animus for LGBTQ folks. Not even as an apolitical child. Not sure why you're intent on making me out to be something I'm not, and never was, but go on with your bad self.