Also, note I'm using a throwaway account to say this. If I dare to offend the gay lobby by suggesting that homosexuality is a choice [1], or that companies should be able to refuse to do business with queers, for example, even a normally respectful community like HN is going to react as if I said we need someone like Hitler to run this country.
I'm even fearful that I might be refused employment [2] or otherwise discriminated against for my beliefs, if this comment is linked to my real-life identity.
If someone's best response to an intelligent person who disagrees with their position is calling them names like "bigot" or "hatemonger," and applying sanctions to them, it suggests, to me at least, that the actual argument is weak, and those who adopt these tactics do so because they know their position can't win a debate on its merits.
[1] If who you have sex with is not a choice under your deliberate, conscious control, why is rape a crime?
[2] Even in jobs where my beliefs have no effect on my ability to perform the work. What I think about gay marriage should have nothing to do with my ability to write effective unit tests, but I doubt a Bay-area employer would hire me if they knew I made this comment -- and even if they did, they would receive pressure to fire me from customers, investors, or other organizations they work with.