When an individual or outside group comes to town and clashes with local customs and local culture, the results are predictable. Media headlines cry racism, anti-Semitism, nativism, zenophobia, homophobia. Suddenly, local liberals and Edomites want to start a Human Relations committee. But communities can only work when they embody a shared sense of culture and values so that each member sacrifices some individuality for the common good. When the rights of individuals are not held to be sacred, communities cannot defend themselves against even the most outrageous behavior.
Communities are like people, they have personalities.
They have personalities because, like people, they have histories. The personality of a community is determined the same way as the personality of a person, as the product of its nature and its nurture. When homosexuals and their fellow-travelers come to town it is usually for the express purpose of offending the locals. The way to get visibility is to be offensive. But when incidents occur, we forget that two sides can be offended.