Catholicism's public image, monolithic and rigid, is an illusion. The Catholic church has plenty of room for homosexual people. It's just that this room is kept a secret, and the spaces are cramped and uncomfortable. But now even these matters are coming out of the closet. As a result, despite hierarchical protest, Catholic sexual ethics are changing.
Birth control offers an easier example, yet it raises the same ethical concerns as gay sex.
Still, some ninety percent of practicing Catholic couples use artificial contraception. According to Catholic teaching, if they act in good conscience, they do not sin, so they need not confess this matter, and they may continue to receive Holy Communion. And they do. The pope continues to preach around the globe that their contraceptive practices are wrong. But almost nobody faults them for using birth control, either inside or outside the church.