He thinks state governments do. Reacting to my quotes in David Weigel's Slate piece about Paul's anti-gay newsletters yesterday, a "Savage Love" reader writes...

Ron Paul does not advocate for leaving gays alone. He simply advocates for the states to be able to oppress them instead of Washington. Take, for example, this 2003 article. Paul decries the Supreme Court's Lawrence v Texas decision that eliminated state sodomy laws:

"Consider the Lawrence case decided by the Supreme Court in June. The Court determined that Texas had no right to establish its own standards for private sexual conduct, because gay sodomy is somehow protected under the 14th amendment 'right to privacy.' Ridiculous as sodomy laws may be, there clearly is no right to privacy nor sodomy found anywhere in the Constitution. There are, however, states' rights—rights plainly affirmed in the Ninth and Tenth amendments. Under those amendments, the State of Texas has the right to decide for itself how to regulate social matters like sex, using its own local standards. But rather than applying the real Constitution and declining jurisdiction over a properly state matter, the Court decided to apply the imaginary Constitution and impose its vision on the people of Texas."

Essentially, Paul has no interest in leaving anybody alone. He only wants to get rid of one government scared into submission by oppressive douchebags and replace it with 50 governments scared into submission by oppressive douchebags. That's not really any better, and I think you may have missed that in your statement to Dave Weigel.

And then there's the rabidly, homicidally anti-gay company Paul keeps. Still, I nevertheless think Paul's homophobia/constitutionphilia is less toxic, and less threatening, than Rick Santorum's homophobia.