While I'm sure many readers at the NY Times may find the idea of a conservative advocating for same-sex marriage novel, it fits pretty squarely into the libertarian view of freedom. "Conservative" in the USA really doesn't mean what it used to any more.
Agreed. The mainstream parties today are so overloaded that I suspect noone fits their stereotypes completely. The amount of finger-pointing and name-calling attributable to this sort of misconception is unfathomable, and I think it's one of the most serious problems in American politics.