There's a difference between getting castigated for your views versus getting attacked for who you are as a person. Conservative is not a protected class, and it shouldn't be. When you are a woman, a person of color or an lgbt person, you can't change that identity, and discrimination based on who you are is a real thing, not discrimination for your political views.
I personally find many of the views epoused by forum members to be very conservative, especially compared to the typical discourse in Canada, so yes, I think conservatives are welcome here. That doesn't mean we have to accept people making outlandish statements with no evidence, inflammatory statements or ideologies that harm people on here.
If you get called racist or sexist, I think some examination of why that might have happened is in order. Often people don't recognize their own bigotry, even when it is obvious to others. I find it sexist and racist to suggest that women are just not suited to be president, that natural gender roles are why women are so underrepresented in politics and management and that black people commit more crimes and are disproportionately shot and in jail because they idealize the thug life, all statements that have been made in this thread (but I haven't gone back to check who said them). It doesn't necessarily mean that the person saying that is a Racist or a Misogynist, but they hold some misogynist and racist views. Everyone has ingrained biases, and we all have work to do to unpack them.
I think a lot of what you quote here refers to comments of mine. Where do I begin?
bigot: A person who is rigidly devoted to his own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. You do realize that calling people who you disagree with bigoted, sexist, and racist is just a little bit ironic?
I find it sexist and racist to suggest
I'm curious how you define sexism and racism. There seems to be two views. I personally define both terms to imply a belief of superiority of a sex or race over another; since I don't feel this definition fairly characterizes me (or even other posters on this thread), I take it as a juvenile insult. However, I do posit there are some differences between sexes and races (when looking at statistics of the whole populations), and maybe this is the criteria you are using to judge me, the observation of differences.
that women are just not suited to be president
I don't believe that was ever spoken in this thread. As for myself, I stated that I voted for HRC (and, for the record, BO before that).
that natural gender roles are why women are so underrepresented in politics and management
This was indeed a hypothesis I put forth, with the exception that I used the phrase "traditional gender roles". This is an undeniable fact (and in fact one put forth by feminists), so I'm not sure what is being argued. That being said, I also stated it might have to do with biology (so perhaps there was a mix-up during recollection, which would be understandable). Let's flesh this second thought out. First off, let's settle on definitions: one area I might differ with steveo is that I admit there is a patriarchy in our society, if such a thing is defined as males make the preponderance of the rules that govern society. Where I think I agree with steveo is that it is impossible to say whether a patriarchy is a good thing or a bad thing. Within the framework of a patriarchy is how our society has developed, and our society has been fairly successful in some areas, so to deny that patriarchy might have some benefits to society is to disregard our entire recent history and to assume our ancestors were generally bad people who wanted their daughters to live as second-class citizens because they disliked females. Instead of this hypothesis, I claimed that biology was what had caused this imbalance, as females had to spend a lot more time than males in raising children for the species to propagate (a tribe which didn't follow this route would likely be outcompeted). I think the major reason things have changed so much in the power dynamics between males and females has to do with the changing economy, the reduction in infant and post-partum mortality, and the use of birth control. I also believe that the power equilibrium is currently changing, though whether it will be 50/50 remains to be seen.
and that black people commit more crimes and are disproportionately shot and in jail because they idealize the thug life.
There are also people of other races who celebrate the thug life (shout out to Tupac), and I think those people are just as likely to commit more crimes as blacks who idealize that culture do. Now, is there some remnant of racism that causes an increase in these cultural behaviors?; perhaps, but I have yet to see the proof. Regardless, a side effect of increased criminality is that police may disproportionately apply more force due to being aware of the statistics and being protective. I've seen several videos of where the police were completely out of line shooting at a suspect (black and white alike), and I believe these cops should be charged with, at the very least, manslaughter (murder when it gets into planting evidence); to name some of the cases that appear to fit this category: Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Levar Jones, Daniel Shaver. There are other cases where things aren't so clear, and in these I feel you need to give the police the benefit of the doubt (as we do for other professionals when circumstances don't allow for clear judgment either way). I think the best way to combat racial disparity in the use of police targeting or force is to try to ensure appropriate representation by race in non-elected government positions (elected positions should naturally be represented by race if we ensure fair voting). When I've worked alongside people of other races (or sexes for that matter), it has provided me the best ability to reduce stereotypes and realize the competence, potential, and general goodness of all people.