Now I'm wondering if Buckley being Catholic and reading as a bit "English" were the keys to his fame. For Evangelicals both categories were sort of gay, so he could be ambiguous.

I don't know much about Christopher Buckley, but I wonder if we'll ever hear from his son Jonathan:

https://www.showbiz411.com/2016/07/30/conservative-icon-william-f-buckleys-dead-16-year-old-grandson-trying-to-get-more-than-2500-in-monthly-child-support