Rachel Maddow a "Chirpy Gay Liberal"

The Financial Times recently discussed the shift in the U.S. media towards the Democratic party.

There was one excerpt in the article that bothered me:

This shift leftwards online has been matched on cable television, where Fox News, the rightwing news channel, has increasingly faced its mirror image at MSNBC. The latter’s leftish talk-show hosts, Keith Olbermann and now Rachel Maddow, a chirpy gay liberal, dish out scorn about Republicans in opposition to Bill O’Reilly and others at Fox.

Now why is Maddow's sexuality relevant? They couldn't find other adjectives to describe her? Are they trying to equate being gay to being radically liberal? A person's sexuality shouldn't define a person, just as a person's skin color shouldn't matter.

*Update - The FT Times author who wrote this article explains his use of "chirpy gay liberal."