I got the impression from the way Norm reacted when Russell Brand tried to hug him after their episode that Norm is more one of those weird Howard Stern-esque peoplephobic types who shies away from any physical contact than anything. Then again, that was Russell Brand.
He's a Christian, but I vaguely recall him quoting something in the Bible about wearing two different types of wool being more frowned upon than homosexuality. There is a fair bit of conservatism in his make-up, but it seems to be coming from a really, really different place than, say, Jeremy Clarkson. I half-suspect one of the reasons he hates talking about politics is because he doesn't want to let on how conservative he really is. But fuck it, like you said he's one of a kind and in this case it all seems weirdly irrelevant to how funny or likeable he is.