Outnumbered.

One of the biggest problems with gay-straight relationships is they are founded on cliches that are often inaccurate or exaggerated to the exclusion of all else. For instance today HuffPost reported than Florida elected a gay representative, thus breaking the "lavender ceiling." Why lavender? Because it's feminine? Even well-meaning liberal comics spice their pro-gay jokes with comments about dress designers and hairdressers. (Many of the hairdressers I have met are straight.) Like any businesses, there are gays—perhaps even a predominance—in some creative-oriented businesses. But straight people are kidding themselves if they don't think there are millions of invisible and highly masculine gay men out there. I defy any macho straight man to start trouble at a leather bar. So the gay ceiling isn't all lavender. And  gay pride parades—fun and outrageous as they are—represent a very small fraction of gay men. Homosexual men who appear perfectly straight are just common as straight men who are not all that macho or what my friend Stuart called, "Fairies of the heterosexual world". And many gay women are absolute knockouts and far removed from the short-haired, plaid lumberjack shirted cliche. Even the news reporters never show two attractive, average looking Joes getting married. They always choose the most giddy of male couples or the most masculine of lesbians (never an Ellen and Portia). It's a pity really because who can blame straight society from feeling that gays are completely different from them when that's how they're promoted? Being gay, of course, I fit into one of the major stereotypical cliches: a fan of musical comedy. (Do you really think Broadway stayed in business on gay ticket sales?)  I am a fan of musicals.  I also like films like Von Ryan's Express, Where Eagles Dare, The Guns of Navarone and The Bourne Identity to name a few.  But going back to musicals, a little known TV musical was called The Adventures of Marco Polo, and one of the best lyrics was, "When you know me with more familiarity, if you don't look at the difference, you'll see the similarity." Unfortunately the media rarely give straight society the chance to see the similarities they are so bsy promoting the differences.

Note: I thought this photo was amusing. But these tough-looking guys are just another gay stereotype. Between them and the twink sitting on the bar stool are millions of men that don't belong to either cliche. And you're probably very close to one of them who you keep trying to fix up with the wrong sex.