This is how the GLBT community will win....

[serryjw]

It was in the middle of the night and I turned over and my TV was still on.The WSJ market watch was on and they had a story on how major companies have embraced the GLBT community in their advertising. The gave a % but sorry I was half asleep. Evidently the % increase in planned ad campaigns targeted to the Gay Community is off the radar. Major companies that ran away from the Gay community 5 years ago are now planning major ad roll outs.

There is also going to be a Gay Network in the US very soon.

[SeanQuinn]

1. LOGO is the channel, produced by MTV.

Programming contains and/or is centered around GLBT figures, celebrities, or lifestyles.

[MuseRider]

2. Maybe this will be the key.

It seems to me that people who actually know that they know gay people (so many here still think they don't) are less likely to be prejudiced against them. Still it is difficult in many places to be gay and out and feel safe both physically and employment wise. It creates a terrible mess and nothing gets resolved at least without a tremendous amount of education and effort. Maybe the TV Network and the fact that we will see more advertising to the gay community will make it seem more mainstream to the people who are still in need of education. I don't know but it is going to be interesting to see what happens.

[serryjw]

3. Rome wasn't built in a day

The Black community is still facing the bias, prejudices and down right discrimination, but so much progress has been made in America. Sadly, not enough and certainly not fast enough

[tjwmason]

4. Personal contact

As you say, people who know gays realise that we're not monsters. This creates a self-perpetuation as more gays are more open about it as the atmosphere is more welcoming - then more people meet them &c.&c.

Speaking personally, at school gays were strongly considered as 'other' and strange. Then I went to university, and one of the first people I met was gay; though I wouldn't say that I was gorssly prejudiced before, meeting one and seeing that he was normal (well he wasn't, but that's just him :) ) removed any prejudice which I might have had.

Then a while later (being the slow dumbo that I am) I realised that I was as well.

It's very difficult to say "gays are all <pick your insult>" when you're chatting a good friend and his boy-friend.