I'm a fan of the show Workout. I noticed on tonight's show that it was 'dedicated to Doug Blasdell'... but he was on the show. I waited until late in the morning to catch the last of it to find out what happened and there was nothing. So I googled him. I followed the stories to your site and found the shortened 'heteros' word. Is that similar to when people are too lazy to say 'homosexual' so they say 'homos' or is it derogatory, in the same vein as 'homos' and 'breeders'? I'm actually tired of P.C.-ism, but I also don't like my straight friends with children called 'breeders', just as I don't like my gay friends to be called 'faggots'. I'm confused... is 'hetero' a new word?

Honestly, I think Americans are (slowly, gradually) getting more tolerant of gays in general. It's just that we live in such an entertainment-obsessed culture that entertainers like actors, singers, and sports stars are like friends to us. (Let's leave the discussion of how incredibly sad this is for another time.) I'd see out celebrities as kind of a litmus test for how Americans will react to out gays in their own, real lives. (Which is why this website is so useful.)

"It's just that we live in such an entertainment-obsessed culture that entertainers like actors, singers, and sports stars are like friends to us. (Let's leave the discussion of how incredibly sad this is for another time.) "

So says the man posting on an entertainment site... :P

I think it is very hard to make ANY sort of general statement regarding Americans.  It's just too broad of a category.  You are going to have different attitudes based on geography, economic bracket, enviroment (urban vs suburban vs rural).

My personal expereince has been that with the exception of the usual suspects (e.g., social conservatives), people don't really care that I'm gay.  Of course, the fact that I'm (relatively) butch may play into that.

Hey, I can quit anytime I want! :-P