Researchers found that hit gay shows such as Channel Four's Queer as Folk and Ellen and the success of gay celebrities including Michael Barrymore, Graham Norton, and Anna Nolan in Big Brother, have broken down hostility towards homosexuals and popularised gay culture. Gays, especially the young, do not want to be seen as different any more. Go back 10 or 20 years and being gay was difficult. You would segregate yourself not only so you could meet other gay people, but also to feel safe. But the world has changed.
People like to be accepted as a member of the larger tribe.
It is not hard. In the pubs and bars of London's Soho last week, gay and straight drinkers backed the study's findings. Now it's full of straight people who cannot hold their drink and look messy. We've moved on from the clandestine gay bars of old, down side streets. Although there are still those who would rather keep the areas exclusively gay, I like the fact that straight people want to come to our bars.