I completely agree, and homophobes are an interesting lot. I myself, a straight man have never felt threatened by someone because of their sexuality. I always shuddered when a person said, “no homo” before offering a compliment. Damn, just because you like a man’s shirt doesn’t make you gay, it simply means you like the shirt. I have always been confident in myself, and yes as children we came up in a generation that used, “that’s gay” as an insult, but as some of us have grown into men, we realize gay, is simply a person’s sexuality, just as I am straight. As you stated, many men throughout history that accomplished great things were not hindered by there sexuality. I find it amusing to be with guys, who claim not to be gay, but whenever they enter a place they immediately identify the gay people in the room. That is their first instinct, as mine is to scan for pretty women, and when I question the behavior I receive the diatribe similar to the one you described, then of course they challenge my sexuality as if my challenging their ignorance means I am gay. If I was, I would not make it a secret, lying to women in order to please a society that’s got no damn business telling me who I can and can not love. I make no bones about liking women, but I also make no bones about not caring who people choose to love. They just want the same thing, a person to spend time with, and be happy. For a society so obsessed with Greek culture, they forget the Greeks were known to participate in man on man action, even the great warrior Achilles. Pac said, “Misplaced hate makes a disgrace of races” and indeed it is a disgrace. I am a man confident in who I am, even if I have a drink at a gay bar, still straight, lol. It’s not contagious. It is good to know, their are more men just as confident in themselves to tell the homophobes, “Shut the fuck up” Great piece, bro. Keep preaching.