Bullgrit
Adventurer
Because men with long hair and earrings weren't culturally/societally "normal" (business men, store clerks, doctors, etc.). Long hair and earrings became accepted as normal once "normal" men started doing it. When people saw that a guy growing his hair long didn't turn into a hoodlum, long hair became acceptable.Remember when men with long hair or with earings weren't "normal".
If people see gays as the stereotypical cross-dressing drag queen, they fear that their child/friend "becoming" gay leads to that. If they see gays as just like them, then a child/friend saying, "hey, I'm gay," just leads to, "ok, you're still you."
Bullgrit