A "HOT TOPIC" indeed. I will admit that I didn't read very many of the 60+ posts before this one. I was just amazed that this post has SO MANY participants here in an early retirement forum.
I didn't see the show and I avoid most of the "tabloid" TV as best as I can. As best as I can tell, it was a two hour commercial for his new transformation story. OK...off to read threads that aren't so painful to read.
I think I understand the popularity of these human interest threads- those on divorce, breakups, various challenging or painful human situations. If one is fairly satisfied with his/her approach to retirement finance, many of these dryly financial threads are tres boring.
This stuff is not boring, though to me a discussion here is more interesting than watching Bruce on TV would be. His pain is all to obvious in his face. My parents had an apartment building in a large city university/hip neighborhood. I got to know many of the tenants, who were often pretty close to my age. Lots of gays, both the feminine appearing and acting type, the accountant type and the "my muscles are huge" type. Overall, I found urban people way more entertaining the run of the mill straights, like me. They also had a different set of interests and concerns which were definitely broadening. However, for dating a straight man needs straight women. I live in LGBTQ central in Seattle, and in fact my best friend that I have made in the past few years is gay. After I retired, my wife knew some Lesbians who lived near us. One of them gave me part time job as a milk quality technician. Others I did carpentry for. They were always fair and respectful toward me, as I was toward them
When I was young, some young straight men were very anti-gay, and some gays were badly beaten for their sexual orientation. This was truly sickening, and unfortunately it is not over yet. My POV is that gays very often are early gentrifiers. They improve the neighborhood, they don't rob or burgle or beat up or shoot random people, they tend to have responsible jobs
and I have never felt discriminated against because I was straight. In fact my friend, who lives in the adjacent flat, really likes my girlfriend and compliments her looks and clothes. Another plus is that he has no intention of trying to make time with her, which is not always the case with one's straight friends.
Ha