Although, as I ponder this subject, the past brings an incident to mind.
I was in high school waiting for my lower class-man opportunity to shower with the football team in an old dilapidated field house from the early 1970’s with no more than 5 or 6 operable rusty shower heads, and the fricken captains shower first (took their sweet old time) followed by the upper classmen stars and those benching over 300 pounds dead weight. )
Well, in the midst of the crowd of us strapping youths, a guy with a fricken cannon that seriously belied his flaccid length and girth (you, never know; blood and tissue expands in ways unimaginable) became the elephant in the shower room.
Honestly, I thought nothing of it, because back then, erections were spontaneous for myself, without even so much as a sexual thought, let alone stimulation. I mean, I remember even getting erections running long distance, alone. Sometimes an erection refused to yield for a double class or playing right field. It was just uncontrolled free flowing testosterone.
But, I remember a feisty offensive guard and wrestler, a mean, angry hombre, didn’t appreciate it, and granted him no leniency.
Took the kid to the back of the field house and beat him black and blue.
The kid didn’t quit. He was a tough player, else he wouldn’t be there. But, he was never the same, stigmatized, shamed and ridiculed.
That was the early 70’s when gays had no status and were labeled “queers.” Back then, “openly gay” meant openly beat up and mocked on a daily basis.