My dad, otherwise more radically left than Upton Sinclair, is a huge homophobe. It's one of the main strains on our relationship, and there were times I wished I was gay (and a man) just to make him rethink his position. But somehow his fear and, let's face it, insecurity about his own sexuality has only made me stray further and further from his influence. My accepting, loving mom is largely to thank for this, but I also had the privilege to have gay teachers and friends throughout my life. It's hard to otherize a group that comprises half of your peer group (or more, at my college), and this is what gets me the most agitated about anti-gay people.
Oh, if we let gay/minority/hippie adults become role models, our children will be corrupted! they squeal, wringing their hands. In fact, the exact opposite happens. Having someone to look up to that's different from you makes you not only more willing to see an opposing view (because, after all, this is Mr. K/my neighbor Ali/Kegmeister Frank we're talking about!), but more cognizant of your own identity. I don't doubt my sexuality because I have seen a spectrum, and I know where I fit in.
Realizing that people can be different but equal is the most important step in reaching adulthood. The people out there who secretly (or not-so-secretly) believe that they are better than group X, and deserve more fundamental rights because they are older/younger/wiser/whiter/more Christian/taller/want to sex up the opposite sex/speak English are nothing more than screaming children. Perhaps a conservative is just a liberal who hasn't grown up.
I want all people to share the same rights I have, and I want the same rights that some people have that I don't. I don't want to have to say a word to my children about how gay people are equal, because it should be a fact as natural as the sky being blue or candy being desirable.