It's evil is pernicious, to say the least. I lost a lot of time, opportunity, and growth to it. Didn't date, just waited for "the right girl to come along". That never happened, of course.

I am so glad that parts of the world have gotten so much better and more open now. It's chilling to think of growing up gay in Russia, the balkans, or anywhere in North Africa (or several other hotspots of hatred, like the US South).