Michael Patrick’s article in the Thursday CW left my jaw hanging. I thought I would go through life without hearing gay teen suicide blamed on public figures being too gay. I was mistaken.

The “heteronormative” culture Mr. Patrick would like homosexuals to emulate is the precise culture that has, historically, summarily rejected homosexuals. Counter-cultures do not develop in a vacuum; they grow in response to the ‘normal’ mainstream.

Many young (and old) homosexuals spend miserable years striving for that elusive “heteronormative” ideal, putting on as much of a ‘show’ as any drag queen or Gaga. Gay Pride is a celebration of difference and a proclamation to a world filled with hatred that there is nothing wrong about being different.

Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Jack McFarland and Liberace did not become famous characters because they were flamboyant and theatrical. They became famous because we called in our votes, bought their albums, clicked on their videos and tuned in every week.

Behind these parodies, there are respectable executives in conservative suits with all manner of market research that proves this is what America’s “heteronormative” culture wants to see. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it.

Gay happens everywhere, not just in art houses and dressing rooms littered with sequins. There are gay athletes, musicians, doctors, lawyers, preachers, teachers, mothers, fathers and children. You, yes you, know a gay person. Do they know you’re cool with it? Are you? It’s not the blaring, national messages that cut deepest, but the quiet voices of friends and family.

It is unfair and homophobic to blame Adam Lambert for tragedies in which he is not involved. It’s no more Lady Gaga’s fault than it is Pat Robertson’s. Neither is on my list of favorite people, but pointing fingers at big, convenient targets does nothing to rectify the problem.

Ben Stone is a senior majoring in math education