re: Are there really people that watch or read books/movies because the characters are gay

To me, it seems obvious and pretty indicative of human nature. I think relationships are one of the things in movies that people either relate to or that take them out of it, much more so than the characteristics of an individual.

A black guy in most roles = no issue. I mean, I can enjoy a badass dude or a funny dad who is black (or whatever).

A black couple as the main characters? A lot of white people may or may not see that as something that takes them out of the movie/show. But depending on the dynamics it may matter less - a traditional family relationship that resembles yours - probably not an issue. A black couple in a setting with lifestyles that you have no context for personally - different story.

I think gay stuff extends this further. A gay character is probably fine for most people. A gay couple, like the hockey movie? It's a different ballgame. Negative innate reaction to that aside, it's just a complete paradigm shift for a lot/majority of people. I mean, if your brain doesn't work in a way where romance among the same sex makes any sense, then seeing a romantic storyline filled by that completely shifts the whole thing.

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You know those recommendations are based on your profile

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I watch or read absolutely nothing that would pin me as LGBTBBQ or even “allies”. Quite the opposite. And yet YouTube keeps showing me ads for “Prep” and other HIV drugs. But they also sling ads at me for a variety of other shite I wouldn't buy or need. This goes for everything from exotic brain disease drugs to “Nasa Engineered air conditioning “ in shitty AI created ads. I also get ads for political candidates and causes that I would Never support. I think that the answer to all this is that YouTube doesn't have this stuff as targeted as you think they do, and basically they just shotgun whatever slop they're paid to all over their viewers. YouTube shows a LOT of snake oil ads for stuff that would never pass muster on traditional TV advertising.