Well, if the lead members of the girly hair bands came out of the closet (Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Cinderella, Def Leppard, Guns ‘N Roses, etc.) it certainly would have been more surprising - but Judas Priest seemed more about rock music than the whole girl scene. I don’t recall teeny boppers buying posters with them striking poses in the same way the others were marketed.
The sexual ambiguity was just marketing - and it sold well as those rock bands morphed into girl bands.
You are right, there is a huge difference between Judas Priest and all that fruity hair crap. Priest had way more edge than that dog squeeze.
And yes, it was completely ridiculous that no one seemed to realize Halford was a complete flamer, looking back on it. I mean come on. But saying it would have bought you into plenty of fights in tough bars in 1984. He was wearing stuff like a bullwhip in a holster, holy moly already.
Freegards