MM...you and I are close to the same age...and I had NO idea what "gay" was until I was at least 20.
LOL! Young folks would think we were living in Victorian times. They have no idea how things were 30 years ago.
When I was a very little kid, we had 2 guys who lived next door to us. We were always told they were "cousins"... I was only in my late 20s or early 30s before my mom told me they were gay. My mom still says they were 2 of the best neighbors we ever had. In those days, my dad worked shifts and every 3 weeks he'd be working overnights. They would ALWAYS check on us to see if we were ok (my mom was alone nights with 2 toddlers, my sister and me), and I will never forget the gorgeous dolls they gave me for my birthday and Christmas -- but it all made sense WHY they were so great, lol! It also explained why my grandmother had that little smirk whenever she saw them. But that they were good neighbors, stands.