So that Superb Owl Coke commercial (a very nicely crafted piece of marketing indeed) got up some people's noses (perhaps they confused it with the other kind of coke), mostly because it depicted multi-lingual Americans of color (some partnered with white people) singing "America the Beautiful" BUT NOT ALL IN ENGLISH!!! I know there's also been some grumbling about ZOMG TEH GAY FAMBLY!!!11 in there (at 0:43 or so) but it seems lost in the noise from people upset about the "pollution" of "Our National Anthem" (yes, I know it's not), out-shouted by the racism and xenophobia. (Oh yeah, Katharine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful." She lived with Katharine Coman for twenty-five years in a "Boston marriage.")

It also looks like the highlighting of Russia's homophobia at the Sochi Olympics may be another watershed (though of course not without knuckle-dragger pushback). We have the deliberate choices of openly gay athletes to the U.S. delegation, an in-your-face-Russia Google Doodle (another nicely-crafted piece of marketing), and probably lots more stuff I'm not seeing (including internationally).

Not that long ago Americans smirked at South Park's Big Gay Al and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (pop culture matters: it's a fun-house mirror of the rest of culture). Home-grown homophobia is still alive and awful, but now there's also marriage equality in over a third of U.S. states (with more to come thanks to the overturn of DOMA), no more "don't ask, don't tell," and a Big Gay Ice Cream shop in NYC (I like the Monday Sundae, hold the salt). Much of mainstream America (whatever that is) wants the rainbow too; it looks cool and we can tell a feel-good story about it, plus there's money to be made. USA! USA! USA! (Yes, I'm snarking; I'm sure y'all are shocked.)

So I'm wondering what the future "All-American" picture of gay families (it will have to be families, at least at first) will be. Presumably Cheerios will do an adorable kid of gay parents Gracie-equivalent ad at some point; their SB commercial made barely a ripple compared to the Coke tsunami. What will the gay equivalent of that creepy Norman Rockwell T-Day dinner look like? And when will American pop culture routinely depict QUILTBAG PoC? (More points to Coke for the twofer there, but U.S. culture is not subtle and five seconds of ice-skating isn't enough).

We live in interesting times. I look forward to more.