They're people, like most other folks. No better or worse than anyone else, as a whole. Being gay shouldn't be considered a crime, but on the flip side, it shouldn't be considered a damn badge of honor either. They're just normal people, end of story. Inequality between races/genders/sexualities/religions/whateverthe-blam!-we'reonaboutthistime is such a problem because people continue to define each other by them. Even if someone thinks they're helping, by pointing out that someone is a black/Muslim/gay/woman/immigrant/banana/yougettheideaalready, they're only perpetuating the issue by dividing people up into these categories.