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Apparently, it’s a grand year to be gay.

Anderson Cooper came out last week. As did Frank Ocean. As did Megan Rapinoe.

Before that, Barack Obama made history by being the first sitting president to endorse marriage equality.

And Jay-Z made a very public statement supporting gay rights.

And Prop 8 was overturned in California back in February.

And same-sex marriage was legalized in Washington and Maryland.

And DOMA was ruled unconstitutional.

AND these things sound like things that might make the gays happy.

They sound good, right?

But good for what?

Good for LGBTQ visibility? Good for acceptance and equality? Good for an ability to get married and share in particular tax and health benefit privileges that come along with state-recognized heterosexual relationships?

Who knows?

I ask these questions, not to pretend like I ever get heavily involved in telling anyone how to align their political visions, but because lately I’ve seen and heard so many of us questioning how much of what we see in mainstream media is “real” change and progress as opposed to incredibly well-placed PR tactics and ploys.

I ask these questions because I wonder, if not similar to the above list, what we want progress or acceptance or visibility to look like?

(I promise this is going to lead to love talk. Just stay with me.)

Take this tweet for instance – I’m using this because Krys Freeman is one of my favorite people on this planet and I know there will be no silly heaux shade assumed.

The above is a real thought. It’s valid. It makes sense to me. It’s a question that, as a PR, I have asked myself at least once.

But it also leads me to wonder:

What would the political climate have looked like during those key moments of civil rights for blacks and women if Twitter or Tumblr existed?

Did people assume that Brown v. Board of Education was a PR stunt?

Did people assume that Alice Walker openly and publicly marrying and raising a child with a white man was something that just “looked good” for the movement?

What did it feel or look like to the masses when public figures came out saying, “Yes. Black people are human beings. They do