Some time ago I came across this fascinating infographic representing responses to the question of whether homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the US military.
As you can see, when the term "homosexuals" was used, the Strongly Opposed was more than 50% higher than when the term "gay men and lesbians" was used. Similarly, the Strongly Favor vote was considerably higher when "homosexuals" was replaced with "gay men and lesbians". Apparently people don't like homosexuals being in the miliary, but they have less of a problem with gays.
It's an interesting quirk, showing just how much good marketing can affect prejudices in the community. In the popular imagination, "Gays" are the fun, fabulous creatures you see on sitcoms and romcoms, spouting bitchy one-liners and helping straight girls choose a new outfit in a montage sequence. "Homosexuals" are the creepy old men who stare too long at your teenaged son at the beach. It's as if "Gay" is the spicy fashionable image, while "Homosexual" is the icky unfashionable reality.
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