Marilyn, I am in accord with you on this.
A lot of what turns people off to the gay community are the very flamboyant folks, because that is all they know. As a longtime ally, I have seen this time and time again. They never seem to see the quieter folks who are gay - the two guys who share an apartment down the street, for example, or the women who just spend a lot of time together. I've seen people I used to call friends objectify drag queens, treat them like they were not people but sources of entertainment, novelties. Sorry, they're just people, people like the rest of us. They need love and to be accepted in this world, whether they're in tweed suits with suede elbow patches or rhinestoned gowns.
And I even hate saying "they" because "they" aren't a separate species, but part of "us" - the whole human race.