There are several people in my life that I consider friends who happen to be gay, a few of them I've met through my brother who is also gay. I've never had any problem posing any question to them and they certainly have no problem discussing the gay topic du jour with me. In fact gay (rights) issues often make up a significant portion of our conversation. What I can not imagine is having someone you care about in your life who is gay and NOT spending time discussing these topics. I guess "friend" is a subjective term with a different meaning to everyone.
On a related note, my brother turned me on to a story of a group of clergy in my very conservative home state of Nebraska. It seems more than 100 ordained (Christian) ministers have signed a proclamation stating that they do not believe homosexuality is a sin. One of the signers, a Rev. Eric Elnes, said, "We believe homosexuality is not a sin. It’s not a birth defect or a choice. God created people this way. And if God created them this way, they need to be honored for who they are, and fully included in church life and wider society". I don't know how you could say it any better than that. I am VERY proud that a group with such an enlightened view was able to put this together in Nebraska. It should give hope to all y'all down there in Te-jas. Here is a link to the story...
http://www.ketv.com/r/28214658/detail.html?taf=oma