@The_unconservative_one, perhaps you should be a little more careful reading what you yourself wrote.
“My gay friends, please don’t be offended by this question. ”
“I specifically asked gay people not to be offended because I thought there could be a chance that some of them might interpret the question as a slam against homosexuality and I wanted to make it clear that it isn’t.”
So which is it? Are you concerned that only gay people might misunderstand your question to be a slam, or are you concerned that only gay people might, having so misunderstood it, therefore become offended?
Either choice, you come off a bigot who thinks sexual orientation has something to do with ability to interpret or reading comprehension. Gay People. Straight People. JUST PEOPLE. Homosexual and Heterosexual people have the same chance of “misunderstanding” your question to be a slam against homosexuality. Homosexual and Heterosexual people have the same chance of being offended by a slam against homosexuality. Yet you insist on only worrying that gay people might misunderstand and/or become offended, depending on which interpretation you want to stick to this time. WHY? What is it about being gay that you think can either lead one to not understand a question where a straight person would, or become offended at said question if it has been misunderstood?