I get that but the bulk of our stories in mainstream have always* been sad precisely to inspire this sympathy in straight people. “Realistic” homophobia, whether it’s in coming out stories now or historical drama, has always been for straight people. Queer characters suffering, being separated, dying frequently, that’s constructed for their benefit already. So it is a little sad that it takes this approach for them to recognize us.
And of course, if it’s sad enough even the straights are crying, there’s no hope for me, lol.
*ETA: Well, not always, of course first they were sad because it was a cautionary tale. I meant the ones where they’re sympathetically told. Although of course…therein lies the rub, even sympathetic stories can be cautionary. But that’s a whole different convo, I just wanted to address my inaccurate generalization.