Gotta consider that entire buttfucking-in-public, aids and black leather thing only began durring the 80s. Before that gays were killed on sight.
Meaning that initially it may even have been cool, when there was only one guy buttfucking-in-public, or having aids, like Freddy Mercury; and it took people a while to notice how super fucking gay black leather fetish gear is.
The novelty wore off, so to say.
It's similar with those garish 90s neon colors and whatnot. Some of that shit was REALLY gay, but we didn't know that yet.

HOLY FUCKKKK THIS HURTS TO LOOK AT, MY EYYEEEEESSSAAAALDFKJSHJGJD
but yeah, we didn't notice at the time.
>this was normal