There are no more gays now than there was in the past, it's just that now they can actually be open about their sexuality in most places and are no longer forced into sham marriages or to live our their lives as spinsters and bachelors.
Do they exert influence? Well many artists, military leaders, writers, etc have been gay, perhaps having to lie about themselves pushed them into exceeding in other ways, so I would say that yes, there have been many influential ones.
There is currently a strong LGBT lobby in many countries pushing for equality, and they exert a lot of influence, that I personally believe is in the right direction, as they promote tolerance and equality.
There are no more gays now than there was in the past, it's just that now they can actually be open about their sexuality in most places and are no longer forced into sham marriages or to live our their lives as spinsters and bachelors.
Do they exert influence? Well many artists, military leaders, writers, etc have been gay, perhaps having to lie about themselves pushed them into exceeding in other ways, so I would say that yes, there have been many influential ones.
There is currently a strong LGBT lobby in many countries pushing for equality, and they exert a lot of influence, that I personally believe is in the right direction, as they promote tolerance and equality.