Considering that the film which brought the Gay Best Friend to the mainstream - My Best Friend’s Wedding - was released in 1997, you might have assumed that the gay-man-as-straight-woman’s-pet idea might have got old by now, but in fact it’s as real as ever. When I wrote for the first time about being gay, a female journalist emailed: “Liked the article. You can be my gay best friend!” Which was inappropriate and more than a little patronising, however well intentioned.