I don't remember mass discussions regarding gay marriage, gay hate crimes, gay bullying, etc, etc, during the Bush years. The one thing that happened during that era was putting us on the 2004 election ballot, ensuring the denial of rights of gays and lesbians.
Today, everything is gay, gay, gay. It wasn't like his before. Did California's passage of gay marriage, and then later Prop. 8 spark this current wave of gay rights interest with the media, and in pop culture?
Since the Obama era, we finally got DADT overturned, an administration that won't back DOMA (which is now going to the Supreme Court), hate crime protection, NOH8, 'It Gets Better,' NY passed gay marriage, a bunch of other states did the same, one gay television show after another, Lady Gaga, mass hatred of Westboro, and freaks like them, and biggest of all: the first president to back gay marriage. The public at large is finally on our side, with more than half the country backing gay marriage. There's so many other events that have taken place as well.
So again, when did this begin? It's been a whirlwind. I've never seen so much social change in such a short period of time in all my life.
I guess "Brokeback Mountain" might have helped in 2005. Then there was "Milk" in 2008. These helped start or added to the discussion.