One of the hellish states for an artist is wanting to express something you feel strongly about, and only being able to achieve preachy junk. One of the things I love about successful and smart art is it often tips my brain around while simultaneously being effortlessly human and believable. It gives me an even bigger lift when it expresses something I live in or with everyday which isn't often seen (the decent same sex relationships are few and far between - even when you include the boys).
So I was interested to read xkcd's rant (yes, I think I'd call it a rant) about his struggle to keep his comic strip from being too heteronormative or sexist. Interestingly he's created a pure hero for me in the strip about Mrs Roberts ("Little Bobby Tables" is brilliant). I think perhaps he has good judgment about when he's getting it right.
On my way home the other day, I was sitting in traffic behind one of those SUVs which is obviously owned by a mad keen fisherman. The sort who puts bumper stickers on their car which read "There's two types of people: anglers and all you other sad bastards." This one was more vehement than most, and while I was reading about various websites where you could buy yet more fishing gear I noticed they had a little cover for their tow bar ball which was the shape of a deer's head. It was the sort of thing I could imagine on a mantlepiece somewhere looking kitch. Yet there it was looking benignly at me from the back of this truck.