But I also can't really understand why the mere existence of a gay or lesbian couple/characters in the story would significantly impact your enjoyment of the work. Is it just straight up homophobia, or what?
Homophobia? This is cunty opinion. If someone dislikes notion of homosexual love making and considers it a major turn off makes him a homophobe, then i will gladly be a homophobe. Stop using buzzwords without knowing nothing.
In all honesty, people forgot what real homophobia is.(Never experienced it) Some people calling everyone a homophobe, heck some think that rejecting a trans person is transphobia. No, homophobe/transphobe holds negative opinion about these people just based on their sexual preference, some going to extremes as beating them up and/or actively humiliating and etc.
I don't need to parade a flag or actively support them in order no to be considered a homophobe or transphobe, i need to consider them as humans with different sexual preference.
What's wrong with people? Do you understand that this rhetoric actually creates homophobia?
Let's reverse it. I became a 3rd wheel in lesbian relationship. But at least on of them doesn't consider heterosexual love making as cheating due to it being lower than lesbian love making...That's damn insulting.
Now without any jokes. Gay and lesbian love making isn't so much a problem as NTR and let's be honest this is NTR just with another woman. I for one give enough validation for lesbians and gays that i do indeed consider them a legitimate affair partners. So, so called yuri love making is considered in my opinion as cheating. 2 Lesbians making love? Not a problem, they are a couple. "Husband" and wife being interfered by a lesbian who is fucking angry and tries to 3rd wheel and actually has more action that "Husband" while husband simply watches or ignores? This is NTR, NTR isn't as popular in rest of the world as in Japan.
Japanese people have higher cheating tolerance, their wifes consider going to brothel as not cheating (a lot of them not all). Also many people never had partners to some extent hold incel like mentality that lesbian love making isn't cheating. These people do not know the emotional aspect of romance they only have their twisted fantasy.