Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but as the title says, why is musical theater associated with gay men? In every musical I've seen that had a romantic plot or subplot, the romance was always straight, be it South Pacific or Phantom of the Opera. On top of that, a lot of musicals seem to have things in them designed to cater to straight men. While I haven't been able to see Chicago on stage, if it's anything like the movie I can't imagine a gay man would get much out of, say, When You're Good To Mama.

However, the connection is there, for whatever reason, and if it isn't the content of the musicals themselves, the only thing I can think of is some kind of historical event. Were there any famous gay musical actors who were out before being out was a normal thing or something?