Like everything in life, this fandom has a positive side and a negative side, and everyone tends to listen more to the negative side. If you think about it, there are other fandoms suffering from this too.. the best way to deal with it is by ignoring it. I've met people at college that sometimes ask me if I'm part of the people who want to f*ck horses and I just answer them 'no, I've never met anyone like that' (which is true) and smile like its no one's business.. there was a time when I felt kind of embarrased by these stereotypes but soon I discovered that the people who tend to judge openly are the ones who know literally nothing so I decided to focus on the good that this fandom has to offer and I've been feeling better ever since. So yeah, dont focus TOO much on the comments that people make or you'll end up going crazy and/or denying what you like...