I'm not sure what to think. Oscar Wilde was, as I understand it, exceptionally well known, the superstar of his day. He might not have had TV to broadcast him, but celebrity existed before TV. Also, there long were celebrities who were black, especially in music and sports (e.g., back in the 1930s, Louis Amrstrong, Duke Ellington, and Joe Louis), and yet racism persisted. Also, everyone knows gay people.

On the other hand, I recently saw a survey of Americans that tried to determine how their personal relationships with gay people affected their views of gay marriage. IIRC, around 30% responded they didn't know anyone who is gay. That said it all! (EDIT: I should be clear: My point is that there is no way 30% don't know a gay person; I doubt that's true of 1%. They are just in denial.)