Magda, a compliment is a compliment. Gay, straight, bi, man, woman...doesn't matter to me as long as it is said with grace and kindness.
My friend's roommate, who is gay, told me I was very good looking (not just out of nowhere, it was relevant to a conversation we were having). I smiled and thanked her for her compliment, and both of our lives seem to have continued normally. It's not like she started making advances on me or anything. Who cares? Life is too short to be that uptight!
Tam, he sounds like a real character to work with. My dad says things like that too: "Green and purple don't go together"--Oh sorry dad, I forgot I only spent 6 years in art school and you are a calculus teacher who wears knee socks with shorts and sneakers. Thanks for clarifying who the authority on the matter of aesthetics is...
This has been a very interesting thread!