Neil Patrick Harris gets a nice pat on the back from LA Times‘ staff writer Scott Collins on the heels of his Emmy nomination for the CBS laffer “How I Met Your Mother.” And it just so happens to come in the same 12 months that Harris, a beloved TV star for “Doogie Howser,” came out out of the closet to People Magazine following a slew of Internet rumors, stirred by the pesky fingers of Perez Hilton. While serving as an Emmy-pushing profile of the gay actor, the story also is a quick survey of the landscape for Harris’ fellow gays in an industry that has often worked hard at keeping its stars private lives, well, private. (Not so easy these days, thanks to Perez and other insatiable celeb sites like TMZ and X17).

Collins writes: The subtext of Harris’ Emmy nomination seems to be an effort to reassure gay actors: Relax. You can come out and still play straight guys. Even playboys, cads and heels. Just like straight guys can play gay cowboys. (As Harris marveled, “Now gay parts in big movies are only played by straight actors. They don’t really cast gay actors in gay parts!”)

But as for Harris’ future, he is sticking to the old adage that “if you’re talented in this business, you’ll keep working.” And of course, if you’re talented too, you might win an Emmy.