YOUR FAVORITE LOGO TV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

Gays in Primetime -- A Special Investigative Report: Part II

On ABC’s Ugly Betty, a young boy sings and dances on

a crowded subway, performing the role of Tracy Turnblad for his parents with

broad gestures and diva-esque asides. A subway passenger mutters “fairy” under

his breath, prompting the boy’s father to come to his son’s defense.

And thousands of young people in the American television

viewing audience see a stunning reflection of their own reality, their own

sense of differentness.

It’s a powerful but rare image on network television. A

recent Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) report on GLBT

representation on the five broadcast networks found only a handful of GLBT

characters in current scripted shows, and in the last decade gay network

visibility has actually fallen. In 2008, there are networks that don’t have a

single scripted GLBT character appearing in any of their shows, and no network

has a series GLBT lead.

In this two-part series, AfterElton.com investigates why

television may be failing at presenting representative gay images, images that

provide an inspiration and mirror many in our community desperately need, and

to which much of straight America is rarely exposed.

In Part One, the Entertainment presidents of the five

broadcast networks said they want more GLBT diversity on their airwaves and

expect to do better. But they also said that ultimately the responsibility lies

with writers to create those characters.

Here in Part Two we speak to those creators, both gay and

straight, from some of the most successful shows currently on television to

explore: What hurdles may be preventing GLBT characters from being created? How

can those hurdles be overcome? And why does it matter that they succeed?

What we’ve found is a nuanced web of mixed messages, real

obstacles, some inaccurate assumptions – and a fair amount of indigenous Hollywood fear. But there are also successes where the

power of a creator’s vision, and the blinders they wear to potential

impediments, combine to allow the creation of fascinating gay characters able

to make a universal connection.

Sex and the Gay Eunuch

Gay differentness is an issue that eventually comes down to

sex. That’s a topic that neither the American public nor television does a

rational job of discussing. And while sex and romance are a critical part of

creating the conflict at the heart of any drama or comedy – it’s also the

precise point where gay characters confront the most roadblocks.

The issue of gay characters and sex comes into high relief

where it collides with the network internal censors: Standards & Practices.

These internal watchdogs, set up by the broadcast networks, police content to

ensure it complies with “legal, policy, factual and community standards.” In

practice, this often means separate and unequal treatment for gay vs. straight

intimacy.

Greg Berlanti, showrunner for ABC’s Brothers &

Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money and the recently debuted Eli Stone,

recalled for this article his own early tussle with S&P. While showrunner

on the 90’s WB teen soap Dawson’s Creek, Berlanti had to “threaten to

quit” to force a same-sex kiss – for then groundbreaking gay teen character

Jack McPhee – past S&P objections and onto the air. When two years later,

Jack got kiss number two, Berlanti reports, “We literally had someone from

Standards & Practices on set with us” timing the intimate moment to make

sure it didn’t go too long.

Greg Berlanti (left) and the groundbreaking kiss on Dawson's Creek

Pushing Daisies showrunner, Bryan Fuller, similarly

found his creative vision bump up against the S&P guard dogs. As creator

and showrunner for Wonderfalls three years ago on FOX, Fuller created

the character of Sharon Tyler, an ambitious, Republican lawyer who was also a

closeted lesbian. When it came time for that character to have an onscreen

kiss, Fuller told AfterElton.com “we were told explicitly that we could not

have two women’s lips connect, and we would have to cut away. … Standards &

Practices would not allow a same-sex kiss.”

But it wasn’t just FOX. In 2002, Fuller wrote the teleplay

for an NBC remake of the Stephen King horror classic Carrie. In one

scene, a female character gives CPR to another female character, and the

creators were informed by S&P that they could not have the “lesbian kiss”

on screen. Fuller remembers being stunned. “We were like – it’s mouth-to-mouth

resuscitation!”

But there are more subtle ways that sex – or the lack

thereof – ends up undermining gay characters. With so few gay characters

appearing on network television, they often end up on a series as an isolated

queer character existing in a world of only straights. Not only does this not

reflect reality, in the fictional world it leaves gay and lesbian characters

cut off from the romantic and sexual conflicts that help propel plotlines

forward and create viewer interest.

It’s also much easier for those solitary gay characters to

just disappear. On Fuller’s current ABC show, Pushing Daisies, Olive

Snook, the supporting character played by Kristin Chenoweth, was originally

conceived as a lesbian. But Fuller said that during development the character

was de-gayed in the interest of potential romantic involvement with the male

lead, thus creating conflict for the male and female leads’ romantic chemistry.

It’s a decision that Fuller said was dictated solely by

“story engines, ” and the executive who advised the change, himself gay, did

suggest that private investigator Emerson Cod - a character with arguably more

screen time - be made gay instead. It was a suggestion Fuller declined, having

a heterosexual back-story for Emerson that he didn’t want to give up.

So lesbian Olive, devoid of potential romantic scenarios of

her own, easily gave way to straight Olive – who the creators believed better

served the plotlines of the heterosexual characters around her.

Bryan Fuller (left) and the de-gayed Olive Snook (Kristen Chenoweth)

Inaccurate

assumptions get in the way

But the discussion of gay sexuality and Standards &

Practices highlights another recurring theme in these conversations: inaccurate

assumptions that may be affecting writers’ choices. Many of the creators

interviewed believed that there had still not been male same-sex kissing scenes

on network television, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence expressing: “I don’t

think anybody’s crossed that network taboo really.”

But in fact Will & Grace showed gay male kissing

during the final years of that series and Will & Grace co-creator Max

Mutchnick said S&P never tried to intervene, “not once.” While Will & Grace is a broad comedy, a

GLAAD nominated episode of CBS drama Cold Case from 2006 also showed male same-sex intimacy. And gay

character Kevin Walker on ABC’s Sunday night drama Brothers & Sisters

routinely has full-on make-out scenes with his various male love interests.

Both Berlanti and Brothers & Sisters creator Jon

Robin Baitz said there were no S&P interferences with those scenes, and

that there was one standard across the board for both gay and straight

sexuality on the show. Baitz expressed shock at even the idea that it would be

otherwise, “I would have hit the roof, are you kidding!!”

Brothers & Sisters' Scotty (Luke MacFarlane) (left) & Kevin (Matthew Rhys)

But given the lack of same-sex kissing on any present

network series besides Brothers & Sisters, it’s still unlikely this

overdue equality is found everywhere. And writers may be less likely to create

integral gay characters if they believe intimate scenes aren’t an option.

Fuller described creating his lesbian Republican within the no intimacy S&P

guidelines at a 2005 FOX as being “handcuffed,” a sensation most showrunners

would probably choose to avoid in their creative life.

[AfterElton.com requested a response re S&P policy

regarding same-sex vs. opposite-sex intimacy from all five networks. The

networks either explained they don’t disclose specifics about S&P practices

– or they did not respond.]

Actors and the long-term commitment to gaiety

Another issue fueling creators’ beliefs that gay characters

are not welcome is the reluctance of many actors to play those characters,

especially in series television. Paris Barclay, an Emmy winning director and

producer on high-profile dramas like NYPD Blue, CSI and Law

& Order, explained that unlike movies which an actor can do as a

“one-off,” playing a gay character on a series is “a long-term commitment to

gaiety” with contracts that run 5-7 years. Barclay said for these actors, “You

are going to be looked at as a representative of the gay community, and

possibly as gay. And not a lot of straight men want to take that risk.” Nor do

some gay actors.

Baitz reports that for Kevin Walker on Brothers &

Sisters “there’s a list of actors that we’d go out to to play guest star

boyfriends, and it would come back, doesn’t want to play gay, doesn’t want to

play gay.” In fact, the first actor cast in the role of Kevin had to be

replaced, in part because of the restrictions he imposed on intimate scenes

with other men. Barclay said that on a recent pilot he created, Hate,

the lead character, a gay detective, was hard to cast because when

potential actors found out the role was gay, “it diminished the field

dramatically.”

But actors’ reactions can be even worse if the sexuality of

a character is communicated to them after they’ve been playing the role.

Occasionally showrunners hold back the information that a character is gay from

the audience, hoping to use it as a “reveal” later on to aid the show’s

dramatic momentum. In the interest of avoiding “spoilers,” this often means the

actors too are left in the dark.

Jonathan LaPaglia (left) & Thomas Dekker

On NBC’s Heroes, this type of surprise led to the end

of gay Zach (Thomas Dekker), best friend to lead character Claire Bennet

(Hayden Panettiere). Tim Kring, Heroes creator, said he saw the gay

character as an opportunity to model for Claire the idea of accepting one’s

self “for our unique differences and for our unique abilities.” And Kring said

that when he and his creative staff had

settled on the character’s sexuality and how it would play into the show’s

themes, there was some excitement: “We all felt pretty good about it.”

Pushing Daisies’ Fuller was a writer on

the show at the time, and said that when the script went out where the

character revealed his sexual orientation, and the actor “saw the line of

dialogue … it was a shock to the actor and his management.” Ultimately, Kring

explained, “the actor wasn’t comfortable with [playing the part as gay], and I

wasn’t comfortable being the one to ask the actor to play something he wasn’t

comfortable with.” Thus the end of “gay” Zach.

Fuller believes Dekker balked out of fear of being too

closely identified with the character’s sexuality, interpreting his reaction as

“I don’t want to play another gay character because I’ve played a few in the

past.” In a statement on his MySpace page, Dekker insisted he had no problems

playing a gay character and the issue here was an artistic one, as he had

already conceived the character as straight with a crush on Claire. Numerous

calls to Dekker’s management for this article were unreturned.

Beyond the world of the wacky neighbor

Barclay believes the current challenge is not just getting

GLBT characters on the air, but having GLBT characters represented “in their

complete three-dimensional humanity.” Or as Mutchnick puts it, “the gay

character is living dangerously in the world of the wacky neighbor.”

Many of the creators found under-developed gay characters

more offensive than none at all, variously referring to them as “window

dressing” and giving the appearance that a mere “quota is being addressed.”

Kring described these poorly drawn GLBT characters, untethered from the action,

as nothing more than “free-floating character(s), inserted just to fulfill your

own liberal bias.”

Mutchnick diagnosed the problem with gay characters simply:

“People don’t write them well.”

“Groundless stereotyping” is one trap Mutchnick sees gay

characters fall prey to, acknowledging the indictment “is rich coming from the

mouth that created Jack McFarland.” Jack, from Will & Grace, has

been dismissed by many as just such a stereotype, but Mutchnick disagrees,

saying the character “had a fully fleshed out life that existed. He wasn’t just

a flaming homo. He had family and friends and values and lack of values.”

Straight creator Lawrence mined his own life for his GLAAD

award-winning Spin City character, Carter Heywood, basing it on his own

best friend – out gay producer Randall Winston. Lawrence said they ultimately “found” Carter

through his flaws and the relationships he developed with the other characters

on the show.

Michael Boatman as "Carter Heywood" (left) &

character inspiration, Randall Winston

Baitz as well described his character Kevin Walker’s flaws

and “fear of commitment” as one of the things that made it most “real and

interesting.” And he too used relationships to develop the character, having

the archetypes for many of Kevin’s various love interests in mind while

creating the series’ arc.

Another current example, Justin, the showtune-loving,

fashion obsessed nephew to Ugly Betty, is a character that plays into

stereotypes, but succeeds because of built-in conflict with the traditional,

Latino immigrant world around him.

A recent episode found Justin running with an

uncharacteristically rough crowd - eventually confessing to his mother the core

issue: his fear that, because of his less traditionally male interests, he is

not the son his recently passed father would have wanted. It’s an honest,

complex conflict that fits into the larger storylines of the show.

Ugly Betty creator, Silvio Horta, said the rich

diversity in his show was not a choice, but in his “creative DNA,” explaining:

“Look, I’m Latino, I’m gay. I write about these things because I live them and

I know them.” And Horta said when it came to the character of Justin, there was

no plan: “It really just popped into my head. … I tried five different types of

kids, and they all felt the same. Then suddenly, I thought – What if you had a

little gay kid? I wrote him that way, and it was like: This is fun! This is

interesting and different.”

Ugly Betty's "Justin" (Mark Indelicato) (left) & Silvio Horta

Like many of these successful gay characters, there’s no

agenda. No self-censoring. It’s drawn from life experience. The character has

conflict built into the fabric of the show. And there’s an enormous talent

behind it all.

Executives: Mixed Messages and a Guessing Game

Ultimately, the buck stops with the executives who are the

final authority behind the scenes. And the current entertainment heads we spoke

with in Part One said part of why there are so few GLBT characters is that

writers aren’t writing them.

If true, this may be in part because writers, trying to get

a show on the air, are attempting to anticipate what the networks might accept

– or reject. It’s a guessing game that makes writers’ assumptions about

executive attitudes toward GLBT characters as important as the reality of those

attitudes.

When told that network executives said they want GLBT

characters on their air – Lawrence

replied, “I believe that’s how they feel – to a point.One Tree Hill’s

Mark Schwahn initially declared, “I don’t think executives blink at gay,

lesbian and bisexual characters,” then wonders if his show’s supporting

bisexual character, Anna Taggaro, had instead been a lead male character

exploring homosexuality, would he have ever gotten the go-ahead. Kring said

that though he has never personally seen gay characters vetoed by executives,

he still believes that all things being equal, a prominent gay character “could

be a tipping point” between keeping a show in development and becoming a show

on the air.

As Fuller put it: “There is a mixed message being sent to

writers as to how willing and open people are to having these characters on

their airwaves.”

Fuller said that he can’t say enough about ABC executives,

and that “it’s never about gay or straight – it’s about what makes an

interesting character.” Berlanti too said his experience with gay characters and

ABC is “180 degrees” from his struggles on Dawson’s Creek at WB a decade

ago. And Baitz said “the sophistication of the executives at ABC and Disney”

was one of the things that went right in bringing the Kevin Walker character to

air.

But Baitz concedes he has “no idea” what attitudes he might

have confronted at other networks. And while Horta’s experience developing Ugly Betty leads him to believe “things

have gotten to a point where it doesn’t matter” whether a character is straight

or gay, he acknowledged, “Maybe ignorance is bliss. I mean, I am creating gay

characters on a network that doesn’t have a problem with it.” Fuller, in fact,

said that three years ago, he “definitely felt walking away from the FOX

experience on Wonderfalls that they were not open to gay or lesbian

characters.”

Additionally, there are different executive voices within

each network, not all of whom are on the same page. Berlanti said that while

there’s been a positive change at the top of the network entertainment

divisions regarding GLBT characters, there’s also a “holdover” attitude among

other executives from an earlier time - or from their own biases. Both Fuller

and Kring said it was little over a year ago that a low-level executive at NBC

cautioned them against having the character of Zach on Heroes be gay.

None of these interviews, however, turned up a clear, recent

instance where an executive with real power disallowed a gay character or

turned down a show because of a character’s sexuality. And all five current

entertainment heads – at various networks and in various capacities during

their careers - have not only allowed gay characters onto the air, most have

been central to developing and even championing those characters.

Many of the creators believe that executive reactions may

calibrate differently, depending on how high-profile the gay content is. They

see a gay supporting character as something that might be a plus for executives

and current programming strategies, while gay central leads, or multi-gay

character casts would cause more network concerns.

Lawrence said if Friends, an upscale ensemble comedy,

were pitched today “and Chandler was gay, I don’t think they’d have any issue

whatsoever.” But if one is talking about a show where “a young gay man is exploring

his romantic life, and struggling to find his way,” Lawrence believes that’s

“an impossible sell.” And Fuller seemed to believe that a multi-gay character

cast – while opening up dramatic options for those characters – would be seen

by executives as having too much of an “indie-vibe.”

“Horseshit,” said Mutchnick to all those qualifications.

“When interesting characters that are telling interesting stories are presented

to network executives with experience - they take the show. Put it this way: I certainly don’t think

they’re saying no to gay characters. The opposite is not true at all. They’d be

more inclined to do it than not do it I believe at this point.”

A High Stakes Game

Mutchnick could be right, and in 2008 it may be safe waters

for gay characters, even gay leads, and multi-gay character casts.

But if writers don’t perceive the Hollywood environment as

open to these characters, they won’t create them. And considering the various

challenges these characters face, it’s understandable that they might decide

including a GLBT character is one headache they don’t need. Especially when

they look at the enormous odds they’re already up against.

“It’s a high stakes game,” said Barclay, pointing out it’s

only one of 75 pilots that actually get made and stay on the air. And Barclay

believes “all the calculus” behind those numbers can scare writers from even

imagining real, representative gay characters for a show they’re creating.

Berlanti feels many writers may “have been burned” trying to

create GLBT characters in the past, and are therefore reluctant to try again

when they look at those high stakes. Fuller, who has seen four different gay or

lesbian characters be hampered or disappear completely in four different shows

he’s been creatively involved with, admitted that approaching gay characters

now, he can’t help but be “gun-shy.”

Barclay’s own pilot Hate ultimately didn’t make it on

air because “test” audiences reported that they didn’t relate to the lead gay

character. It’s an experience Barclay said has made him, too, hesitant to

create another prominent gay character: “I don’t really know how to go back at

it.”

Creamy Gay-Friendly Filling. Crunchy Gay-Free Coating.

But in a Hollywood atmosphere, as it is described in many of

these interviews, where there are large proportions of gay executives, and gay

agents, managers, directors, writers and every other imaginable position

occupied by gay people, all comfortably out within the business, and it’s a

natural part of the fabric of the industry - yet there are barely five

substantial queer characters on all of network TV – there may be something more

subtle and pervasive going on.

Lawrence and Schwahn, both straight, raise the issue of gay

actors concealing their sexuality – a seemingly unrelated topic that comes up

often in these interviews. And they see a similar set of assumptions at work

regarding the dearth of GLBT characters.

“I have tons of gay friends who are actors … who aren’t out

publicly,” confides Lawrence, “not a shame thing [but] because of the simple

fact that they believe it limits them economically.” Schwahn also sees the choice of gay actors

and their handlers to conceal as “a commerce-driven decision.” While

emphasizing their temerity in even addressing the subject of publicly closeted

gay actors Schwann said, “I’ve always felt they didn’t need to. I’ve always

felt it was silly.” And Lawrence wonders if the limitations actors fear “would

really never happen if they took the chance” to be out.

It’s a notable dichotomy that possibly the most

gay-inclusive industry on the planet would also sport one of its most closeted

professions. And it comes down to the fact that the actor is the face the

industry shows to the audience. But this concept of the closet has been so

absorbed by the Hollywood collective unconscious that it’s become an operating

principle - with writers, producers, and programmers subliminally and

automatically sifting away gay content, just as their gay actor friends and colleagues

do, when it’s time to present to America.

How else do you explain Lost, a show with a

seemingly progressive and gay-friendly creator, a central ensemble cast of 40

with every color of the human rainbow – and not a significant G, L, B or T in

sight. “No gays on that plane,” said Barclay. “And it’s going to Australia.”

(Two episodes ago one of Lost’s villains, one of the “others” and not

part of the original 40, was revealed as gay. The character is now dead. One of

the creators, J.J. Abrams, through his assistant requested a “raincheck” on an

interview. We look forward to it.)

Fuller’s striking first response to the possibility of a

mainly gay character cast is that only a gay audience would “relate to it.” He

later recants. [In fact, the multi-gay character driven Queer as Folk, a

wildly uneven cable show marketed exclusively to the gay community, had a

majority female viewing audience, the vast majority of those being heterosexual

women.]

Even Horta seems flustered when asked about the possibility of a same-sex kiss between fashion assistant Marc St. James and his boyfriend on Ugly Betty. Ultimately, Horta said he wouldn’t want to include a kiss just as a political “statement,” but that if it did happen, he wouldn’t want it to be a mere throw away either, because it is something still rare on television.

It’s a thoughtful answer, and you get Horta’s point. Yet in an industry climate where the notion that two gay characters working in the New York fashion industry might kiss while dating could be construed as a political statement, clearly Hollywood hasn’t completely wrapped its mind around the idea that the American public might accept gay people as actual human beings with real lives.

And ultimately, that’s what all the apprehension – straight actors afraid to play gay, double standards, and guessing games – is about: unattractive assumptions about the American public’s sophistication, provincialism, and bigotry, which may or may not be the case. Lawrence calls it a “chicken or egg thing,” seeing it as a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Mutchnick is blunter, calling it “internal oppression.” He further stated, “The only oppression that exists…exists inside these [writers] that keep saying … I don’t think that it will work, I don’t think they’ll ever say yes to it.” It’s an internal oppression Mutchnick admitted even he exercised during Will & Grace. “I think we said a lot, but I think we could have said a lot more.”

Jon Robin Baitz (left) & Max Mutchnick

Taking up the Challenge

One person Mutchnick believes was free of that internal oppression is Brothers & Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz, who came to TV direct from the New York theater, a place where, Baitz reminds wryly, “you’d be hard pressed to find a character who’s not gay.”

In fact, Baitz said he reacted with amazement when his creation Kevin Walker was greeted as groundbreaking merely because he had a romantic life, explaining “it wouldn’t have occurred to me” that this was something remarkable. He feels the character exhibited the “presupposition that I live with, which is that we are all the same thing.” And Baitz believes the lack of those censorious voices in his head affected his show’s gay character in a way that elicited acceptance both from executives and the audience.

But Baitz also sees the underlying principles that keep networks and creators timid about gay characters as patently flawed. “So much of the culture has grown to the point where they have to face the irrefutable truth in front of their eyes that someone they love is gay, and it is no longer [acceptable] to shun them.”

Barclay is convinced that what Hollywood needs is proof, believing that even today a breakout character who is gay hasn’t been written. “There’s nothing out there that says this can be successful, this can not hurt our show, this can be huge, it’s all good,” said Barclay. And he feels until that happens, “people don’t have any cover. They just feel like – ‘Oh, this is an impossible dream.’”

Barclay thinks that could come in the lead of a dramatic show, or “a traditional family sit-com” centered on a gay couple with children. Barclay references the enormous impact of The Cosby Show, and believes a similar gay family comedy could find success “because people will be able to identify with it, and they will be startled that they identify with it.”

Paris Barclay (left) & Bill Lawrence

Whether in a drama or comedy, both Barclay and Lawrence say that kind of breakthrough only comes via a talent big enough to earn the respect of not only the network system, but the audience.

“Within Hollywood,” explained Lawrence, “the biggest splashes, the movies that make their mark, the TV shows people remember, are isolated incidents where someone or a group of people … by sheer force of will power or star power, or passion jam this thing through the system, and it works. And not only does it work … it’s immediately set a new bar.”

Lawrence suggested Baitz was a good example. Or as Barclay put it, “Robbie Baitz pushed that through with his fist.”

The executives who spoke for this article seem open, in some cases even committed, to bringing rich dimensional gay characters onto their airwaves. The creators as well – both straight and gay – were sincerely passionate and interested in the issue of diversity, and how to do it successfully. Some improved communication, along with some powerful creative vision, and things may be ripe for significant change- a change the creators we spoke with see as important.

As a self-professed straight, pasty, white wasp, Lawrence said that one of the coolest things about working in Hollywood is that “within a couple months, a percentage of your friends are going to be gay, or black, or Hispanic. And that happened to me.” He said it has enriched his life, and believes when Hollywood brings its own diversity to the screen, it similarly enriches the stories they tell.

Horta feels the diversity on his show has an impact that is, in his own words, a two-pronged thing. “If you’re a young kid struggling with your sexuality,” or a Latina dealing with body issues, or a trangender person, or “any number of these pieces that stem out of our show … it’s important because people see themselves in these characters and they feel a sense of pride and a sense of ‘I’m not alone.’ There’s something I can look forward to; there’s someone I can relate to.”

He also believes that for the average “middle class, straight, white guy” or for viewers who “don’t necessarily fit into these pieces … it’s funny, and they’ll enjoy it and they’ll be moved by it. And I think subconsciously it has an effect,” said Horta.

“It just becomes that this is what the world is, and this is what exists. And it’s fine.”

Read part one of "Gays in Primetime" here.

Latest News