Gay TV? Yeah TV!

Posted at 12:37 p.m. Saturday, May 31

Calvin (Paula James, right) and new boyfriend Michael (Max Greenfield) get serious on "Greek." Click on the photo to view my Gay TV gallery.

So “Greek” got even gayer this past week?

I love it. And not just because I enjoy watching boys kiss.

Last night I finally caught up with my TiVo’ed “Greek” episodes and was overjoyed to see that the fun ABC Family series went there. Yes, gay college jock Calvin got his first screen kiss—at his fraternity’s party.

Calvin (Paula James) laid one on his new boyfriend—at least they seem to be after Monday’s episode—Michael (Max Greenfield).

I’m happy to report that, in my humble homo opinion, the state of gay representation on prime time TV is … mixed. (Don’t miss my Gay TV photo gallery.)

Yes, it’s a mixed bag. I think if you’re looking at quality, TV gets a big gay kiss. If you’re counting characters, well, TV can talk to the hand.

I’ve been under the impression for some time that there are tons of gay characters on TV. Then I realized it only seemed that way because I happen to watch almost all the shows with gay characters (Is that GayTVdar?).

Don’t get me wrong. I do believe that this past year TV took some great strides in introducing gay characters to mainstream shows—i.e. not gay-specific shows (“The L Word”) or shows on gay networks (Logo, Here!).

But if GLBT folks make up 10 percent of the general population, why not have 10 percent of all TV characters be gay?

According to GLAAD’s 2007-2008 diversity report, GLBT characters made up only 1.1 percent of all characters on broadcast networks. Out of 650 regular characters in scripted shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW, only seven were gay.

I’m sure if you add up all the gay characters on the scripted cable shows that percentage increases—although I wasn’t able to glean those kinds of total numbers from the GLAAD report.

And I’m pretty sure that since that report, more GLBT characters have popped up in series. (Reality TV is another story; there have been tons of gay people in reality TV.)

ABC has been the leader in the effort—if you want to call it that—to get gay characters on TV. There’s a reason ABC swept the GLAAD Awards in April, winning best TV drama with “Bothers & Sisters,” best comedy with “Ugly Betty,” and best single episode with “Boston Legal.”

With GLBT characters in "Brothers & Sisters," "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives," "Ugly Betty" and “Dirty Sexy Money," you might as well call ABC GayBC.

The writers on these shows do a decent job presenting these characters as well. GLBT characters are no longer relegated to being the freaks, the killers, or just the bitchy comic relief on shows. We’ve moved well beyond that, thankfully.

Even one of TV’s most stereotypical gay guys, Marc St. James (Michael Urie) on “Ugly Betty,” transcends the bitchy queen stereotype. Remember when Marc tried to come out to his parents, or his tender moments with boyfriend Cliff St. Paul (David Blue)? He’s a well written character—and hilarious.

(St. James, St. Paul, Suzuki St. Pierre—are all the gay guys on “Ugly Betty” named St. something for a reason? Discuss.)

Another stereotypical character—the closet case—can be found on “30 Rock.” And I’m not complaining there either. Devon Banks (Will Arnett) is a recurring character and a foil to Jack Donaghy—and I think he’s hilarious.

If we, as gay folks, can’t laugh at ourselves or how we used to be in some of these characters, then we’re just, well, wrong.

Especially when we have someone like Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys, third from left) on “Brothers & Sisters.” Kevin is one of the best examples of a richly drawn, interesting gay character. He’s one of my favorite characters—gay or not—on TV.

What I really love about this show is that the writers don’t make Kevin’s storylines only about gay issues. He’s much more than the gay brother. Still, I love that he’s had many boyfriends, and that in the recent season finale he “married” Scotty (Luke MacFarlane).

And finally, back to “Greek.” This show’s writers have done a terrific job showing Calvin dealing with coming out and dating. He’s an interesting, multi-faceted character who knows he’s more than just “the gay guy.” And that’s the way he’s treated on the show.

Bravo.