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Will CBS Add any Gay Conservative Characters?

Posted by B. Daniel Blatt at 8:36 pm - July 30, 2010.
Filed under: Gay Conservatives,Identity Politics,Movies, TV & Pop Culture

In response to pressure from GLAAD, CBS plans on adding some gay characters to its “scripted programs“.  Now, I have no objection to this inclusion, indeed, think it’s a good thing, but wonder if the gay characters they introduce will adhere to the stereotypes of gay people as defined by the various gay organizations (you know, activists militating for “equality”) — or will they be as complex and diverse as are real-world gay men a lesbians?

I mean, if they add at least three characters, then one of them (to reflect gay demographics) should be a Republican.  Should they introduce such a character, will he be a caricature (as was the gay Republican in a recent movie) or will he be an interesting and independent thinker, regularly exposing the prejudices of his supposedly broad-minded peers?

And while we’re at it, I’m sure conservatives are also underrepresented on CBS shows.  I’m sure the Tifanny Network is moving ahead with all deliberate speed to right that wrong.

(H/t:  Reader Peter Hughes.)

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14 Comments

  1. [...] here: GayPatriot » Will CBS Add any Gay Conservative Characters? AKPC_IDS += "11040,";Popularity: unranked [...]

    Pingback by GayPatriot » Will CBS Add any Gay Conservative Characters? | MyGaySpot — July 30, 2010 @ 11:03 pm - July 30, 2010

  2. Why concern yourself with soiling the image of Mainstream Conservaive Gays by appearing on CBS?

    I’s like to see Mainstream Gays on the Fox netwok or FoxNews.

    You’d make a good reporter…

    Comment by bk334t — July 31, 2010 @ 1:16 am - July 31, 2010

  3. Now, I have no objection to this inclusion

    I find capitulation to a whiny victim group objectionable. Perhaps folks should mail them bottles of Astroglide.

    Comment by ThatGayConservative — July 31, 2010 @ 1:33 am - July 31, 2010

  4. I would love to see a show with gay people as people rather than as gay people.

    Too many of the people I knew in my youth have died because they “acted out” a gay profile rather than finding out who they were and living their lives.

    I would have been one of those people if circumstances hadn’t changed for me.

    I recognize my youth when watching “The L Word”.

    Seems to me that there should be a more mature gay show in which the characters live their lives and do their jobs, and being gay doesn’t mean bars, hookups, urgent sex and radicalism.

    We should be represented for who we are now. Lily Tomlin with her lifetime mate/partner…Ellen D…Suzi Orman…Eugenia Price and Joyce Blackburn… and the list could go on.

    Most of those people were/are Dems but using established personality types of long term relationship along with the few newly introduced gay conservatives would make a very interesting forum for a television show.

    Comment by Letscheck — July 31, 2010 @ 4:39 am - July 31, 2010

  5. Its funny I know a fair number of gay and lesbian people and not one of them ‘acts gay.’ They act like, well, geeks and military nuts and businessmen and … etc. Like people. Who happen to be gay or lesbian. CBS would do better to just have some of their established characters ‘come out.’ But ah well.

    Comment by dark eden — July 31, 2010 @ 9:29 am - July 31, 2010

  6. a gay alex p keaton (or alexis) twood be fabulous.

    Comment by rusty — July 31, 2010 @ 10:52 am - July 31, 2010

  7. Cartoons and comedies usually distill characters to their basic stereotypes for instant recognition.

    I’m a bit confused about what “adding some gay character to its scripted programs” means. Caricature vs character is the essence of the problem here.

    The added gay characters will be scripted to please the sponsors and the politics of the acting community.

    But how do you sustain the gay character bit without devoting the script to the gay agenda or homophobia? If the gay characters are just going to be diverse individuals in the grand scheme of things, why bother?

    And since so many actors who are gay play straight roles, can we assume that GLAAD will be satisfied with straights playing gays? Blackface anyone?

    Comment by heliotrope — July 31, 2010 @ 11:06 am - July 31, 2010

  8. how about a character or caricature of a closeted gay man/woman, a professional, maybe in academia, who builds relationships through a conservative gay blog and quietly watches the antics of the liberal gay left like ending up ‘quite conveniently’ at the end of NYC gay parade.

    he/she can live in a neighborhood with a big fence and no one ever truly sees him but everyone in the neighborhood just adores him/her.

    there would be that spunky young person with strong resolve, and other rotating characters and a fine man who is just processing a break up and buidling a new life.

    maybe someone with some writing background, could pitch the storyline.

    Comment by rusty — July 31, 2010 @ 11:44 am - July 31, 2010

  9. [...] GayPatriot » Will CBS Add any Gay Conservative Characters? [...]

    Pingback by Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940 - The Urban PhotoJournal — July 31, 2010 @ 12:21 pm - July 31, 2010

  10. Almost two decades ago, NBC did this with the comedy, Love, Sidney, which starred Tony Randall (who was not gay). From Wikipedia:

    Love, Sidney originated with a two-hour pilot episode which aired as a television movie on October 5, 1981, followed by its regular run as a weekly series from October 28, 1981 until June 6, 1983. The series was the first on American television to feature a gay character as the central lead, although for the series Sidney’s homosexuality was almost entirely downplayed from its subtle yet unmistakable presence in the pilot.

    Comment by Dave N. — July 31, 2010 @ 4:09 pm - July 31, 2010

  11. I didn’t mean to imply that Randall’s character was a gay conservative (I don’t remember politics having much to do with the plot). But Randall’s character was gay without any stereotypes attached — and I mentioned Randall’s sexuality only because of heliotrope’s comment.

    Comment by Dave N. — July 31, 2010 @ 4:13 pm - July 31, 2010

  12. Who cares? Quotas are ridiculous; therefore, look for token gays to proliferate in PC television.

    Comment by Sebastian Shaw — July 31, 2010 @ 8:40 pm - July 31, 2010

  13. I’d also add, ‘token’ characters, regardless of type seem to be set in stone. Once you have them, you can’t get rid of them, no matter what.

    * Freedom Ring, despite being built as a character to get maimed mauled and killed, there was an outcry (OMG! They killed a Ghey character).

    *Atom III (Ryan Choi) Yes his death was pointless and stupid. Editorial Mandate to show how ‘bad-assed’ the villans are (ignore that Deathstroke blew up a city and Cheshire a country, we need to show they’re the evulz). More outcry that he was Asian than that it was a sacrifice.

    I agree with whoever suggested the ‘retcon’ button to add diversity.

    OTOH, I love on How I Met Your Mother NPH is playing such a player, then Wayne Brady shows up playing his flaming (was it half brother? I don’t remember).

    Comment by The_Livewire — August 2, 2010 @ 7:02 am - August 2, 2010

  14. I’m pretty sure that both Ren & Stimpy were Republicans.

    Comment by JervisTetch — August 3, 2010 @ 9:53 am - August 3, 2010

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