The biggest problem with the episode for Boykin, however, was that, “Oprah and Terry McMillan both missed the point. No one seemed to care about or explore the issue of why Jonathan Plummer was not able to be himself in the first place. If Jonathan Plummer lived in a culture where he was accepted and embraced for being a gay man, he might never have repressed his sexuality from the beginning. The way to stop this problem is to create a society where gay men do not have to hide or deny their sexuality in the first place.”

AfterElton.com recently asked Boykin to comment on The Oprah Winfrey Show and its overall representation of gays. He wrote:

“I love Oprah Winfrey. I think she's a strong black woman who is not afraid to speak her mind on sensitive subjects. I love the fact that she empowers people to be their best. And I also love that she seems very comfortable with gays and lesbians. I remember when Oprah did the Ellen show years ago and I'm sure she received some criticism for that.

I haven't watched every Oprah episode, but I have noticed that she has dealt with LGBT issues for quite some time now. Naturally, some of the shows are better than others, but for the most part she really seems to get it. Of all the episodes I've seen, only two have disappointed me--the interview with Terry McMillan and her ex-husband Jonathan Plummer, and the interview with down low poster boy J.L. King.

Most of the media assume that all blacks are straight and all gays are white, so I would love to see Oprah's show challenge that misperception. I would love to see Oprah do an episode that shows responsible, successful black gay men who are out and comfortable with their identity, not on the down low, and not deceiving their wives. That's a show that would really help to put an end to the homophobia in the black community.”

Critics of these two episodes and of Oprah's coverage of black gay men focus on the serious nature of the stereotypes that they feel have been perpetuated. While some gay men may been irritated with Winfrey's nominal coverage of Brokeback Mountain and Will & Grace (devoting an uncharacteristically brief half-hour to each of those topics, and then filling the second half of the showwith stories about Tyler Perry and Vince Vaughn respectively), the consequences are hardly comparable.

The negative critical assessments of Winfrey's representation of black gay men on her show stands in stark contrast to the praise she usually receives for her role as an advocate for gay people and for doing her part to educate the public about homophobia. Taking a look at the overall history of gay topics covered on Oprah makes this clear.

According to wikepedia.com, Oprah first broke gay ground with two segments in the 1980s. In one segment, “members of the studio audience stood up one by one, gave their name and announced that they were gay” for the entire one-hour show. Another episode of that period exposed the homophobia and AIDS-phobia rampant in a West Virginia town. Perhaps the most surprising (and effective) point of confrontation on the show erupted when Winfrey addressed the citizens of the town and asked, “I hear this is a God fearing town. Where's all that Christian love and understanding?"

Considering the conservative political climate of the 1980's (President Reagan did not publicly mention AIDS as a priority issue until 1986), Winfrey's tone of moral indignation was significant.

While other talk show hosts of the era were trotting out gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender guests as a means of upping the “freak” ante, Winfrey set the standard for humane, cool-headed discussions about gay topics like coming out and homophobia. Phil Donahue arguably opened the door for the Oprah-approach, but her warmth and charisma exceeded his and suggested a heartfelt personal concern for the issues at hand.

Winfrey has continued to regularly feature programs that focus on gay topics, and even played a pivotal role in the public coming out of a celebrity. On April 30, 1997, she made a guest appearance on the infamous “Puppy Episode” of comedian Ellen DeGeneres's sitcom Ellen. The episode culminated in Ellen's coming out, with the encouragement of her therapist (played by Oprah). On that same date, DeGeneres and her then-girlfriend, Anne Heche appeared on Winfrey's talk show to talk about DeGeneres's coming out and their new high-profile love affair.

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