The Year in Gay Television: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Betty

Daytime is … Gaytime?

2007 was a big year for gay men in daytime, both of the soap opera and talk show varieties. From groundbreaking gay kisses to gay-themed episodes to gay celebrity media tours, daytime television offered a bounty of discussion of gay themes.

The big event of the year for daytime was of course the landmark first daytime gay male kiss, between Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) and Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann) on As the World Turns. The show has handled Luke’s storyline with a sensitivity that surpassed all expectations since he came out last year, and his budding romance with Noah has become a fan favorite.

But gay things were afoot on other soaps as well. Passions (which was jettisoned to cable late in the year) boasted a surprisingly graphic sexual relationship between two African-American men, one of whom was living “on the down low”. Although the two never kissed on screen and their relationship was hardly a healthy one, the simulated sex scenes were undeniably bold for a daytime soap. Passions also struck gay gold in featuring gay-fave group the Scissor Sisters (three of whom are out gay men) on the show for two musical performances.

In another groundbreaking soap storyline on All My Children, the transgender character of Zarf (Zoe) became an audience favorite before leaving the show in April. Born a man, the pop singer character was a transgender lesbian and left the show with the uplifting promise of reconciliation with her family, who had rejected her when she came out as transgender.

And then there were the talk shows. Where to begin? From Tyra to The View to Ellen to Oprah, gay guests and gay themes were all the rage this year, and were handled for the most part with a balanced hand (Tyra may have made a few missteps, but she meant well). But it wasn’t just the ladies: Montel got into the action and took a stand against ex-gay “reparative therapy,” furthering his solid track record on gay issues.

But while gay topics on talk TV may be nothing groundbreaking, this year we saw a new movement: openly gay celebrities talking openly about being gay on daytime TV. T.R. Knight, Neil Patrick Harris, John Amaechi, and Lance Bass all couch-jumped as out gay men this year, and even Nathan Lane (who has been quietly out for years, but hasn’t spoken much on the topic) talked about being gay with Ellen. And while his personality (and volume) may rub some the wrong way, it’s hard to argue that out comedian Mario Cantone didn’t shake things up as a recurring guest panelist on The View after Rosie made her exit.

Neil Patrick Harris also guest-hosted Live With Regis and Kelly for a week when Regis was out having heart surgery, and then went on to win a sizable amount for a children’s charity on Wheel of Fortune and helped present the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, all after having come out and attended the Emmys with his boyfriend, David Burtka.

Slightly less heartening were the many talk show appearances of David Hyde Pierce (who came out earlier this year, right before winning the Tony), who has yet to actually acknowledge his longtime partner or his sexuality on the air. Granted, Pierce made the rounds mostly to promote charities and his Alzheimer’s foundation, so he did have more pressing issues to discuss than his home life, but given the number of appearances he made over the year, it’s a notable exclusion.

And let’s not forget daytime court television’s first openly gay judge, the show tune-slinging Judge David Young, who dishes out sass with his sentences and takes no lip from anyone in his courtroom. Although he may be a bit camp for some, he knows the law and he commands respect (and has a great relationship with his bailiff, to boot!).

News, Late Night Talk, and Variety Shows

In 2007 gay themes and topics got their share of discussion on news, late night talk and variety programs, mostly due to the rash of Republican gay sex scandals that have all but defined the year in terms of water-cooler talk and monologue material.

But aside from the “toe-tapping” gags and awkward “investigations” into the gay public restroom phenomenon, there were a few legitimately gay stories that got play from various national news outlets this year.

One of the most notable stories was the awarding of the “cutest couple” award to two New Jersey lesbians by their high school graduating class. Outspoken bigot Bill O’Reilly took the opportunity to slam the girls for daring to be an openly loving gay couple and the class for not only not stoning them to death at the Homecoming dance, but daring to recognize them as a normal couple. Amusingly, Dr. Laura Berman (who specializes in intimacy and sexuality and has spoken on other programs regarding gay teens) outclassed, outsmarted, and outplayed O’Reilly when invited on his show to discuss the topic, giving the program an unexpected (and I’m sure unintended) dose of humanity.