The AfterElton.com 2007 Visibility Awards

Worst Television Trend

“Barely There” gay characters

All of the networks suffer from this syndrome — except CBS, which has no recurring gay characters to start with, and Fox, which only has animated ones — wherein shows with gay characters give them so little to do they become lost in the background, along with stuffed chairs and potted plants.

It’s bad enough that the number of LGBT characters on network television has dropped again for the third straight year, but when the characters we do have include Terri Romano on Men in Trees (two brief appearance this season), Chaz Pratt on ER (one appearance this season), and Joe the Bartender on Grey’s Anatomy (zero appearances this season), calling them characters at all just seems ridiculous.

Dishonorable Mention:

Scandalous “gay” stories ripped from the headlines

This wouldn’t be a problem except that Law & Order (in all its various incarnations), Boston Legal (to a lesser extent as it has improved somewhat on this score) and other crime procedurals only include gay characters as part of their shows when doing these types of stories. This year we saw storylines involving closeted politicians, closeted religious leaders, and the hustlers they are sleeping with. Yes, these plots are “based” on real life events, but far more gay men are attorneys, detectives, and doctors, not that you would know that watching these programs. By not also including gay men as these sorts of characters, these shows present a biased view of the gay community.

Film

Best Mainstream Theatrical Release Featuring Gay Characters

Stardust

This one may come as a shock, but looking back at the wide-release films of 2007 that featured gay characters, it was a pretty motley bunch. Some were well-intentioned but disastrous (Chuck & Larry), others had gay characters who weren't "officially" gay (Eastern Promises, Blades of Glory), and often the gay elements were not used to enlighten, but to horrify or cause laughter (300, 3:10 to Yuma, Wild Hogs).

While he was a bit more camp than he perhaps needed to be, Captain Shakespeare, Robert De Niro's heroic gay, cross-dressing, closeted pirate, actually enjoyed a bit of conflict, a satisfying character arc, and a touch of romance (implied, granted, but in a lean year that's something). The overall message of Shakespeare's story was not to be afraid to be yourself, and that being gay (or loving dresses) doesn't mean you can't also be a shrewd businessman or respected leader.

Things work out all right for him in the end, and he forges a strong friendship with the hero and heroine along the way. Granted, he does have to do a bit of hairdressing, but at least it's played for a laugh. It's a shame that the film didn't do better at the box office as it was fresh, funny, and inventive, and the performances were great across the board. To add to the gay cache, Rupert Everett also appears in the film, and Sir Ian McKellen narrates.