Why "As the World Turns" deserves the GLAAD award

(Getty Images/Stephen Lovekin)

Two weeks ago, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) named CBS’ daytime soap opera As the World Turns Outstanding Daily Drama for their storyline centered on gay teens Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer. This was the second year in a row that ATWT won the award.

It was also the second year in a row that Tom O’Neil, who writes the Gold Derby blog for the Los Angeles Times, decried GLAAD’s bestowing the honor on the show; last year he also called on the media watchdog group to rescind the same award. This year he was joined by Nelson Branco of The Suds Report in condemning both GLAAD and As the World Turns.

Said O’Neil in a post titled “GLAAD continues to reward bias against gays”:

When the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) bestowed its awards last Saturday night, it repeated its outrage of last year, as far as I see it: The organization devoted to fighting discrimination against gays in the media again gave an honor to a TV show that appeared to discriminate.

Seriously, Tom? The one daytime show that includes two regularly featured gay male characters – no other soap opera currently has even one – is biased against gays?

I shouldn’t be terribly surprised that I disagree with O’Neil. After all, this is the fellow who also wrote last year “Bizarre GLAAD nominations aren’t very gay” because the nominations for 2007 didn’t include The Kite Runner which O’Neil said featured gay subtext. That “gay” subtext? A teenage boy being raped by another teenager. 

In January, Branco went even further in his criticism of GLAAD and ATWT saying the “suspected homophobic soap, ATWT” and that “GLAAD should be ashamed of themselves.”

As to why GLAAD chose to honor the soap, O’Neil says, “Cynics say it's because the organization is desperate to get the soap's popular, studly stars, [Van] Hansis and [Jake] Silbermann, to attend its award ceremony.” (O'Neil also previously accused ATWT of ordering Hansis and Silbermann not to kiss on the red carpet for last year's GLAAD awards, something the actors said was untrue.)

O’Neil and Branco’s anger stems from the fact that for 211 days, starting in September 2007 until April 2008, the two gay Oakdale teens didn’t kiss. Nor did they actually consummate their relationship until January of this year.

In the eyes of O’Neil and Branco, that makes ATWT homophobic and discriminatory, and GLAAD either stooges or publicity whores for honoring the show. After all, say the two men, ATWT lets its heterosexual characters hop in and out of bed at such a dizzying pace, viewers practically need a scorecard.

Yes, the show has a double standard in how it handles gay sex, but calling ATWT homophobic and condemning GLAAD for recognizing the Luke and Noah storyline as groundbreaking is just ludicrous. Not understanding that Procter & Gamble, the sponsor for ATWT, as well as everyone else involved with the show, faced criticism and potential financial losses for including a gay storyline in the first place, is simply being willfully ignorant.

That the show chose to stick with the storyline is to be applauded not criticized, and when the day comes that daytime soap operas can include steamier sex scenes between men, it will be because of As the World Turns – not in spite of it. 

Jake Silbermann and Van Hansis post-consummation

By giving the award last year, GLAAD simply acknowledged that ATWT was doing what no other soap opera had ever done – include a gay male couple as a central part of their storyline. And not just any couple, a gay teen couple. However, while I would disagree with the argument, given the blatant kissing ban, a case could be made that ATWT shouldn’t have won last year.

Has As the World Turns done everything perfect in handling the Luke and Noah storyline? Far from it. The infamous mistletoe cut away during a Christmas episode as well as the Valentine’s Day episode where Luke and Noah only hugged while all the other couples kissed, were both serious missteps.