Gays of our Lives (September 29, 2009)

While gay marriage is not legal in Pennsylvania (where the soap is set), Ms. Lord has promised that if she’s elected she’ll validate all the marriages on Election Day and fight for the issue all the way to the Supreme Court. This makes the situation very real for Kyle, who still loves his old flame deeply.

Scheming mayoral candidate Dorian Lord will do
whatever it takes to win the election …

Further complicating the situation is that Oliver, Llanview’s hottest gay cop, is assigned to act as crowd control for the ceremony. Upset at all the homophobia and hatred displayed toward the gay couples, Oliver outs himself for all the world to see. With Oliver now totally out of the closet and professing his love for Kyle, can Kyle go through with his wedding to Nick?

One Life to Live is turning this into a big splashy event, with an on-location shoot involving over 100 extras playing various roles in the extravaganza. The show worked with the Lesbian & Gay Lawyers Association, an organization in support of the legalization of gay marriage, in crafting the storyline. The episodes are set to air October 30^th and November 2^nd.

Robert Krimmer returns to OLTL as Rev. Andrew Carpenter.

One other tidbit about the show: Robert Krimmer is returning to the show as Rev. Andrew Carpenter for a brief stay. Why does this matter? Longtime OLTL fans will recall that Andrew was heavily involved in the Billy Douglas coming out storyline in the late 80’s. He was the one who helped the teenager (played by film star Ryan Phillippe) deal with his sexuality as well as the homophobia gripping Llanview at the time. The buzz is that Andrew’s return is connected to the Oliver/Nick/Kyle storyline, tying the two landmark plots together.

One Live to Live head writer Ron Carlivati.

Despite the bells and whistles, what this really seems to demonstrate is the show’s commitment to its gay characters and their stories. It’s something that head writer Ron Carlivati feels strongly about. He spoke to TV Guide about his dedication to the storyline.

… I don’t want to be perceived as someone who was afraid to take the story to the same level we take any of our heterosexual love stories. Nor would I want to be thought of as someone who was afraid to drop this story at some point, if that ultimately proves to be the wisest choice and what’s best for the show. But I do feel a responsibility to continue it and to keep pushing forward.