“Phobia” showed how the definition of a hate crime had evolved during the seven years since “Manhood” aired. During that time, several high-profile murders had occurred involving LGBT victims, including the Brandon Teena murder and the Matthew Shepard murder, that established precedence for convicting killers who committed hate crimes.

The Politics of Being Outed
Although the stigma of being gay has declined considerably since 1990, being out about one’s sexual orientation continues to be problematic for public figures, particularly politicians. Law and Order has told three stories about closeted gay politicians, beginning with the 1992 episode “Silence,” in which a closeted gay city councilman is blackmailed and murdered by his gay lover, who happens to be a convicted felon.

This was followed by the Season 5 finale, “Pride,” which originally aired on May 24, 1995. Based on the Harvey Milk assassination in San Francisco, “Pride” told a bittersweet story about the murder of an openly gay city councilman named Richard Durban. Despite circumstantial evidence that strongly suggests that Durban was murdered by ex-cop-turned-right-wing-councilman Kevin Crossly, the jury remains deadlocked.

Most recently, “Gov Love” again featured a closeted politician, this time the fictional governor based on New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey. Although “Gov Love” doesn’t closely hew to the McGreevey scandal (since nobody died in the New Jersey case), it does accurately reflect that coming out can still be a tricky issue for today’s politicians.

Bisexual Killers
While Law and Order’s treatment of gay men has largely been sympathetic and fair, its portrayals of bisexuals have not been as positive. Bisexuals are typically portrayed as psychotic and homicidal, as in the Season 8 episode “Castoff,” which originally aired on January 28, 1998. This episode, based loosely on the Andrew Cunanan murders, begins with the death of an attractive blonde social worker. The trail of clues leads investigators to Eddie Chandler, an openly bisexual man who seems to be killing his lovers across the country.

During the trial Chandler’s attorney argues that Chandler was negatively influenced by violent television, but Chandler himself admits that is not the case, and he is soon convicted of murder in the second degree.

While the episode, taken in the context of all of Law and Order’s episodes, does not stand out as being particularly vicious or ill-intentioned, it remains one of a very few episodes with bisexual characters. A recent episode, “Obsession,” which aired on February 9, 2005, included a bisexual woman who also exhibited psychotic personality traits.

These episodes illustrate the general trend on television dramas when it comes to bisexuals: they tend to be categorized as insane, and their bisexuality often symbolizes the characters’ lack of mental clarity.

Better Than Most
Despite falling into the stereotypical crazy bisexual trap, Law and Order has done better than most crime dramas in its portrayals of gay and lesbian characters. They have by and large treated gay killers and victims fairly, and episodes featuring gay characters tend to reveal flaws in the legal system rather than time-worn stereotypes of gay behavior. In addition, the series regularly includes gay or lesbian witnesses or bystanders who are neither victims nor killers, and the cast members are generally shown to be tolerant and open about gay issues.

For a show that’s been around since 1990, that’s certainly an accomplishment to be proud of.