Page 1 / 2 - Home

"I've always considered myself a very open-minded person, a very accepting person. If there's one aspect I think maybe I didn't realize as much was … how tough this journey can be for certain people--as far as some of the obstacles, the hate crimes and family acceptance,” Hogestyn says. “I knew they were out there, but in day-to-day life, you don't necessarily put yourself in the shoes of others as much as you think you do.”

Gay and lesbian characters have, for better or worse, always had fleeting homes on daytime television. Popular ABC soap operas One Life to Live, General Hospital and All My Children all had ‘90s-era storylines involving gay teachers accused of indecent acts.

All My Children introduced the first lesbian character in 1983 and made even bigger strides 17 years later, when Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel), daughter of uber-diva Erica Kane
(Susan Lucci) came out as a lesbian. It was a first for a member of a major soap-opera cast family.

Future GH episodes will find Lucas still hiding his sexuality from immediate family, including mother Bobbie (Jackie Zeman) and Uncle Luke (Anthony Geary). He also gets more than he bargained for after deciding to take the law into his own hands.

“I spoke to a lot of friends about their experiences. A lot of that is just mental preparation on your part as the actor--spending time with the script,” Hogestyn says of his prep work for the role. “The second part would be just spending time in the character's skin. As time goes on and things evolve, you get a stronger sense of who you are as that person.”

Alongside co-star Lindze Letherman (cousin Georgie), Hogestyn recently taped a Public Service Announcement to run during GH throughout the month. The PSA is tagged by the line, “Be an ally and a friend” and urges viewers to learn more about issues affecting the gay and lesbian community via the GLADD website.

Hogestyn says he felt the PSA was an important, ultimately essential, companion piece to coincide with Lucas' own issues as a young gay man.

“This is the reality that Lucas faces. He essentially comes out and a week later is the victim of a hate crime. That's not going to be the case for everyone. Most of the time it is not, but in some cases it is the reality for people,” Hogestyn says. “It's important to show how bad it can be, but at the same time, it is important to reassure people this isn't the way it happens every time. People that are going through this have enough to think about.”

In the end, Hogestyn seems to have a keen understanding of his character and hopes to make Lucas more than just a touchstone for the gay community--which may ultimately be the biggest reward.

“Human emotions are the same across the board, regardless of where your sexual attraction may lie. It doesn't change too much,” he says. “I mean, love is love, and
pain is pain.”

Page 1 / 2 - Home