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An Oprah episode devoted to coming out, “When I Knew I Was Gay” (air date November 17, 2005) effectively humanized the nature/nurture debate around sexual orientation just as the Berkus episode lent legitimacy to gay unions. The show featured a panel of gay men and a lesbian discussing not only their coming out stories, but also their ideas about the nature of sexual identity.

While many of the stories told were amusing remembrances of first celebrity crushes and youthful longing for gender “inappropriate” accoutrements, the ensuing discussion about sexual identity and the painful necessity of coming out to parents gave Winfrey the platform to (once again) assert her belief that sexual orientation is a trait with which one is born.

In the episode, Winfrey states, “For all the people who don't believe that homosexuality…that you are born with it, that's fine for you to believe that. I believe that you are born with it, so we're never gonna agree, so don't write me or call me about it. Really.”

To many gay and lesbian people and their straight supporters, Winfrey's statement might seem unremarkable, even passé. But the notion that homosexuality is anything but a poor choice runs counter to conservative (and religious) leaders who want to deny gay civil rights or any discussion of their necessity. And at a time when the party of said (elected) leaders controls every branch of the government, a popular iconic figure like Oprah contradicting them is a significant act.

AfterElton.com recently asked some of the guests from the “When I Knew I Was Gay” episode of Oprah about their experience on the show, if they thought the show represented gay men in a positive light, and if they thought Oprah Winfrey was herself pro-gay.

Author Robert Trachtenberg (author of When I Knew) stated that while he was not a regular viewer of the show, “It is obvious she is highly respectful of other lifestyles. There was a sound bite that got cut from my show where she explained that her producers had suggested having someone on who ‘reprograms' gay people (or whatever the term is) and she said that she wouldn't even dignify their position by having them on.”

Psychologist Alan Downs (author of The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing up Gay in a Straight Man's World) told us:

“I felt that Oprah was not necessarily pro-gay. I would describe her as being more "pro-human" in her approach to the subject. She was compassionate, smart and insightful on the lives and struggles of gay men.

I was very pleased to hear her say that she deliberately didn't include practitioners who believe that gay men can be made straight through therapy, not because she is pro-gay but because the leading medical authorities (American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association) have condemned the practice of such ‘previously gay' therapies.  She and her staff actually took the time to research the science on this issue rather than get caught up in unproven opinions on the matter.

It was my sense that Oprah was more about how we can all learn to open our hearts to more compassion and less about taking sides in a very charged political and cultural conflict.”

Writer, actor, and singer Billy Porter mused, “I feel that while Oprah herself is pro-gay, the Middle American audience that pays her bills--or used to pay her bills (she don't need them anymore)--still need some hand-holding. And therefore she approaches the gays very anthropologically. (Like she doesn't have a gaggle of queens turning her out in the back everyday day of her life. She knows why she looks so fierce!)” 

The Oprah Winfrey Show is set to run at least through 2010-2011, and between now and then she is likely to continuing covering the stories of gay and lesbian people and topics relevant to our lives—hopefully in a way that more accurately portrays African American men who live happy, openly gay lives.

Winfrey's advocacy is invaluable if for no other reason than the sheer breadth of her influence (according to Oprah.com, “the show is seen by an estimated 49 million viewers a week in the United States and is broadcast internationally in 122 countries”). As her reign as the most popular and powerful woman in the entertainment industry continues, gay and lesbian people will likely continue to reap the benefits of her interest in our lives, and our inclusion in her empire.

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