Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (March 20, 2009)

The character, BK, appealingly played by well-known South African actor Desmond Dube, is a hairdresser who befriends Precious and acts as a crucial means of emotional support. The two actors demonstrate a wonderful intimacy with one another, and there’s one particularly amusing scene where BK compares detective work to cutting hair.

Desmond Dube as "BK"

Ordinarily I’d be complaining about how stereotypical this character is, except I think in this particular social context it’s groundbreaking to have an openly gay character at all. I also have a feeling that, much as True Blood did with Lafayette, we’re going to see more dimensions to this character as the show progresses.

THE MOST AMAZING RACE OF ALL
I’ve been reading Lyle Masaki’s weekly blog recaps of The Amazing Race and couldn’t agree more about what an improvement it is over recent seasons. To me, this means the best reality show on TV is back to being at its best.

Phil Keoghan in his undies — just one of many delights
in this season's Amazing Race

Over the course of 14 seasons, TAR has included an impressively high number of gay contestants, something that in and of itself is not remarkable for a reality show. What is commendable, however, is how they’ve been overwhelmingly positive portrayals, as opposed to some of the schemers and whiners we’ve seen on shows such as Survivor and The Real World.

The real distinguishing factor about TAR is that while other shows focus on individual competitors, who might occasionally form a temporary team or alliance, TAR is based on two-person teams. So the show offers a fascinating, detailed illustration of how partnerships function (and dysfunction). In this context, the gay contestants’ actions become even more significant.

For example, the many boyfriend/married teams on TAR over the years — Joe and Bill (Season One and All-stars), Reichen and Chip (Season Four winners), Lynne and Alex (Season Seven), and my personal favorites, Oswald and Danny (Season Two and All-stars) — demonstrated just how respectful, loving, and communicative male couples can be, something that came off as even more positive when compared to the battling, borderline-abusive straight couples that often surrounded them.

Clockwise from top left: Joe & Bill, Oswald & Danny,
Lynne & Alex, Reichen & Chip

In doing so, the show offered a real-life contrast to a favorite argument thrown around by homophobes, one that even now is being used to deny gay couples from being able to adopt children — the notion that gay relationships are inherently unstable.

The current season again features several strong, likable gay contestants, but this time we’re getting a compelling illustration of parent-child dynamics. Gay writer and activist Rev. Dr. Mel White and his son, screenwriter/actor/producer Mike White (who is himself bisexual), and the mother-son team of Margaret and Luke (who is openly gay on his Facebook profile), are all playing a remarkably strong game and have emerged as clear fan favorites.

Next page! Who said "bromance" was dead? Plus, more Nic Cage movie camp.