Gay TV round-up: Work Out and The View

In yesterday's Queerview we recommended a few TV picks that ended up being very interesting -- we thought we'd revisit them here and welcome any discussion.

The View
We recommended yesterday's gabfest because of guest David Hyde Pierce, but the discussion about human sexuality that preceded his appearance was actually far more interesting. Barbara brought up a recent science article about human sexuality and the way that people are "wired" to be attracted to one sex or the other (or both), and how women were attracted "differently" than men are to other people of the same sex.

That this topic was even broached on a daytime chat show is really quite amazing -- and that it was handled with such openness and in such a spirit of understanding and learning is all the more impressive. Say what you want about Rosie and her big mouth -- her continued presence as a family-oriented gay person who stands up for her beliefs is incredibly valuable. And Barbara's unflagging support for Rosie and for gay people everywhere makes her one of the most potent allies that we have in media today. Continued kudos to the ladies for their work.

Work Out
This is getting rough. We all knew that the sad and untimely death of gay trainer Doug Blasdell was coming, but it doesn't make watching the events leading up to it any easier. Last night's episode focused a good deal of attention on Doug's 44th birthday, his support of an ailing ex-lover, and his overall likability. But the show also highlighted a dark streak in Doug's otherwise sunny worldview: he genuinely did not believe that he was going to live past 43, due in part to the fact that both of his parents died at that age.

As Doug supported his ex-lover Cheo at a dialysis session, we could see that he was not well. And in the closing minutes of last night's episode, Jackie and her trainers learned that Doug had fallen terribly ill and had been placed into a drug-induced coma at the hospital in order to get his lungs working.

Work Out is telling the true story of a gay man who loved and was loved, excelled in what he did, and was clearly taken before his time. While it's hard to watch, knowing the outcome of Doug's story, it's a genuinely touching portrait of a gay man the likes of which is seldom seen on national television, and it's being handled with a great deal of sensitivity.

Did anyone else watch either of the above? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.