Goodnight, Queer Eye

Last night, Bravo aired the series finale of Queer Eye, a show that was a breakthrough when it debuted in July of 2003 as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (with its time slot partner the gay dating show Boy Meets Boy). Proudly announcing the sexual orientation of its stars in the series' title, the series made gay men the leads of a reality TV show. Instead of chasing away viewers by being so openly gay, Queer Eye became an instant hit that brought buzz to Bravo, the former arts and culture channel. The show was such a sensation it got special airings on (Bravo's corporate sibling) NBC, was highlighted on the cover of Entertainment Weekly and inspired a variety of international editions and one short-lived spin-off. The show's audience included viewers in conservative areas of the country that was expected to avoid a show with "Queer" in the title, seeming to signal an unexpectedly optimistic level of gay acceptance.

That excitement faded quickly, however. A year later, viewership was down by nearly 40% (though it was still Bravo's most-watched show at the time) and the show was discussed less as a step forward for gay visibility. Instead it was seen more as a re-enforcement of a limiting "model minority" stereotype that positions gay men as helpful fairy godfathers who use their cultural expertise to help straight people improve themselves.

While I find those complaints valid, I think it'd be a shame to overlook what the series accomplished. Not only did it show that a program led by gay men can find a widespread audience, it helped set the tone for the variety of gay-inclusive shows on Bravo. We regularly see gay competitors on Bravo's talent-based competition shows who are valued for their abilities. Meanwhile, Bravo's reality soaps like Work Out and Flipping Out show us gay people who are talented and have complicated personal lives. More importantly, when we caught up with Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas and Jai Rodriguez before the final season's debut, they talked about hearing from gay viewers who were happy to finally find someone they could look up to. Even after the buzz had faded, Queer Eye tried to bust down barriers, like in one episode that featured a transsexual male.

While Queer Eye's time has clearly come and gone, it'd be a shame to forget that it represented a step forward for gay representation. Happily, things have moved so quickly in Queer Eye's wake that it made itself obsolete.