Eh, I hope not.

Also, Creator-Executive Producer Silvio Horta: "[Justin]'s 12 and we want to let things proceed as they would normrally. There's so much to explore with this kid as the comes into adolescence and would it would be like if he were gay...which he probably is."

http://www.insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/2007/07/happy_birthday_tomark_indelica.html

Nope, it's a bad idea if they ultimately make him straight.  T.V. has done this "everyone thinks he's gay but he's really straight" thing a lot actually.  It's only a shock and something progressive in thwarting stereotypes if, say, you've never seen an episode of "Fraisier."  If Justin is straight, it breaks no new ground. The whole metrosexual thing is already overexposed to the point of tedium, so how interesting or challenging to stereotypes would it be if Justin is-- gasp-- a mini metrosexual?  Yawn.

What we haven't seen very much on t.v., and never to my knowledge in a top-rated show, is an actual presentation of a young gay-seeming kid who-- hold on to your hats-- actually turns out to be gay. It's about damn time that real-life gay kids who are having a hard enough time with everyone trying to tell them "oh, it's just a phase, you're not really gay" actually get to see someone their age on t.v. who is strong, gay (and not endlessly wishy-washy about it) and doesn't end up as a wish-fulfillment version of what many of their friends and relatives try to push on them: "see, you're not really gay at all."  Those are the people who are going to be most pleased if Justin turns out to be straight.  The real-life gay kids who currently see themselves in Justin are most likely going to end up-- once again-- being left to ask "if he's straight, then what's wrong with me?" and end up (disastrously in many cases) trying to follow suit in trying to be straight.  Is that worth a supposedly funny or interesting "twist" for the show?  To me, it's not.

I mean, you could also make the argument that if Ugly Betty's family turned out-- in a twist-- to be secretly white and upper middle class, it would thwart stereotypes of race and class, but that would be a pretty dumb and offensive way to try to address issues of bigotry.  Isn't it about time nighttime network t.v. grew up and stopped treating gay and straight identity as merely a variable plot point (or "shocking twist") and learned how to commit?

they can do whatever they want, but i have a feeling most viewers won't buy it if he is written as straight. eh.

We can say what we like about gay males not all fitting the same stereotype - which is true - but there are plenty of us who either knew or were a kid like Justin.  The vast majority of those kids, it seems, are not straight. 

Using the fact that Justin has not expressed an interest in boys (yet) to justify writing him as straight is as ridiculous as all those parents who are shocked when their effeminate sons come out.  Justin also has never expressed an interest in girls.  He hasn't expressed a romantic interest in anyone - he's 12, it's okay.

I think a much more powerful point to make than "men can be effeminate and it's okay" would be "this is what an effeminate boy who becomes a gay teen looks like."  We haven't seen that yet on television.  We've seen the sissy boys, we've seen fashionista teens (though not to the same extent or as prominantly as Justin), and we've seen a few teens come out.  But the seamless transition that occurs for so many people needs to be shown.

I do not recall any situations where an effeminant male has turned out to be straight.  I have known a few in my life time (they have been outnumberd by the gay ones I have known by about a 10 to 1 ratio).  I like surprises in TV shows so I think it would be kind of neat if they made him straight, or even better bisexual!

Cheers

JBE