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Readers' Choice: The Top 25 Gay TV Characters Revealed!
What can we say about Jack MacFarland, or “Just Jack!” as he often referred to himself. And when it came to every possible gay stereotype, the boy hit the bullseye each time. Vain and self-absorbed? Check Flighty? Check. Catty? Check. Oversexed. Definitely check. Naturally, he even obsessed over pop culture divas. Who can forget the time he met Cher in person and mistook her for a drag queen? “You're not that great, Mr. Sister. I do a better Cher than you." He realized his mistake when she slapped him and, referencing her iconic line from Moonstruck, told him to “snap out of it.” At which point he promptly fainted. And yet for all the negative stereotypes Jack embodied, Sean Hayes managed to make his character completely endearing and, yes, strangely palatable for straight audiences. Hayes earned seven Emmy nods and one win for his over-the-top portrayal. No surprise then that two years after Will & Grace went off the air, this comic creation would still rank as number two on our list. The boy is simply unforgettable.
Showtimes’s Queer as Folk wrapped up its 5-year run in 2005, but the anti-hero of the show, Brian Kinney (Gale Harold), still managed to win the most votes from AfterElton.com readers. It’s likely that if there’d been a vote for least popular gay character, he’d have won that, too. That’s partly because Brian Kinney pretty much wins at everything he does, and partly because the character is a very polarizing one in the gay community. Handsome, arrogant, successful, and slutty, Brian spent five seasons running from love, almost-but-not-quite selling his soul for money and power, and drinking, drugging, and clubbing while trying to hide most of his good deeds – and the fact that he had a heart – from everyone around him. All of those contradictory qualities might make for good drama, but they don’t make Brian Kinney the best representative of the gay community in TV history. His character was often criticized for perpetuating negative stereotypes about gay men, even while his bad boy persona won him passionate fans.
Brian wasn’t just a bad boy, though; he was considerably more complex than that. The show included storylines in which he fathered a child for a lesbian friend, master-minded the downfall of a homophobic politician, and gave up power and financial success trying to bring the killer of a teenaged gay hustler to justice. He even ultimately admitted he’d fallen in love. And he did it all while wearing Prada and pretending not to give a damn. Really, other than the promiscuity, drug abuse, and anti-social behavior, what’s not to love? Here are Brent and Michael, our Two Gay Guys, discussing the results! -- Also contributing to this article were Dennis Ayers, Brian Juergens, and Christie Keith.
Submitted by on Thu, 2007-11-29 00:33. |
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Sigh
I am disappointed but not that surprised that Brian Kinney made it to the top. Being in a relationship for as long as I have and not interacting with the "fast-lane" gay lifestyle I have forgotten about characters like Brian. He confirms my belief that the majority of gay men think with a part of their body south of their belly-button!
That being said Gale Harold did an admirable job in portraying Brian (I still don't understand why gays think he is so attractive though).
Cheers
JBE
Disco Era
Having come out during the disco era, I remember that the Brian Kenney's were the most popular guys around. Arrogant sluts with looks commanded the bars.everyone else had to get what they could.
Sigh
He's my man; he's my MAIN man
afhickman
"It takes a village (to make Village People)"
We like Brian Kinney for the same reason we like Scarlett O'Hara: He's totally selfish, he looks great in a hoop skirt, and he's oblivous to whatever it is you or I think anyway. At this point in my life I'm not looking for a roll model, but, if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't mind hooking up with Mr. K. Sure, he'd break your heart into a million pieces, but then you'd have a million priceless souvenirs.
Great List
How cool is that our boys made the list?
When I first saw this list, I had no clue as to who would place where. Some of my favorites like "Lloyd" from Entourage was nowhere to be found, while I learned of other shows that I did not even know existed that are obviously popular with the readers of this fun blog: Torchwood."
I don't know why some people are upset at the results as we were the ones who voted and these are our results. I wanted my current favorite on the list to place, and to do well so I am happy to see Van Hansis as "Luke Synder" place so high on the list.
I rallied for Van with my friends and well on an As The World Turns forum, as he's always brilliant and is a huge fan favorite even in the soap mags, which week after week keep voting him as the show's favorite character and along his screen bf "Noah" also keeps winning best couple. Over ALL the straight couples on the show.
Good list
I'm glad that John Paul was on here, although I would point out that his story WAS groundbreaking for UK soaps. No other UK soap has had anywhere near that much affection in a same-sex relationship. Not even close.
I wish Todd Grimshaw from Coronation Street and Ted from QAF had been on here.
I'm not too surprised that Justin and Brian made the list, and placed so highly, even though they were both extremely unsympathetic, selfish characters who had the same story every episode for QAF's entire 5 seasons. This may not have bothered me if they had an ounce of chemistry, if the actors who played them had more talent, and if Gale Harold had not looked incrediby bored throughout his last 2-3 seasons on the show.
I am surprised, and a bit sad, to see Jack and Will from Will & Grace so high on the list, given that Will was an asexual bore and Jack was a bad caricature of how straights see gay people. Both characters also embodied a very strong self-hatred, and a contemptuous attitude towards lesbians, that made me nauseous. At least I can take comfort in the fact that the hacks who played them have not really gone on to do anything, aside from the bore who played Will whining about how playing gay damaged his career.
And it's nice to see Scotty from B&S on the list too, and Ben from QAF. Ben was the heart of QAF, along with Michael. They were good people who had chemistry together and had some genuinely hot sex scenes. I still miss them.
I'm glad to see Luke Snyder and Kevin Walker placed so high on the list, and of course the wonderful Keith and David from 6FU.
Andrew
I was a bit surprised to see Andrew on the list. The character has only had one or two relationships, both short-lived, and those were presented in the context of him only wanting to get back at his mother. The show has heavily implied Andrew is gay because he had a bad mother, or that he's not actually gay and just wants to punish his mother. When he is "good", he is completely asexual. Only when they want us to see him as screwed-up or a failure does he have a boyfriend. Marc Cherry has said he might put Andrew with a woman, and the actor who plays Andrew has repeatedly whined to the press about how hard it is for him to play Andrew and that he doesn't think Andrew is gay.
If Andrew weren't so good looking, I wonder if he would be on the list.
I'm surprised
you did not mention him in your first comments considering how "warm and fuzzy" you are about his character and the show in general (LOL)!
I agree with you about Brian and Jack from Will & Grace. I was not quite as harsh in my view of Justin or Will. My favourite character on Will & Grace was Karen, she did make me laugh out loud. The two gay characters were incredibly predictable in what they said and how they interacted. They reminded me of when I first came out in the 1980's. In my mind I was finishing people's sentences before they even spoke the words, their conversations and humour were so cliched.
Cheers
JBE
Where's Beverly Leslie?
Saint Brian
I once heard a psychotherapist joke on the radio that a “nymphomaniac” is a woman who wants to have sex more often than you do. In other words, a clinical category somewhat compromised by subjectivity and prejudice.
I’m not surprised to see AfterElton begging the question of whether a character who has sex with a lot of people and uses recreational drugs while out for the evening is “the best representative of the gay community.” I have fought all my adulthood for the right of gay people to live as they choose, only to see a younger generation, ungrateful for the gains nonconformists gained them, demand more disrespect for nonconformists.
But I still don’t know why a guy with a highball in his hands gets to take the joint from my fingers, or why a guy as ugly as the bottom of a frying pan gets to tell a hottie he’s taking down too many phone numbers. I don’t happen to believe that recreational drug use or sexual freedom are both seamless robes of doom.
I do know that Brian would never take GHB or have sex without a condom, and I applaud “Queer as Folk” for recognizing that not everybody who takes a tab of E or attends a sex party is going to die young or end his lengthy days wasted and alone. Now, in my 50’s, I’m in a monogamous relationship (as I always intended to end up) and have concluded that most of the time a cocktail isn’t worth it. However, I don’t regret sowing my wild oats in my 20’s and 30’s, and I won’t apologize for it.
And you’re not going to catch me telling younger gay men that they can’t do the same if they want to. I don’t mind if they don’t, either, unless it’s because -- much as they’d like to be Brian Kinney -- they’ve been cowed by moralistic homosexuals in exactly the same way all homosexuals used to be cowed by whole wide heterosexual world. It often seems these days that when James Dobson leaves the room he's appointed some obliging gay person classroom monitor. I don't need the extra credit.
Wilde frequented hustlers and Jean Genet actually was one. I’d rather have 50 words from either than 10,000 from a transplanted neocon Brit like Andrew Sullivan about how not to live and what not to read (Michel Foucault). I’m not that interested in cant, and I don’t need to be set straight about the meaning of my vote, either before or after I’ve cast it.
But at least AfterElton reported the results of the contest honestly. Remember when Randy Harrison’s Justin was first and Gale Harold’s Brian was second in GLAAD'S "Out Image" poll and GLAAD reported Eden Reigl the winner as if nobody'd been keeping track of the totals?
Remember how they first explained it by implying that votes from out of the country somehow made up her total without appearing in the tally? Remember their backup position that they couldn't give it to RH or GH because they weren't available to attend their effing banquet (as if that were part of the rules, or there were no U.S. mails?). If I recall correctly, Randy and Gale split 45% of the total vote, and Reigl actually never cracked double digits. Even with all the editorializing, I appreciate AfterElton’s honesty.
The readers seem to have voted for their favorite gay character, not their favorite gay character from an after-school special. Hence the second place win for Jack McFarland, a character redeemed entirely by humor – all of it stemming from his shallowness, dumbness and selfishness. But Brian Kinney is a whole other kettle of fish. For all the assimilationist gay men who hate him for his aversion to compromise and conformity, there are still some liberationist gay men who revere him for the same.
And I’m always struck with how much lesbians identify with his unapologetic attitude. Brian is just as "other" with his straight male boss at the agency as any woman would be in the same position, but he knows his value and takes all the rope he wants. What lesbian wouldn't love a guy like that?
But I’m not a lesbian, I’m a guy. One who would rather watch “Queer as Folk” than “Gay as Blazes.” It has been said (by psychologists who ought to know) that gay men are what heterosexual men would be if women said yes as easily as other men do. It’s funny to think that after decades of confrontational activities, gay men should now believe or feign to, when they’re not even out of their 20’s, they have to act like the Promise Keepers.
A promise keeper is what I am these days, not because somebody’s told me I ought to be, not because I think straight society will like me better if I am, but because I choose to be. That’s where I am in my own life. I will defend to the death the right of another gay man or lesbian to be someplace else. And if that’s the back room at Babylon, I’m with Debbie. Have fun and play safe.
Could not care less
about his promiscuity or his drug use, he was an adult and had all the rights and responsibilities of an adult. The problem I had with the character was the way he treated other gay men. In a world where gays are badly treated by straights, the last thing we need is to be treated badly by other gays, so wonder so many end up embittered (and yes I realize that the others he interacted with should have also been responsible).
A despised minority can ill afford to treat other members of its' community badly. Perhaps others disagree though in the interest of "being honest and doing your own thing".
Cheers
JBE
Amen to that
I stopped watching QAF after the first season because I simply couldn't stand Brian and the charisma-free actor playing him. It made no sense to me that such a hateful, mean-spirited person could have even one devoted friend, let alone a whole gang, as well as pick up as many men as he did with such a negative aura.
Who does he treat badly?
You're not very specific about "how he treated other gay men," but I can only think of two things you might mean.
One possibility is the fact that not all his tricks got a second date, and that he could come off as rather brusque with them. I see that as an aspect of his honesty. You couldn't possibly expect love with Brian unless you were brain dead or love actually was a possibility. He made sure of that, and although that kind of truth in packaging may seem a little brutal, in the long run (like the next day) it helped keep things in perspective.
I personally think the reason Justin dared hope for more was that he and Brian really did have a deeper connection from the very beginning, whether Brian knew it or not. Something about the brave young virgin touched him.
By the way, a lot of us don't mind being picked up by a hottie with barracuda manners and a take-no-prisoners approach. If it's just a sex thing, that can be sexy. And from the testimonials (including Ben Bruckner's, which was pretty specific) nobody got shortchanged on the sex itself.
The second possibility is the needling way he talked to his friends. It seems to me that was just banter, and they all knew it. I would. After all, he clearly loved Michael more than almost anybody in the world, and Michael came in for it too.
The fact that Brian always called Ted "Theodore" doesn't negate the tangible good things he did for him, which were significant and several. The same goes for all the others as well. A lot of men have needling ways in conversation that don't go very deep. Every Irish guy I've ever met, as a matter of fact (and don't forget that Brian is Irish). You're not supposed to take their little darts very seriously. Brian's friends don't.
Too many to mention
I did not have an issue with his one night stands (I have had my share), and at least he practiced safe sex, but I would never think of being as dismissive as Brian Kinney was towards them. The attitude that he gave was "you should feel lucky that I even find you attractive, I'm the best". It was frankly kind of nauseating. Also, the way he kept teasing his best friend Michael who he knew had a crush on him was reprehensible. Why did he keep doing this? My theory is his ego needed constant feeding (due to his lousy family life). Mind you about half way through the 1st season I wanted to give Michael a cuff across the head to say wake up he is not your type and you should start looking elsewhere.
Finally when he had that competition with the new stud in Pittsburgh about who could bed the guys they wanted the most, give me a break, talk about being neurotic about getting older!
Granted he did do positive things for his friends (sometimes grudgingly) but I have met some very sexy gay men who not only do a lot of good in the community but also manage to treat others with respect. There is just know way I would ever rate someone like Brian Kinney as my "favourite" gay character, how could I when I know I would avoid him in real life?
Cheers
JBE
You'd know where you stood
Brian had flaws, and the "contest" was certainly an exploration of his insecurity and the ultimate folly of basing too much of your self esteem on your attractiveness. That was a continuing theme with Brian, the fear of aging. But that doesn't have a whole lot to do with your original point. I don't think he treated his tricks disrespectfully (except when they deserved it, which they occasionally did).
The swagger you found "nauseating" a lot of people found sexy, and I don't consider it inherently disrespectful of others. "You're lucky I find you attractive" isn't necessarily abusive. Maybe they were.
Personally, I probably wouldn't sleep with Brian (or his real life equivalent) either, because I'd worry about measuring up, and I might also worry about getting infatuated. But I know these things about myself, and I don't blame anybody else for them. As a matter of fact, I'm a little afraid of the "nice" Adonises too.
Anybody can hurt you if you're meant to get hurt, and Brian tries very hard never to give anybody false hopes. The "nice" beauties don't offer any such protection, but you might not get that second date with them either. An encounter in a backroom has the advantage over a trip to the loft that it avoids all that. Would I like to run into Brian in the uncomplicated dark? Oh yeaaaaahhhhh.
Well ducdebrabant
I will give you credit, you are articulate in your defense of Brian Kinney. If I had to vote again and if it was a selection of 20 not 10 he might get on my list. I was surprised though that you wouldn't sleep with his equivalent. Guess I have never been intimidated by my sexual partners. I wouldn't sleep with him because his personality would turn me off. One of the worse one night stands I ever had was with a Brian Kinney type, very full of himself. He committed the faux pas of saying I would be really sexy if I lost 10 pounds! Thanks a lot a**hole!
Cheers
JBE
Weight loss advice, eh?
Ha Ha
you are right I could relate to that. I did not tell the worse part of the experience, all I can say is he took a certain part of his anatomy waaay too seriously. Funny thing is I had "flings" with his two best friends several years apart. They were such nice guys! Go figure.
Cheers
JBE
This is just a stab in the dark, ducdebrabant...
Ah ....
Right on
ducdebrabant:
I took a stab at making this point, but you've said it much better, and with great detail. Bravo.
Saint Brian
Thank you ducdebrabant, for your comments. Brian was never a hero, and wasn't written as one. Yes, I have watched QAF more then once, and each time I did, I discovered more about the characters, especially Brian. Brian never lied about who he was, or gave any false pretense about how he felt. It was known by all, that he believed in fuc-king, used it for his ultimate enjoyment, a maximum of pleasure and a minimum of bullshit. Brian was a complex character with many flaws. The hard shell core that surrounded him was his protection from his pain and abuse from his childhood. His 'no boyfriend' and no commitment policy were also from his miserable childhood. One of the reasons that I grew to love the Brian/Justin couple, yes, the sex was hot, but, it was the relationship that grew between them, the Justin character enabled Brian to feel love, accept love, show love and eventually want love. And Brian's friends admired him because he showed them strength, success and told them the truth, what they needed to hear instead of want they wanted to hear. Maybe I watched a different story, but I remember many times of Brian looking after Michael as well as Justin. Michael's character was a good person, but he was also a whiner and was not strong without a partner. There were several times I just wanted to shake him. Justin's character influenced many of the characters. He made mistakes, but he had 'grit'. I cannot help but admire that. He captured Brian's heart, and to me, this was the essence of the show!
Never was a hero?
While I agree with you that he was rarely heroic the way the series had the other character's eyes glaze over in idolization when they looked at him was certainly intended to make us think he was a hero.
I never viewed Brian as strong--I viewed him as mean attitude queen. The kind who thinks he's "bruatally honest" when really he's just a jerk. I know that type--I've been that type.
Hitting the Nail on the Head!
So I guess you didn't
like QAF? The lives filled with boredom, banality, dullness and no love at all described many of the QAF characters during the 5 year run. Ted, Emmett, and Brian certainly experienced more than their share of these emotions! I am discounting the times they were too drugged out our drunk to know what they were feeling.
Cheers
JBE
Couldn't agree more!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"There are two types of straight people in this world: the ones that hate you to your face, and the ones that hate you behind your back." -- Brian Kinney ("Queer As Folk")
Disappointing
Brian Kinney, Justin, Jack from Will and Disgrace? THESE ARE THE TOP THREE? What the hell is everyone thinking?
Keith from Six Feet Under, Luke from ATWT, and Kevin from B&S SHOULD BE THE TOP THREE! In fact, I just found my new three-way.
Once again I'm out of touch
Wow, it just goes to show how differently we can all view things. I had SUCH a different take on Brian Kinney than this. I saw him as a self-loathing jerk—not because he had sex with numerous men (who doesn’t) or didn’t want to be in a monogamous relationship (that’s a personal decision I can support)--but because he treated everyone around him with such contempt. He was completely humorless and just nasty. It just made me wonder what was wrong with all the other characters that they would worship this asshole.
Exactly
in one episode when Ted approched him in his office about what he had lost, he blurted out,, I can't remember the exact qurot," My Father was aan abusive drunk, my mother is an overbearing bitch, as a result, I have no emoion, I've raise promiscuity to a new level and lost the only two people I've ever loved.
ted, saic now, don't you feel better?
Brian" no, But you do"
Brian knew what he was doing to himself, but he couldn't stop.Dennis
:-)
Why I loved the Brian Kinney character
Yes, he took no shit--
But he gave a lot. It never failed that after he'd had sex with someone he'd treat them like crap--which shows how much he hated himself--I know a lot of guys like this (Anyone who'd have sex with me is messed up). He was just unpleasant with a perpetual snear and no sense of humor. I used to think there was something truly wrong with Justin and Michael for following him around like sick puppies. And I loved the way the writers would have to make Brian occasionally do something generous and out of character (of course, always anonymously) so that we wouldn't think he was just completely amoral.
Are our only choices a gay jester or a total asshole? The character of Micheal--despite his masochistic obsession with Brian--was at least an admirable person. He cared about the people around him and didn't need to tear them down to make himself feel important.
It may be the times
To woe is me
Brian deserves the number one spot for three reasons:
1. He's as controversial a character in our community as homosexuality is in general.
2. He's hot. On the show he was the man everyone wanted to f#@*, and the man every gay guy wanted to be.
3. He was the star of the show that placed me (if not the entire gay community) in a sorrow-filled state for not living in Pittsburgh. Pitssburgh?!
To each his own
I guess. I have met people like Brian Kinney. I have never had any desire to have sex with them and never aspired to be like them. Selfish, self-centred people are as common as dandelions in June in our society. Frankly you can be good looking without being an a##hole at the same time.
As for controversy and complexity I could think of other characters on the show that were far more complex. Ben with his struggles with HIV and taking the chance of adopting a street prostitute, Ted with drug addictions, cosmetic surgery and his on again off again feelings for Emmet, and Justin who went through a whole range of emotions and behaviours. Brian became more complex near the end, but it was pretty obvious to me what was driving his behaviour after about the third episode!
Cheers
JBE
Big Ben
I thought they were real, not boring
To me, boring was the later Brian/Justin seasons, when the actors were sick of being there (at last I thought so, based on their performances), the characters really had no story left, and it was just random plots like "Brian has cancer" or "Brian works for a homophobic company".
Ben and Michael actually grew and changed as people over the course of the series. They married, they adopted a child, they had to overcome real problems.
Real problems do not necessarily make for great TV
Yes, Ben & Michael married, and adopted, and that's what made them such caricatures to me. It seemed that through Ben & Michael, the writers tried to tackle all of these social issues that have the straight folks 'talking about us.' And in doing so, they made Ben & Michael virtually flawless, mistake-free, moral pillars. And it didn't find any of that to be realistic. It was almost as if the writers were overly conscience of these storylines, sort of, 'let's show them how well gays can marry and adopt.' And there may be some who appreciate this depiction, but it made for mind-numbingly dull television, like the Gay Family Channel.
As for real problems: Brian had cancer and faced homophobia in the workplace. I see those as real problems because they are issues of concern for me, far more so than marriage (don't want it) and adoption (ain't gonna.) So let's not define 'real problems' using the Hetero Model. Brian Kinney resonates because 'real problems' are his back story, and his brash character is his way of turning that back story around and making it work. That's real.
I always looked at QAF
as a show for GLBT not something that straights would be interested in watching. The Ben & Michael relationship was very real because it dealt with issues a lot of gay men are going through in the 21st century. Serodiscordant relationships (HIV+ and HIV-) are very common (I'm in one) and have their own unique issues. Adoption certainly is also common. Just because you do not want to get married or adopt does not make their relationship any less real.
I agree that Brian Kinney's story was real as well but it took awhile to get off the ground, for the first 2-3 seasons his character barely budged.
Cheers
JBE
Some points
QAF was popular amongst straight women (there was a survey done at one point), so yeah, straights were watching. And you know the agenda-ists were taking copious notes. Anyhoo...
As for adoption 'certainly being common', that's debateable, but I won't digress on that topic. The HIV storyline was the most interesting aspect of the Ben & Michael characters, so kudos to the writers for that.
QAF tried to be everything to everybody, so small wonder that all of the issues got thrown in and were usually tied up in 2 or 3 episodes. People rarely change overnight, but they did on QAF. Except Brian. We were sold an anti-hero and he remained true to form right to the bitter (horrible finale!) end.
Stories like marriage,
Stories like marriage, adoption, etc. are just as real to those viewers that want those things. As one of those people, I'm a little tired of being marginalized as wanting the "hetero model" as though that were inherently bad. It's like saying because you are gay you simply MUST want the exact opposite of everything straight couples want and nothing less is acceptable. That's nonsense.
My point...
...wasn't to say that marriage and adoption aren't real issues, they are. I was responding to a criticism of the Brian Kinney character that suggested his problems were of a lesser significance.
And also ....
True that is
what a significant number of gay people go through (fortunately not me). What irritated me about Brian was his inability or unwillingness to confront his "demons" for a better word (it was pretty obvious to me what they were early on). We all have them and after awhile one gets tired of making excuses for people's less attractive behaviour. You are an adult and you have to take some responsibility for your actions dammit!
Cheers
JBE
About those demons
Although Brian had an ongoing fear of growing old, I think he confronted the demon of his background most effectively.
He obviously put himself through college. He acquired valuable skills, personal salesmanship, and a plum job. He acquired a good taste he obviously wasn't taught at home. He turned himself into a famously fantastic lover. He acquired friends and kept them close. And most of all, he adopted a supremely self-reliant attitude.
It may have distanced himself from others at times, but everything did Brian based on the premise that he must depend on himself for everything in life was confronting his demons. Self-discipline? Brian worked out every day, never ate carbs after 7, and never failed a client except when he wanted to.
I know a man whose mother was a demon, a virago, the least motherly woman you can think of. He taught himself to be the best cook I ever met. Nobody on the show ever perfected him/herself. If Brian never slew his last dragon, neither did anybody else. But he didn't just sit in the cave and barricade the entrance either.
For five years we rooted for him to change, and change he did. Slowly, but it happened. The pace was fine with me; I never wanted the show to end.
But there were changes along the way, too. At the end of the first season, instead of hanging himself on his 30th birthday, he went to Justin's prom. That was confronting something, it sure as hell seems to me.
Hmmmm
most of the points you made about dealing with his demons, to mean sound like running away from them, guess it is my Psychology education coming back to haunt me. When I finally saw him dealing honestly with his inner life was when he got cancer and when Michael almost died in the bomb blast. That is when he started realizing his potential as a thinking, feeling adult. Anyways I have just about exhausted all have to say about the Brian Kinney character, as they say after every election "the voters have spoken".
Cheers
JBE
Brian could confront everything else....
Just not his demons. And maybe he did in the end when he acknowledged his love for Justin. Brian dealt with reality, he spoke his mind and cut through the BS. But like a lot of us, his objectivity ended when he looked in the mirror.
Justin
I was and do expect
more from somebody in their 30's. I don't expect a person in their teens (like yourself) or early 20's to face their demons. I am not convinced he dealt that effectively with reality, he seemed to run away from it a lot, otherwise why the constant drinking, drug taking and one night stands? The person that dealt best with reality (besides Vic) was Ben, with Emmett a close second.
Cheers
JBE
They are real problems, but not on QAF
"As for real problems: Brian had cancer and faced homophobia in the workplace. I see those as real problems because they are issues of concern for me,"
They are of concern to any GLBT, true. My problem was that they just didn't work for me on the show. Brian never looked all that ill during his cancer story. Any consequences on his life were short-term. His homophobia storyline at work was also relatively short-term, and since his work storylines were at times incredibly silly and not realistic (remember when a man at his old job had sex with him, then claimed sexual harrassment, and Justin - because of course this man would find Justin irresistible and not question at all why Justin was all up on him or if he might have come from Brian - nearly seduced him and blackmailed him into dropping the suit), it was hard to care about his worklife.
My other problem was that I just never felt like the people involved cared. I do think Gale Harold cared in the early seasons, and I respect that he did not go around talking about how straight he was or how disgusting it was to have sex scenes with a man. That's something most straight actors would not do. But by the last few seasons, I felt like he and Randy Harrison were just counting down the hours until the show was over. Maybe everyone in the cast felt that way, but some hid it better than others.