Readers' Choice: The Top 25 Gay TV Characters Revealed!

The other half of Six Feet Under's gay couple, David Fisher was the polar opposite to Keith Charles' (Matthew St. Patrick) out and proud L.A. police officer. David, a very religious man who performed in his church's choir and served as a deacon, was deeply tortured by his sexuality. While not as complicated as some characters who made our list (Oz's Chris Keller, to name one) David's self-hatred manifests in numerous ways including acts of unsafe sex and bursts of anger.

David was not only religious, but unlike most gay men portrayed on television was also fairly conservative — having once belonged to the Young Republicans and wanting desperately to start a family and have children.

His relationship with Keith was tumultuous to say the least as Keith had issues of his own. Viewers sometimes grew frustrated with the couple's bickering, but thanks to the humanity brought to the part of David Fisher by actor Michael C. Hall, gay fans tuned in religiously to see what would happen next to one of the most fully realized and complex gay men on television.

Queer as Folk’s Emmett Honeycutt could have been nothing more than an offensive stereotype, but out gay actor Peter Paige instead brought to life one of TV’s best portrayals of a strong, queeny gay man. Emmett could dance, accessorize, organize a party, and fight like the devil for the people he loved and causes he believed in.

Emmett had romantic relationships with all kinds of men, including a wealthy senior citizen, his nebbishy best friend, and a closeted professional football player. When he loved, he loved hard, wearing his heart on his always-fabulous sleeve. Despite heartbreak and loss, he always picked himself up, dusted himself off, spent a few days wrapped in a blanket eating ice cream, and then went out and did it all over again.