The 2009 AfterElton Hot 100: Men of Color

While African-American men only nabbed 4% of the slots on the Hot 100 list, they pretty much ruled the roost when it came to this category. Indeed, it was nearly a Top 10 sweep with only Wilson Cruz and Mario López sneaking in at the end. As for Asians, B.D. Wong landed at #14 and Daniel Dae Kim came in at #18 while Sendhil Ramamurthy pretty much carried the torch for Indian representation by placing #12. The next highest-ranking man of Indian descent was British native Dev Patel, who made quite an impact in Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Alas, the success of that movie only propelled Dev to #28.

After Cruz and López, the next highest ranking men of Hispanic descent were Gael García Bernal and Guillermo Díaz at #s 20 and 21, respectively. Pop singer Ricky Martin clocked in at #26 followed by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo at #40.

With any luck, the election of Barack Obama will remind all of us that “hot” comes in every color of the rainbow and next year's main Hot 100 list will reflect that.

Now on to your Top Ten Men of Color! (And please don’t give away individual rankings in the subject lines of your comments; to see the results of the main Hot 100 poll, click here.)

1. Taye Diggs

For many gay men, 38-old Taye Diggs made his biggest impression on them playing James on NBC's Will & Grace for five episodes in 2006. As James, Will's love interest, Diggs provided the perfect counterpart to Will's fussiness, and gay men especially appreciated the kiss James and Will shared.

But if that's all you know about Diggs, then you're missing out on how truly exceptional this multi-talented performer truly is. Digg's big break came in 1996 when he originated the role of Benny in Rent. That was followed by roles in Chicago and Wicked and it should be noted, Diggs sings so well, he's featured on the cast recordings for Rent, Carousel and The Wild Party. 

Diggs' film roles include a memorable performance as Angela Bassett's very sexy love interest in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, as well as parts in The Wood and The Best Man.

Television success has proven a little more difficult for Diggs as the two shows built around him — Kevin Hill and Day Break — both failed to make it to a second season. But as one of the stars of ABC's Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, Digg's appears to have finally found the right vehicle to show off his wide-ranging —and hot —talent.

2. Darryl Stephens

If gay men love guys who play gay roles, we really love out gay men who play gay roles. But even in 2009, the number of roles for men of color are shockingly few as are the number of out actors of color. Therefore, it really is no surprise that the 35-year old Stephens claims the #2 spot on this list. After all, as Noah, the title character on Noah's Arc, Stephens proved week after week that hot not only comes in every color, but doesn't have to mean especially butch or super macho. Noah dressed with great panache and was a gentle soul who nonetheless exuded sexiness.

While Stephens himself doesn't usually dress with Noah's flair, he's every bit as sexy as the character he plays. He's also just as out, having discussed the issue in 2008 with Instinct Magazine saying, "I'm still private about my personal life, but my being gay certainly does not have to be any big mystery or secret." Nor is it a secret that gay and bisexual guys are very fond of Darryl. 

3. Jensen Atwood

As Wade, Noah's love interest on Noah's Arc, Jensen Atwood gave viewers a front row seat to his character's sexual awakening as he found himself falling in love with another man for the first time. Meanwhile, as bisexual warlock Griffen on Dante's Cove, viewers saw a much more erotic, sensual character who slept his way through half of the island.   

But whatever the role, this 32-year-old actor commands attention with his mellifluous voice and mesmerizing eyes. And gay men don't just love this straight guy for playing gay roles (frequently shirtless). This NAACP Image Award nominee has also appeared at numerous GLBT events where he has spoken out against homophobia. Our only complaint? We don't get to see him frequently enough.