In honor of tonight's Grey's Anatomy dealing with gay servicemembers, here's a sampling of gay military men on television. In researching this list, I was expecting to find stories to be either be recent (as the issue of gays in the military is a current topic) or to boom around 1993, when "Don't Ask Don't Tell" began, but the topic has popped up off and on throughout the years.

Take a look at some of the gay men we've seen serve their country on the small screen ...

Paul Dill
From: The Real World: New Orleans

By its ninth season, The Real World had its share of trainwreck personalities but still hadn't devolved into the parade of sexual promiscuity and inane arguments the show is today. At that point, it was still a show able to provoke discussion of social issues, as it did when gay housemate Danny Roberts introduced his boyfriend Paul to the nation. Paul was an US Army Ranger Captain at the time and, to protect him from a dishonorable discharge, the show blurred his face when he came to see Danny. After leaving the military, Paul appeared with Danny in an MTV special without hiding his identity. Danny and Paul have gone on to speak out about gay issues, especially the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.

Jeffrey Lindley
From: Melrose Place

In 1994, things were looking up for Melrose Place's gay resident Matt Fielding (Doug Savant) as he met Jeff, a guy who managed to stick around beyond the first date (Jeff Beghe). As with many Melrose Place guests, Jeff behaved oddly and eventually revealed that he was hiding a secret: he was a closeted Navy officer. Jeffrey was quickly transferred to the East Coast, breaking up him and Matt. He returned the next season, holding another topical secret ... that he was HIV positive.

Enos Fry
From: Futurama

In one of the irreverent animated comedy's most memorable stories, putting aluminum foil into a microwave sends the Planet Express crew back to Roswell, New Mexico in the 1950s. Fry is sternly warned not to do anything to do anything to change the future. Fry being Fry, that warning doesn't stop him from seeking out his grandfather, Enos Fry, whose life on base turns out to be fraught with dangers. In order to protect his eventual birth, Fry tries to protect him from harm. However, to Fry's horror, Enos confesses that he might be gay and is hesitant to follow through on his engagement to the woman who will be Fry's grandmother. Worried about taking himself out of history, he pushes Enos back in the closet, only to see him die in a freak accident. In true Futurama style, Fry makes up for it by becoming his own grandfather.

Reichen Lehmkuhl
From: The Amazing Race

In The Amazing Race's fourth season saw the show's second same-sex couple, Chip and Reichen, charge through the globe-spanning reality competition, eventually winning the big prize. Reichen was a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served for five years, eventually reaching the rank of captain and being honorably discharged. While Riechen is best known nowadays for who he is dating or his TV roles (like a recent gig on Dante's Cove), he's also a spokesperson for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and raises money for the advocacy group.

Lots more after the jump!

We came across an open NYC casting call on Craigslist for a new reality show looking for straight girls and their “gay best friends.”

Here’s the pitch:

Are your friends constantly calling you Will and Grace? Jack and Karen? Kathy and her best gay? A NEW GAME SHOW celebrating the fascinating, complex, and hilarious relationship between gay men and their straight girlfriends is now casting! So if you're fun, outrageous, and know a lot of pop culture and mindless trivia, then we want you as a CONTESTANT! We are looking for BFF couples of all ages, who have a great dynamic together to take part in this new game show for a major cable network. If you think that you and your BFF would be fabulous, please e-mail your names, contact info, how long you have known each other, a brief description of your relationship, and a picture of both of you together or separate to newtvgameshow@gmail.com. You must be available May 20 and 21. Hurry spaces are filling fast!

This could be a bit of a train wreck. No doubt there’s a special “twist” that they’re not telling the applicants during the casting process. You sign on thinking you’re gonna be competing against other gay boys/straight girls in fun team challenges a la Amazing Race or Fear Factor, and instead they have each of you strapped to a lie detector answering embarrassing questions like, “Do you ever wish she had a penis?" or “Do you sometimes fantasize about converting him?”

Still, if I were in the New York area and available May 20^th and 21st I’d be tempted to apply.

The press release says this reality show is for a “major cable network.” That covers a lot of territory but who knows, maybe the network is Bravo and they’re secretly casting for a new season of Boy meets Boy. Wouldn’t that be fun? Anybody remember James & Andra? I loved Andra — and loved Michael McDonald’s impression of her even more. After the break the classic “Boy Meets Goy” sketch from Mad TV. Enjoy!