Laudable Gay Characters on TV

I agree that there are far too few QUILTBAG characters on TV (and far too few minorities of any type, while we're at it.) That said, here are a few of my favorite gay characters currently gracing the small screen:

Diana Berrigan (Marsha Thomason) on White Collar. A story line I liked: once gay marriage became legal in New York, Diana's girlfriend wanted to walk down the aisle. But Diana panicked and balked--and I understood just where she was coming from! The plot took an odd turn later when the actress became pregnant: suddenly the character who wasn't ready for the commitment of marriage decided to have a baby on her own. (I haven't really bought that, but I understand the show's dilemma.)

Sonny Kiriakis (Freddie Smith) on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. Heck, he might win the award for the all-time-nicest-and-most-level-headed character. He has a fairly stable relationship with his husband Will Horton, although, in true soap opera fashion, they are surrounded by crazy family members. So he has to contend with issues like accidentally overhearing that his mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law and his husband's ex had jointly committed murder . . .

And yes, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) from Modern Family. They can be over the top--but everyone on that show is over the top, which is part of its charm.

I don't watch Scandal, so I have no comment on whatever the show did to a gay character.

Grey's Anatomy for sure, listed in the link

And Brothers and Sisters. From an article in 2008:

Although homosexual relationships aren't prohibited on TV, only a number of shows have incorporated gay romantic scenes in their storylines. And because of this, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) compliments Brothers & Sisters and its home network ABC for giving importance to Kevin and Scotty's love story.

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I personally thought their love story was the best storyline in the show, and I loved that show! I cried at their wedding, I cried when they were fighting...I loved them together and thought the show did a really great job of it.

I haven't seen the latest Scandal, but I think I know what you're talking about.

P.S. Just looked at an article about Scandal's gay couple: they do look like characters worth watching. I'll have to catch up with the show . . . at least until this past episode.

Oh, I agree about Kevin and Scott, Alpha Echo! I only listed the current characters I know of--but they were a marvelous couple.

Going back a very long way, how about Billy Crystal's character Jodie in Soap?

I think a big issue is the way gay people, especially gay men, are played for laughs on TV and film - you know, the over the top, supper camp guy who spends all of his time preening. Strangely lesbians tend to be played as super serious, very butch and surly characters. I hate stereotypes and I'd certainly like to see more gay characters and couples with prominent roles that aren't stereotypes but normal, real people.

Oh, I have another one. Nolan on Revenge. He is awesome. That show is a bit more...fantasy LOL...but still. He rocks. He's odd and flamboyant, but it's not because he's gay (or rather, bi). It's because he's rich and can get away with it.

shaldna, I think you're right. I like it much more when gay and lesbian characters are just...other people. Another complex character added to the mix. That's the way it should be, and the longer we continue to stereotype these characters, the longer before society as a whole accepts the real gay and lesbian community.

The married female couple on The Fosters who has several foster children is definitely not stereotypical.

Are there any good bi characters on TV like, anywhere?

David and Keith on Six Feet Under. Far from stereotypes - no one on that show was a stereotype. Loved that show.

How about the gay couple in Desperate Housewives? They seemed like rounded characters. Well... as rounded as anyone in that madness! LOL!

One thing I noticed on the list--unless I missed something--is that they identified the character of Adam on Degrassi as straight.

Which is true, but what the list didn't say (that I saw) is that Adam is transgender... he was the first teenage transgender character on a mainstream TV show, if I remember right.

Speaking of non-cisgender characters, the list didn't include Unique on Glee...

I wanted to mention Gus and Wally from Mission Hill, all the way back in the late 90's. I've recently rewatched the show for an article and I feel that they were the best rounded gay couple on animation I've ever seen. The last episode ever produced is about how they met and decided to make a life together..

The GLAAD page isn't loading for me, so I don't know if it mentions these already, but there's also Cosima, Delphine, and Felix from Orphan Black, and Steve Jinks and H.G. Wells from Warehouse 13. Of those, H.G. Wells is bi for certain, and I read Delphine as bi as well, though I don't know if that's canon.

In their most recent episode, Hannibal introduced Margot Verger, who is a lesbian in the book, and the director has confirmed she's gay in the show as well.

It made me smile to see Oscar from The Office on the list. I always liked that it was a part of his character, but at the same time, it didn't define his character. He was just a guy... who was gay.

I didn't see anyone from Orange is the New Black on the list. Alex Vause makes me swoon.

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:

...What and where is that?

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The Fosters is executive producer Jennifer Lopez's ABCFamily teen soap:


http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/the-fosters



And a big shout-out to Joss Whedon's Willow, Tara, and Kennedy!

RemaCaracappa said:

Are there any good bi characters on TV like, anywhere?

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If you don't mind reruns, I loved the character of Mr. Humphries on Are You Being Served, a Britcom from the 70's. Very risque for the time and, frankly, for today because he was totally accepted for who he was. Brilliantly played by John Inman. His orientation was never stated directly, but there are episodes where he had dates the previous night with both men and women.

I may be a bit behind the times (this show was cancelled in like 2011) but what about Jack Benjamin on Kings? Not necessarily laudable, but nobody's behaviour was laudable on that show, and he's definitely more relatable than the straight Gary Stu we were supposed to be cheering for...