To so many of us who were raised in the back woods of some rural county, in an age before the internet let you to binge watch whatever crap you wanted, television was one place you could turn to for some glimmers of gay stuff. Though these characters were innately problematic and caricatures of the gay experience, they were better than nothing.
You feel like the only gay in the village, so the only gays you got to see were on television. Of course there was the odd gay-themed program (we’re looking at you Queer as Folk), but you couldn’t run the risk of your dad catching you watching that ‘queer shit’. These gay characters on camp television programs were life-rafts for so many lost gay kids out there, who could sit next to their parents and swallow their excitement at seeing some homos on the small screen.
We’ve gone ahead and hand-picked some from the past two decades that we felt shaped us to be the bona fide queer queens we are today.
Stanford Blatch
If the trend of the sassy gay side-kick was a disease, Stanford Blatch would be patient zero. You could immerse yourself in the world of Sex and the City, and convince yourself that you’re a Carrie, but every few episodes he appeared, reminding you that you can only ever be a Stanford. That aside, he had charisma and was well connected, and his disenfranchisement from the six-packed gays of the 90’s New York scene is something we all feel every now and then. A significant moment of representation was when he accepted the online invitation to meet that he received form BigTool4U, where Carrie’s support for the then taboo encounter was great for gay men out there who could feel a little less shame around meeting up with strangers on the internet. Tragically he meets up with BigTool4U only to be rejected based on his looks. Sigh.
Kurt Hummel
He was the high-pitched counter-tenor who wore insane outfits, bitched about his girlfriends and lusted after the only straight boy who wasn’t an ass to him. A stereotype yes, but as a character he experienced those awkward moments of gay adolescence that so many of us have faced, from female friends mistaking your socialising for flirting, to the strained relationship you have with your father since you’re not the sports lad he had hoped for. He annoyingly raised the hopes of hundreds of little gay boys when his bully was secretly in love with him, and he found a rich pretty boy to be his boyfriend, but there’s always time for some fantasy. The bully at your school was probably just an asshole, and you didn’t get any action before heading to uni…nonetheless, he made some strides in humanising us gays that are a little more stereotypical than we’d like to be.
Jack McFarland
Yes, Will and Grace was a gay-themed show, but in terms of love interests, it mostly focused on Grace’s single girl story line which made it acceptable for our screens. Though Will’s character wasn’t as stereotypical as Jack, he was played by a straight man, which Jack wasn’t. Jack’s full of fantasy and really makes his way around the boys. Intensely ridiculous, he rarely gets the chance to show us a more vulnerable side to his character, unlike Karen Walker who’s just as ridiculous but is given more opportunities to appear human. As far as being an example for gay kids of the 90’s, he showed us, with tender and sometimes touching moments between he and Will, how gay men can form meaningful friendships with one another.
Justin Suarez
One of the youngest gay characters to be featured on television in the noughties. Being that overtly camp kid at school really isn’t easy, which is what we often saw play out on Ugly Betty when it came to her nephew Justin. The great thing about this character was how naturally the camp-ness came to him, giving a massive middle finger to those people who claimed being gay was a choice. If this kid is naturally obsessed with fashion and musicals then that’s just science. All of our hearts melted when he had his first hook up with that super cute boy a few seasons in. This character also did well in showing a traditional latin family trying to deal with a little boy who was different. He was also one of the few gay characters that wasn’t that well off, being born and raised in a little house in Queens, literal miles away from the aforementioned Manhattan gays.
Mitchell Pritchett
It’s right there in the title – family relationships are the foundation of Modern Family. This program showed that gay men can be a functioning part of a dysfunctional family. He was one of the first gay fathers to bless our TV screens, and showed what it was like being a very conventional gay adult. Any gay kids growing up in the 00’s could see that if clubbing and group sex doesn’t really seem that appealing, they could be just as boring as their straight friends. Mitchell isn’t as stereotypical as others on this list, but what he did well is showing how us gays are always having to grapple with a stereotype, be it actively trying to go against it or just giving into it. He’s a real role model for gay fathers out there.
Titus Andromedon
A struggling actor trying to make it on Broadway. Again, a sidekick to a woman living her best life, he really doesn’t do much to dismantle gay prejudices. His incredible vocal talent is passed off as a punchline rather than an asset, and his opinions are shallow and superficial. This character often toes the line between making fun of gays, and making fun of gay stereotypes. BUT, we still adore him. From the Lemonade cover, to his ‘Baby Slut’ t-shirt, we’re always on his side, and he’s absolutely friggin’ hilarious… PLAY US OUT, TITUS.
