fisher@dssdev.DEC (Gerry Fisher --- Terminally Inane) (03/11/86)
Nomination for Favorite Gay/Lesbian Portrayal on TV: ---------------------------------------------------- My favorite TV show with a gay/lesbian theme was an old episode of Cheers. On that episode, an old friend of Sam's (who happens to have been a teammate on his professional baseball team) comes out as a gay man during a publicity show for his new book. This part of the show happens in the first five to ten minutes and the rest of the show illustrates how people react to the news once the gay character is off-stage. Sam is hurt and confused by the confession ("Yunno, why can't guys be guys?"); Dianne is cool and calm; and, Norm starts to get nervous that Cheers is going to become a gay bar once all the gay men find out how open Sam is to gay people. When a good-looking, well dressed couple of young men go up to the bar and order a light beer, Norm is convinced that the gay invasion has started. The couple admits that they read in the paper about Sam's reaction to his buddy's comming out, and that they admire him for his stance. Dianne adds fuel to the fire by stating to Norm that she knows for a fact that there are two gay men in the bar "right at this very moment." Norm organizes everyone else in the bar, and then procedes to go to ridiculous lengths to drive the two young men out of the bar. After he finally succeeds, Norm gloats about his success. Unfortunately for him, Dianne tells him that the two gay men are still in the bar. At which point, the two men on either side of Norm (older, graying, balding, casually dressed) lean toward him and kiss him on the cheek. [the curtain falls] That's my favorite gay-themed TV show because it doesn't preach about being gay or having AIDS, but it delivers the message in a powerful way that we are everywhere and we're not all that different from you and yours. Any thoughts? Gerry Fisher ...decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-dssdev!fisher *************************************************************************** "In the bookstore I see lined up 'Virgins Die Horny,' Sitting next to the 'Hite Report,' Sitting next to 'Love Story;' And I ask, What does sex mean to me And what does sex mean to society" --Human Sexual Response