Geni Optns Book on Growg Up Gay and Disabled 1980s London - Variety

Contents:

• ‘SHAMELS’: ARE IAN AND MICKEY GAY REAL LIFE? A LOOK AT THEIR OFF-SCREEN RELATNSHIPS
• THE BT-WRTEN GAY COUPLE ON TELEVISN IS HIDG ON A GUILTY-PLEASURE SHOWBY JOANNA ROBSONMARCH 31, 2014CLIFF LIPSON/SHOWTIMESAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVESHAMELS OFTEN GETS LOST SOMEWHERE THE GLUT OF PRTIGE SUNDAY-NIGHT TELEVISN. IT LACKS THE POLISH OF MAD MEN AND THE OUT-AND-OUT SANY OF GAME OF THRON. SHAMELS OFTEN GETS WRTEN OFF AS A GUILTY PLEASURE—GLANCE OVER AT THE TELEVISN WHILE SOMEONE ELSE IS WATCHG AND YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE A BCH OF SOME KD OR ANOTHER. SEX, VLENCE, ADDICTN, AND PRAVY ARE THE SHOW’S RALLYG CRY. BUT SOMEWHERE THE CRACKS, SHAMELS HAS BUILT A ST OF BELIEVABLE, SYMPATHETIC, DIRT-POOR CHARACTERS STGGLG TO PE CIRCUMSTANCE, GEICS, AND SELF-STCTIVE BEHAVR.ARMED WH A STEADILY GROWG FAN BASE, SHAMELS IS NOW WRAPPG UP S FOURTH AND STRONGT SEASON. WH SPOTLIGHT STEALERS LIKE PATRIARCH FRANK GALLAGHER (WILLIAM H. MACY) LARGELY OUT OF MISSN, AND FNA GALLAGHER (EMMY ROSSUM) HTG ROCK BOTTOM, THE SHOW HAS REALLY ALLOWED SOME OF THE RT OF THE GALLAGHER CLAN TO SHE. EARLIER THE SEASON, LIP GALLAGHER (JEREMY ALLEN WHE), THE FAY GENI, PULLED FOC WH HIS HEART-WRENCHG STGGL TO MAKE THROUGH LLEGE. BUT THE LAST FEW EPISOS, IAN GALLAGHER (CAMERON MONAGHAN) AND HIS ON-AGA, OFF-AGA BOYIEND, MICKEY MILKOVICH (NOEL FISHER), HAVE BEEN THROWG THE HEAVYWEIGHT ACTG PUNCH. STARTG WH MICKEY’S RCUE OF A DG-ADDLED IAN AND CULMATG WH LAST NIGHT’S BRAWL-DUCG G-OUT SCENE, THE TWO ARE FALLY MAKG GOOD ON FOUR SEASONS OF SIMMERG BACKSTORY.FROM THE START, MONAGHAN’S IAN GALLAGHER WAS TOUTED AS A “UNIQUE” GAY CHARACTER ON TELEVISN. THE ANTI-KURT HUMMEL. AND WHILE ’S TE THAT IAN IS A B MORE ROUGH AND TUMBLE THAN YOUR UAL GAY STEREOTYPE, HE’S STILL A FAIRLY SENSIVE BOY. BUT THERE’S NOTHG SENSIVE ABOUT THE MICKEY CHARACTER, A HORRIFYGLY VLENT YOUNG THUG WHO WAS AS LIKELY TO PUNCH IAN AS HE WAS TO KISS HIM. JT LAST SEASON, MICKEY LIVERED THIS HEART-BREAKG BEAT DOWN.THE ARE SRED, OPPRSED BOYS WHO OFTEN KISS THROUGH BROKEN FAC. BUT THE PAST FEW EPISOS, MICKEY HAS STARTED TO THAW. PART OF THIS IS DUE TO THE PA OF LOSG IAN TO A SHORT-LIVED (AND ILLEGAL) STT THE ARMY. ANOTHER PART IS IAN’S VOLVEMENT THE GAY-CLUB AND PROSTUTN SCENE. WE’RE NOT NECSARILY SUPPOSED TO SEE THIS AS A HEALTHY CISN FOR IAN. BUT THE EEDOM AND RELIEF MICKEY FEELS KISSG IAN PUBLIC WHOUT REPRISAL, OR BEG TOLD HE’S “LUCKY” TO HAVE IAN AT AN AFFLUENT GAY MIXER, IS EYE-OPENG AND EMBOLNG FOR THE POOR KID. IT WAS ALL LEADG UP TO LAST NIGHT’S G-OUT MOMENT.WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PRSG AND DISTURBG SCENE OF A FATHER BEATG THE LIFE OUT OF HIS SON WAS, ULTIMATELY, UPLIFTG. THE BOYS AGA KISSG THROUGH BROKEN FAC.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYNETFLIX’S MURDGH MURRS IS OFFICIALLY RETURNG FOR SEASON 2: EXCLIVEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSON(VIA)BUT THIS TIME WH GRS.(VIA)TO PRAISE THE BLOODY, GHT RELATNSHIP OF MICKEY AND IAN IS NOT TO DIMISH OTHER, LS DRAMATIC PICTNS. THERE ARE A LN WAYS TO BE GAY AMERI AND NONE OF THEM ARE WRONG. MICKEY’S THUGGISH, STREET TOUGH IS A NATURAL PROGRSN OM CHARACTERS LIKE OMAR ON THE WIRE, AND LIKE EVERY CHARACTER ON SHAMELS, HE AND IAN ARE ALLOWED TO BE BETIFUL DISASTERS WHO ARE BOTH HARD TO LOVE AND IMPOSSIBLE TO RIST. THIS IS DUE, NO SMALL PART, TO THE AMAZG PERFORMANC OM NOEL FISHER AND CAMERON MONAGHAN WHO HAVE GROWN BETIFULLY TO THEIR ROL.AND, LIKE HAS WH MANY OTHER STGGL, SHAMELS HAS FOUND A UNIVERSAL TTH THIS EXTREME. BEG GAY N BE HARD EVERYWHERE AND IS CERTALY HARR ON THE WRONG SIS OF THE CHIGO TRACKS. EVERY PUNCH MICKEY THREW AT IAN WAS REALLY A BLOW AIMED WARD. THAT’S NOT TO EXCE THE ABE (AND MAKE NO MISTAKE, IAN N GIVE AS GOOD AS HE GETS). BUT SOMEHOW, AGAST ALL ODDS, MICKEY AND IAN ME OUT THE OTHER SI CLEAN. IT DON’T MEAN HAPPILY EVER AFTER FOR THEM. IT RARELY DO ON THIS SHOW. BUT DO MEAN THAT AT LEAST NOW, WH ALL THE OTHER MONS VANQUISHED, THEY’RE ONLY THEIR OWN WORST ENEMI. AND ISN’T THAT THE VERY LEAST WE ALL SERVE?(VIA)JOANNA ROBSON

‘SHAMELS’: ARE IAN AND MICKEY GAY REAL LIFE? A LOOK AT THEIR OFF-SCREEN RELATNSHIPS

Fans have wonred: Is Cameron Monaghan gay? Ian Gallagher actor Cameron Monaghan has never dated his on-screen love tert Noel Fisher and is not gay real life. For Shamels star Steve Howey, speakg out for what he knows is right has bee an art form, one that is unpredictable but always strik a December, the Texas-born actor me out on Twter, he says, to fight the stigma behd sayg the words "I'm gay.

" His tweet, which read simply "I'm gay and proud, " sparked dialogue and a fair amount of nfn about the straight, married father of tws -- but he isn't bothered by fans thought Howey, who plays gay Netflix's Game Over, Man!, might have been textg character, but he sists, "My whole pot was to be a champn, a supporter, of the movement. Howey plays Rich, a "bad guy and a goon" who happens to be gay and works alongsi his lover (Mac Brandt), another eccentric thug.

"The fact that he and Brandt both play agast type -- hypermascule bad guys who happen to be gay -- is part of the movie's charm. Movg forward, he hop to tackle more challengg rol that brg awarens to stori ls told -- like that of his bt iends, Nick and Jim, a gay uple, whose kids go to the same school as Howey's tws. He is also gay and fely enjoys the benefs of beg a cute young gger.

THE BT-WRTEN GAY COUPLE ON TELEVISN IS HIDG ON A GUILTY-PLEASURE SHOWBY JOANNA ROBSONMARCH 31, 2014CLIFF LIPSON/SHOWTIMESAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVESHAMELS OFTEN GETS LOST SOMEWHERE THE GLUT OF PRTIGE SUNDAY-NIGHT TELEVISN. IT LACKS THE POLISH OF MAD MEN AND THE OUT-AND-OUT SANY OF GAME OF THRON. SHAMELS OFTEN GETS WRTEN OFF AS A GUILTY PLEASURE—GLANCE OVER AT THE TELEVISN WHILE SOMEONE ELSE IS WATCHG AND YOU’RE LIKELY TO SEE A BCH OF SOME KD OR ANOTHER. SEX, VLENCE, ADDICTN, AND PRAVY ARE THE SHOW’S RALLYG CRY. BUT SOMEWHERE THE CRACKS, SHAMELS HAS BUILT A ST OF BELIEVABLE, SYMPATHETIC, DIRT-POOR CHARACTERS STGGLG TO PE CIRCUMSTANCE, GEICS, AND SELF-STCTIVE BEHAVR.ARMED WH A STEADILY GROWG FAN BASE, SHAMELS IS NOW WRAPPG UP S FOURTH AND STRONGT SEASON. WH SPOTLIGHT STEALERS LIKE PATRIARCH FRANK GALLAGHER (WILLIAM H. MACY) LARGELY OUT OF MISSN, AND FNA GALLAGHER (EMMY ROSSUM) HTG ROCK BOTTOM, THE SHOW HAS REALLY ALLOWED SOME OF THE RT OF THE GALLAGHER CLAN TO SHE. EARLIER THE SEASON, LIP GALLAGHER (JEREMY ALLEN WHE), THE FAY GENI, PULLED FOC WH HIS HEART-WRENCHG STGGL TO MAKE THROUGH LLEGE. BUT THE LAST FEW EPISOS, IAN GALLAGHER (CAMERON MONAGHAN) AND HIS ON-AGA, OFF-AGA BOYIEND, MICKEY MILKOVICH (NOEL FISHER), HAVE BEEN THROWG THE HEAVYWEIGHT ACTG PUNCH. STARTG WH MICKEY’S RCUE OF A DG-ADDLED IAN AND CULMATG WH LAST NIGHT’S BRAWL-DUCG G-OUT SCENE, THE TWO ARE FALLY MAKG GOOD ON FOUR SEASONS OF SIMMERG BACKSTORY.FROM THE START, MONAGHAN’S IAN GALLAGHER WAS TOUTED AS A “UNIQUE” GAY CHARACTER ON TELEVISN. THE ANTI-KURT HUMMEL. AND WHILE ’S TE THAT IAN IS A B MORE ROUGH AND TUMBLE THAN YOUR UAL GAY STEREOTYPE, HE’S STILL A FAIRLY SENSIVE BOY. BUT THERE’S NOTHG SENSIVE ABOUT THE MICKEY CHARACTER, A HORRIFYGLY VLENT YOUNG THUG WHO WAS AS LIKELY TO PUNCH IAN AS HE WAS TO KISS HIM. JT LAST SEASON, MICKEY LIVERED THIS HEART-BREAKG BEAT DOWN.THE ARE SRED, OPPRSED BOYS WHO OFTEN KISS THROUGH BROKEN FAC. BUT THE PAST FEW EPISOS, MICKEY HAS STARTED TO THAW. PART OF THIS IS DUE TO THE PA OF LOSG IAN TO A SHORT-LIVED (AND ILLEGAL) STT THE ARMY. ANOTHER PART IS IAN’S VOLVEMENT THE GAY-CLUB AND PROSTUTN SCENE. WE’RE NOT NECSARILY SUPPOSED TO SEE THIS AS A HEALTHY CISN FOR IAN. BUT THE EEDOM AND RELIEF MICKEY FEELS KISSG IAN PUBLIC WHOUT REPRISAL, OR BEG TOLD HE’S “LUCKY” TO HAVE IAN AT AN AFFLUENT GAY MIXER, IS EYE-OPENG AND EMBOLNG FOR THE POOR KID. IT WAS ALL LEADG UP TO LAST NIGHT’S G-OUT MOMENT.WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PRSG AND DISTURBG SCENE OF A FATHER BEATG THE LIFE OUT OF HIS SON WAS, ULTIMATELY, UPLIFTG. THE BOYS AGA KISSG THROUGH BROKEN FAC.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYNETFLIX’S MURDGH MURRS IS OFFICIALLY RETURNG FOR SEASON 2: EXCLIVEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSON(VIA)BUT THIS TIME WH GRS.(VIA)TO PRAISE THE BLOODY, GHT RELATNSHIP OF MICKEY AND IAN IS NOT TO DIMISH OTHER, LS DRAMATIC PICTNS. THERE ARE A LN WAYS TO BE GAY AMERI AND NONE OF THEM ARE WRONG. MICKEY’S THUGGISH, STREET TOUGH IS A NATURAL PROGRSN OM CHARACTERS LIKE OMAR ON THE WIRE, AND LIKE EVERY CHARACTER ON SHAMELS, HE AND IAN ARE ALLOWED TO BE BETIFUL DISASTERS WHO ARE BOTH HARD TO LOVE AND IMPOSSIBLE TO RIST. THIS IS DUE, NO SMALL PART, TO THE AMAZG PERFORMANC OM NOEL FISHER AND CAMERON MONAGHAN WHO HAVE GROWN BETIFULLY TO THEIR ROL.AND, LIKE HAS WH MANY OTHER STGGL, SHAMELS HAS FOUND A UNIVERSAL TTH THIS EXTREME. BEG GAY N BE HARD EVERYWHERE AND IS CERTALY HARR ON THE WRONG SIS OF THE CHIGO TRACKS. EVERY PUNCH MICKEY THREW AT IAN WAS REALLY A BLOW AIMED WARD. THAT’S NOT TO EXCE THE ABE (AND MAKE NO MISTAKE, IAN N GIVE AS GOOD AS HE GETS). BUT SOMEHOW, AGAST ALL ODDS, MICKEY AND IAN ME OUT THE OTHER SI CLEAN. IT DON’T MEAN HAPPILY EVER AFTER FOR THEM. IT RARELY DO ON THIS SHOW. BUT DO MEAN THAT AT LEAST NOW, WH ALL THE OTHER MONS VANQUISHED, THEY’RE ONLY THEIR OWN WORST ENEMI. AND ISN’T THAT THE VERY LEAST WE ALL SERVE?(VIA)JOANNA ROBSON

Later the seri, Ian be a gay rights advote lled ‘Gay J’ and he advanc his msage through dangero and crimal means, rultg his imprisonment. What follows is a brief perd of ristance om Lip, who is not ready to accept that his brother is gay.

This do not mean, however, that reprentatns of gayns Shamels, nor beg a gay character the show, is whout issue. Reprentatns of queer1 people popular televisn and film often align wh what sexuali scholars refer to as a “post-gay” narrative (see Coleman-Founta 2014; Rsell et al. Here, social, polil, and legal advanc over the last are ed as evince that homophobia is a thg of the past, and that the Uned Stat has achieved what Gay Liberatnists set out to acplish s earlier: equaly.

Here, queer televisn characters are fully tegrated to their workplace, fai, and schools, wh ltle—asi om the ocsnal homophobic bully—nflict.