Lou Maletta was termed to get gay life—om porn reviews to polil verage—on TV. Forty years ago, he succeed.
Contents:
- THE FOTTEN GAY CABLE NETWORK THAT CHANGED LGBTQ HISTORY
- GAYS ON TV
- R.I.P., GAY TV: A NOT-SO-SAD REALY
THE FOTTEN GAY CABLE NETWORK THAT CHANGED LGBTQ HISTORY
* gay television programming *
GayBgeTV shows gay movi and TV shows, creatg a specific space the entertament dtry for gay men while also leavg room on their platform for LGBTQ+, cludg transgenr ntent. The SHOWTIME® drama, The L Word, explor the lbian scene Los Angel by followg a group of iends (both gay and straight) through personal stori surroundg reers, fay, ner stggle, iendship, and romantic relatnships. Known for pavg the way for LGBTQ+ televisn, the wildly popular s Will & Grace broke ground the ’90s by beg one of the first popular shows wh gay characters.
From the FBI surveillance of homosexuals durg the 1950s “Lavenr Sre” to the culture wars of the ’90s, six renowned LGBTQ+ directors explore the muny’s battle for rights Ameri. The ntroversy soon attracted natnal attentn: Playboy and NPR vered the town’s cri to censor Men & Films, and the Village Voice asked, “Do nstutnally guaranteed eedom of exprsn extend to public accs TV shows pictg nsentg gay mal gettg on wh, pardon the exprsn, equally nsentg u?
GAYS ON TV
On the show, which first aired on Manhattan Cable’s racy leased accs Channel J, Maletta terviewed gay porn stars and reviewed slightly eded X-rated clips om newly released vios of gay pornography. GCN shows clud Be Our Gut, a satire of 1950s game shows hosted by drag queen Sybil Bncheon; Candied Camera, a queer variety and sketch show siar to Saturday Night Live; In the Dungeon, an rmatnal seri about New York’s leather and BDSM scene; Sixth Floor Harrison, one of the first scripted gay soap operas on TV; and Gay USA, a news show that offered LGBTQ polil mentary, on-lotn verage of LGBTQ events, and terviews wh LGBTQ artists, activists, and public tellectuals.
GCN programmg received numero mendatns and awards, cludg om the Coaln for Lbian and Gay Rights, the Gay and Lbian Prs Associatn, and the GLAAD Media Awards.
R.I.P., GAY TV: A NOT-SO-SAD REALY
” The typil narrative has that between the 1950s and 1980s, gay characters on TV were few and far between, and were picted primarily stereotyp or nuendo. After watchg the health of a close iend rapidly terrate followg an AIDS diagnosis (the disease was known as gay-related immune ficiency at the time), Maletta cid to expand Men & Films to clu weekly LGBTQ news and health segments. Fancials were a nstant ncern: Maletta soliced advertisements om lol LGBTQ bs, cludg gay bars and sex hotle servic (and even anized his own sex parti his personal dungeon), to offset the st of his programmg.
Airg nsistently sce 1990, Gay USA is now the longt-nng LGBTQ televisn seri, and one of the very few programs dited to airg LGBTQ news on a weekly basis. In a ntemporary media market which many LGBTQ publitns are closg and/or layg off staff, Gay USA provis an example of fancially staable, pennt, and progrsive LGBTQ programmg. ” Bahlman, a seasoned AIDS activist who has volunteered wh Gay USA sce 2004, created and manag the show’s webse and posts the weekly episos to YouTube and iTun.