Of the ne chosen by Mediae, three are gay men and one is a lbian.
Contents:
- THE FOTTEN GAY CABLE NETWORK THAT CHANGED LGBTQ HISTORY
- SURPRISE! ABC FAY AND FOX ARE THE GAYT NETWORKS ON TV MUST GAY TVTHE WORKS WH THE MOST LGBT ARE ABC FAY AND FOX—ONCE NSIRED THE MOST NSERVATIVE CHANNELS ON TELEVISN. HERE'S HOW THEY BEME OUT AND PROUD. CAROLE LTONUPDATED JUL. 11, 2017 6:17PM EDT / PUBLISHED NOV. 07, 2013 5:45AM EST THE DAILY BEASTIT’S 9 P.M. ON WHAT TELEVISN CHANNEL IS YOUR TEEN MOST LIKELY TO SEE A GAY CHARACTER? IT’S NOT THE ONCE-SUBVERSIVE MTV. OR NBC, ONCE THE HOME OF FRIENDS AND WILL AND GRACE. IT’S ABC FAY AND FOX, THE WORKS LNCHED BY NSERVATIV, WHO HAVE THE MOST GAY AND LBIAN CHARACTERS ON BLE AND BROADST, RPECTIVELY. WHAT’S MORE, GLAAD SPECIFILLY CED ONE OF ABC FAY’S SIGNATURE SHOWS, THE FOSTERS, AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE DIRECTN THAT WORKS SHOULD FOLLOW. “IT’S IMPORTANT TO THAT THE SHOW REFLECT THE WORLD,” SAYS PETER PAIGE, ONE OF THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS AND HEAD WRERS ON THE FOSTERS.GLAAD’S NETWORK RPONSIBILY INX (NRI) EVALUAT THE “QUANTY AND QUALY OF IMAG OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR (LGBT) PEOPLE ON TELEVISN.” IN THE 2012-13 TELEVISN SEASON, 42 PERCENT OF ALL PRIMETIME BROADSTG HOURS ON FOX HAD LGBT CHARACTERS (SO ’S NOT JT GLEE), 33 PERCENT OF THE HOURS ON ABC HAD LGBT CHARACTERS, 29 PERCENT ON NBC, 28 PERCENT ON THE CW, AND JT 14 PERCENT ON CBS. ON BLE, ABC FAY CLOCKED 50 PERCENT OF S PRIMETIME HOURS WH LGBT CHARACTERS, FOLLOWED BY FX WH 40 PERCENT, SHOWTIME WH 31 PERCENT, MTV WH 28 PERCENT, TLC WH 27 PERCENT, HBO WH 26 PERCENT, USA 20 PERCENT, TNT 17 PERCENT, TBS 10 PERCENT, AND THE HISTORY CHANNEL G AD LAST, WH ZERO PERCENT. GLAAD ASSOCIATED DIRECTOR OF ENTERTAMENT MEDIA MATT KANE SAYS THEY WERE “SURPRISED” TO SEE FOX DO SO WELL, ALTHOUGH THE WORK IS FAMO FOR GLEE, ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE AND GAY-IENDLY SHOWS ON TELEVISN.MTV WAS THE FIRST BLE WORK TO EVER RECEIVE AN “EXCELLENT” SRE, WH S GROUNDBREAKG SHOWS THE REAL WORLD, TE LIFE, AND SKS. GLAAD PRAISED THE WORK FOR BEG “RELIABLY CLIVE” 2012-13, BUT DID MENTN THAT THE NUMBER OF LBGT CHARACTERS HAVE SCE CLED. ABC FAY, MEANWHILE, RECEIVED THE SEND-EVER “EXCELLENT” SRE OM GLAAD 2011 (FOR THE RERD, ABC FAY ONLY RECEIVED A “GOOD” SRE THE 2012 REPORT). KANE SAYS THE ABC FAY HAS TRANSFORMED “NSIRG WHERE THEY ME OM—ALTHOUGH THAT WAS A VERY, VERY LONG TIME AGO THAT THE WORK HAD A NSERVATIVE BENT AND SIMPLY ISN’T THAT WORK ANY SHAPE OR FORM.”PAT ROBERTSON STARTED ABC FAY AS THE CBN SATELLE SERVICE 1977 TO FOC ON RELIG PROGRAMMG. IN 1990, HE SPUN THE HUGELY PROFABLE CHANNEL OFF TO THE INTERNATNAL FAY ENTERTAMENT INC., WH THE NEWLY-NAMED “FAY CHANNEL” BEG THE PRCIPLE PROPERTY. THE PANY WENT PUBLIC 1992, AND THEN WAS SOLD TO FOX KIDS WORLDWI 1997 FOR $1.9 BILLN. CBN RECEIVED $136.1 LN OM THE SALE, WH ROBERTSON PERSONALLY RECEIVG AN TIMATED $19 LN, ACRDG TO CHRISTIANY TODAY. ONE OF THE VEATS OF THE AL, ASI OM KEEPG “FAY” THE NAME, WAS THAT ROBERTSON’S SIGNATURE PROGRAM, THE 700 CLUB, WOULD NTUE TO AIR TWICE A DAY ON THE WORK. IN 2001, FOX SOLD THE CHANNEL TO DISNEY, WHERE WAS RENAMED ABC FAY.TODAY, ABC FAY IS NOT AFFILIATED WH CBN EXCEPT FOR THE 700 CLUB, AND THE WORK AIRS A DISCLAIMER PRR TO THE BROADST THAT SAYS DO NOT ENDORSE THE VIEWS STATED ON THE SHOW. MEANWHILE, 2006, THE WORK REBRAND SELF WH THE TAGLE “A NEW KD OF FAY.”“WE WANTED TO REPRENT FAY A NTEMPORARY AND THENTIC WAY, BUT WE ALSO DIDN’T WANT TO N AWAY OM THE WORD FAY,” SAYS KATE JUERGENS, ABC FAY’S CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRINT FOR ORIGAL PROGRAMMG AND DEVELOPMENT. “I THK [SEXUALY] WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF OUR PROGRAMMG—I DON’T SEE GOG AWAY OM .”ENTER THE MORN ERA OF ABC FAY. ONE OF S SIGNATURE SHOWS, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERIN TEENAGER, HAS THREE GAY CHARACTERS (AND A GUT SPOT BY CHAZ BONO), SWCHED AT BIRTH FEATUR A LBIAN CHARACTER, AND THE BREAKOUT H PRETTY LTLE LIARS HAS A MA CHARACTER, EY, WHO IS A LBIAN. PRETTY LTLE LIARS CREATOR MARLENE KG SAYS THAT WHEN ABC FAY APPROACHED HER TO ADAPT THE BOOK SERI TO A SHOW, SHE ASKED IF THE WORK WAS FORTABLE WH A CENTRAL CHARACTER BEG A LBIAN. WHAT’S MORE, KG DIDN’T WANT EY’S SEXUALY BE SOMETHG THAT F HER. “SHE JT SO HAPPENED TO BE GAY,” KG SAYS. BEG GAY IS “PART OF WHO SHE IS, BUT DON’T FE HER AND ’S NOT 100 PERCENT A PART OF WHO SHE IS.”THE FOSTERS, WHICH PREMIERED JUNE 2013, TELLS THE STORY OF A LBIAN UPLE RAISG SEVERAL CHILDREN, CLUDG THE BLOGIL SON OF ONE OF THE WOMEN AND SEVERAL ADOPTED AND FOSTER CHILDREN. GLAAD’S KANE LLS THE FOSTERS “A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A SHOW THAT HAS VERY DIVERSE CHARACTERS TERMS OF THEIR BACKGROUNDS AND THEIR ETHNICY.” IN FACT, THE SEASON FALE (SPOILERS), WHICH WAS FILMED JT DAYS AFTER THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT WAS STCK DOWN, FEATURED THE WEDDG OF MA CHARACTERS LENA AND STEF.“BY FAR, WE WERE THE FIRST POST-DOMA LGBT WEDDG ON TELEVISN,” PAIGE SAYS. IN FACT, THE SCRIPT THE WEDDG SPEECH WAS LEFT WH ELLIPS TO CLU THE SUPREME COURT’S CISN. BIS BOTH HAVG NSERVATIVE ROOTS, ABC FAY AND WORK TELEVISN LEAR FOX ARE TARGETG LENNIALS (AND YOUNGER)—A MOGRAPHIC THAT IS MORE LIKELY TO SUPPORT GAY RIGHTS THAN OLR GENERATNS. AMONG YOUNG ADULTS AGED 18-32 (LENNIALS), 70 PERCENT SUPPORT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, ACRDG TO A MARCH PEW REARCH POLL. THE GENERATN AFTER LENNIALS, THE TEEN DIENCE THAT ABC FAY URTS, IS LIKELY TO BE EVEN MORE SUPPORTIVE OF LGBT RIGHTS.“THE TEEN DIENCE HAS EMBRACED THIS SHOW AND THIS FAY TO SUCH A GREE THAT THEY’RE CELEBRATG ,” PAIGE SAYS. “THEY DON’T SEE , AND THEY’RE NOT WATCHG THE SHOW THE WAY PEOPLE OF MY GENERATN ARE, WHERE THEY’RE LIKE ‘HOLY SMOK, I N’T BELIEVE THIS IS ON TV.’ THEY’RE GOG, ‘OH YEAH, THAT’S LIKE MY IEND JIM, WHO'S GOT TWO MOMS. OR MY IEND BILL, WHO'S GOT TWO MOMS.’ IT’S JT A PART OF THE WORLD THEY LIVE , AND I THK THAT’S SUCH A BETIFUL, BETIFUL THG.”BUT THERE’S A FLIPSI TO THAT: AMONG THE BABY BOOMERS, ONLY 38 PERCENT SUPPORT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, ACRDG TO THE SAME PEW POLL. MORE THAN 70 PERCENT OF REPUBLINS, MEANWHILE, ARE OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, ACRDG TO A JUNE PEW POLL. THAT ULD HELP EXPLA THE HISTORY CHANNEL HAVG ZERO GAY CHARACTERS. VIEWERS OF THE HISTORY CHANNEL TEND TO LEAN REPUBLIN, ACRDG TO A 2012 REPORT BY YOUGOV BRAND INX, AS WELL AS TEND TO BE OLR, WH 39 PERCENT OF THE WORKS DIENCE BEG OVER 55 AND THE AVERAGE AGE OF S VIEWERS IS 49.4 YEARS, ACRDG TO NATNAL TV SPOTS.WHEN ASKED FOR MENT, THE HISTORY CHANNEL SENT A STATEMENT SAYG THAT THE MAJORY OF S NTENT IS “HISTORIL NATURE, AND PRIMARILY FEATUR PROGRAMMG THE HISTORY-BASED REALY GENRE. ADDNALLY, WE HAVE VERY LIMED SCRIPTED PROGRAMS, AND WHAT WE DO HAVE, IS HISTORILLY-BASED, SUCH AS VIKGS AND HATFIELDS & MCCOYS. BEE OF THE NATURE OF OUR PROGRAMMG, AS A WORK, WE FEEL IS APPROPRIATE AND SENSIVE TO ASK ANY OF OUR CHARACTERS ABOUT THEIR SEXUALY (AND SEXUAL PREFERENCE).”IN THE MEANTIME, KANE REMAS OPTIMISTIC THAT THE HISTORY CHANNEL AND OTHER WORKS WH LOW REPRENTATN OF GAY AND LBIAN CHARACTERS WILL PROGRS MORE TOWARD CLN. FOR EXAMPLE, KANE, SAYS, TRANSGENR PEOPLE WERE ONCE “NEARLY VISIBLE” ON WORKS, AND NOW GLEE HAS MA UNIQUE A RECURRG CHARACTER, NETFLIX’S ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK HAS A TRANS CHARACTER, AND THE FOSTERS IS ADDG A TRANS CHARACTER NEXT SEASON.“THERE’S A LOT OF REALLY GREAT ORIGAL STORI OUT THERE TO TELL ABOUT LGBT PEOPLE THAT YOU’RE NOT GOG TO GET SIMPLY BY PUTTG ANOTHER GAY WHE MAN ON TELEVISN,” KANE SAYS. CAROLE LTON
- IS LARRY THE CABLE GUY GAY? DEBUNKG THE RUMORS AND EXPLORG HIS VIEWS ON LGBTQ+ RIGHTS
THE FOTTEN GAY CABLE NETWORK THAT CHANGED LGBTQ HISTORY
Lou Maletta was termed to get gay life—om porn reviews to polil verage—on TV. Forty years ago, he succeed. * cable gay *
25, 1982, rints of Woodstock, New York, turned on their TVs to fd gay porn airg on their lol public accs statn. The program, technilly a review of gay pornography lled Men & Films, clud a clip of two naked men kissg bed.
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? 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.
To support his programs, he lnched the Gay Cable Network, one of the first productn pani dited to creatg LGBTQ televisn seri. 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.
SURPRISE! ABC FAY AND FOX ARE THE GAYT NETWORKS ON TV MUST GAY TVTHE WORKS WH THE MOST LGBT ARE ABC FAY AND FOX—ONCE NSIRED THE MOST NSERVATIVE CHANNELS ON TELEVISN. HERE'S HOW THEY BEME OUT AND PROUD. CAROLE LTONUPDATED JUL. 11, 2017 6:17PM EDT / PUBLISHED NOV. 07, 2013 5:45AM EST THE DAILY BEASTIT’S 9 P.M. ON WHAT TELEVISN CHANNEL IS YOUR TEEN MOST LIKELY TO SEE A GAY CHARACTER? IT’S NOT THE ONCE-SUBVERSIVE MTV. OR NBC, ONCE THE HOME OF FRIENDS AND WILL AND GRACE. IT’S ABC FAY AND FOX, THE WORKS LNCHED BY NSERVATIV, WHO HAVE THE MOST GAY AND LBIAN CHARACTERS ON BLE AND BROADST, RPECTIVELY. WHAT’S MORE, GLAAD SPECIFILLY CED ONE OF ABC FAY’S SIGNATURE SHOWS, THE FOSTERS, AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE DIRECTN THAT WORKS SHOULD FOLLOW. “IT’S IMPORTANT TO THAT THE SHOW REFLECT THE WORLD,” SAYS PETER PAIGE, ONE OF THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS AND HEAD WRERS ON THE FOSTERS.GLAAD’S NETWORK RPONSIBILY INX (NRI) EVALUAT THE “QUANTY AND QUALY OF IMAG OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR (LGBT) PEOPLE ON TELEVISN.” IN THE 2012-13 TELEVISN SEASON, 42 PERCENT OF ALL PRIMETIME BROADSTG HOURS ON FOX HAD LGBT CHARACTERS (SO ’S NOT JT GLEE), 33 PERCENT OF THE HOURS ON ABC HAD LGBT CHARACTERS, 29 PERCENT ON NBC, 28 PERCENT ON THE CW, AND JT 14 PERCENT ON CBS. ON BLE, ABC FAY CLOCKED 50 PERCENT OF S PRIMETIME HOURS WH LGBT CHARACTERS, FOLLOWED BY FX WH 40 PERCENT, SHOWTIME WH 31 PERCENT, MTV WH 28 PERCENT, TLC WH 27 PERCENT, HBO WH 26 PERCENT, USA 20 PERCENT, TNT 17 PERCENT, TBS 10 PERCENT, AND THE HISTORY CHANNEL G AD LAST, WH ZERO PERCENT. GLAAD ASSOCIATED DIRECTOR OF ENTERTAMENT MEDIA MATT KANE SAYS THEY WERE “SURPRISED” TO SEE FOX DO SO WELL, ALTHOUGH THE WORK IS FAMO FOR GLEE, ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE AND GAY-IENDLY SHOWS ON TELEVISN.MTV WAS THE FIRST BLE WORK TO EVER RECEIVE AN “EXCELLENT” SRE, WH S GROUNDBREAKG SHOWS THE REAL WORLD, TE LIFE, AND SKS. GLAAD PRAISED THE WORK FOR BEG “RELIABLY CLIVE” 2012-13, BUT DID MENTN THAT THE NUMBER OF LBGT CHARACTERS HAVE SCE CLED. ABC FAY, MEANWHILE, RECEIVED THE SEND-EVER “EXCELLENT” SRE OM GLAAD 2011 (FOR THE RERD, ABC FAY ONLY RECEIVED A “GOOD” SRE THE 2012 REPORT). KANE SAYS THE ABC FAY HAS TRANSFORMED “NSIRG WHERE THEY ME OM—ALTHOUGH THAT WAS A VERY, VERY LONG TIME AGO THAT THE WORK HAD A NSERVATIVE BENT AND SIMPLY ISN’T THAT WORK ANY SHAPE OR FORM.”PAT ROBERTSON STARTED ABC FAY AS THE CBN SATELLE SERVICE 1977 TO FOC ON RELIG PROGRAMMG. IN 1990, HE SPUN THE HUGELY PROFABLE CHANNEL OFF TO THE INTERNATNAL FAY ENTERTAMENT INC., WH THE NEWLY-NAMED “FAY CHANNEL” BEG THE PRCIPLE PROPERTY. THE PANY WENT PUBLIC 1992, AND THEN WAS SOLD TO FOX KIDS WORLDWI 1997 FOR $1.9 BILLN. CBN RECEIVED $136.1 LN OM THE SALE, WH ROBERTSON PERSONALLY RECEIVG AN TIMATED $19 LN, ACRDG TO CHRISTIANY TODAY. ONE OF THE VEATS OF THE AL, ASI OM KEEPG “FAY” THE NAME, WAS THAT ROBERTSON’S SIGNATURE PROGRAM, THE 700 CLUB, WOULD NTUE TO AIR TWICE A DAY ON THE WORK. IN 2001, FOX SOLD THE CHANNEL TO DISNEY, WHERE WAS RENAMED ABC FAY.TODAY, ABC FAY IS NOT AFFILIATED WH CBN EXCEPT FOR THE 700 CLUB, AND THE WORK AIRS A DISCLAIMER PRR TO THE BROADST THAT SAYS DO NOT ENDORSE THE VIEWS STATED ON THE SHOW. MEANWHILE, 2006, THE WORK REBRAND SELF WH THE TAGLE “A NEW KD OF FAY.”“WE WANTED TO REPRENT FAY A NTEMPORARY AND THENTIC WAY, BUT WE ALSO DIDN’T WANT TO N AWAY OM THE WORD FAY,” SAYS KATE JUERGENS, ABC FAY’S CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRINT FOR ORIGAL PROGRAMMG AND DEVELOPMENT. “I THK [SEXUALY] WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF OUR PROGRAMMG—I DON’T SEE GOG AWAY OM .”ENTER THE MORN ERA OF ABC FAY. ONE OF S SIGNATURE SHOWS, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERIN TEENAGER, HAS THREE GAY CHARACTERS (AND A GUT SPOT BY CHAZ BONO), SWCHED AT BIRTH FEATUR A LBIAN CHARACTER, AND THE BREAKOUT H PRETTY LTLE LIARS HAS A MA CHARACTER, EY, WHO IS A LBIAN. PRETTY LTLE LIARS CREATOR MARLENE KG SAYS THAT WHEN ABC FAY APPROACHED HER TO ADAPT THE BOOK SERI TO A SHOW, SHE ASKED IF THE WORK WAS FORTABLE WH A CENTRAL CHARACTER BEG A LBIAN. WHAT’S MORE, KG DIDN’T WANT EY’S SEXUALY BE SOMETHG THAT F HER. “SHE JT SO HAPPENED TO BE GAY,” KG SAYS. BEG GAY IS “PART OF WHO SHE IS, BUT DON’T FE HER AND ’S NOT 100 PERCENT A PART OF WHO SHE IS.”THE FOSTERS, WHICH PREMIERED JUNE 2013, TELLS THE STORY OF A LBIAN UPLE RAISG SEVERAL CHILDREN, CLUDG THE BLOGIL SON OF ONE OF THE WOMEN AND SEVERAL ADOPTED AND FOSTER CHILDREN. GLAAD’S KANE LLS THE FOSTERS “A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A SHOW THAT HAS VERY DIVERSE CHARACTERS TERMS OF THEIR BACKGROUNDS AND THEIR ETHNICY.” IN FACT, THE SEASON FALE (SPOILERS), WHICH WAS FILMED JT DAYS AFTER THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT WAS STCK DOWN, FEATURED THE WEDDG OF MA CHARACTERS LENA AND STEF.“BY FAR, WE WERE THE FIRST POST-DOMA LGBT WEDDG ON TELEVISN,” PAIGE SAYS. IN FACT, THE SCRIPT THE WEDDG SPEECH WAS LEFT WH ELLIPS TO CLU THE SUPREME COURT’S CISN. BIS BOTH HAVG NSERVATIVE ROOTS, ABC FAY AND WORK TELEVISN LEAR FOX ARE TARGETG LENNIALS (AND YOUNGER)—A MOGRAPHIC THAT IS MORE LIKELY TO SUPPORT GAY RIGHTS THAN OLR GENERATNS. AMONG YOUNG ADULTS AGED 18-32 (LENNIALS), 70 PERCENT SUPPORT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, ACRDG TO A MARCH PEW REARCH POLL. THE GENERATN AFTER LENNIALS, THE TEEN DIENCE THAT ABC FAY URTS, IS LIKELY TO BE EVEN MORE SUPPORTIVE OF LGBT RIGHTS.“THE TEEN DIENCE HAS EMBRACED THIS SHOW AND THIS FAY TO SUCH A GREE THAT THEY’RE CELEBRATG ,” PAIGE SAYS. “THEY DON’T SEE , AND THEY’RE NOT WATCHG THE SHOW THE WAY PEOPLE OF MY GENERATN ARE, WHERE THEY’RE LIKE ‘HOLY SMOK, I N’T BELIEVE THIS IS ON TV.’ THEY’RE GOG, ‘OH YEAH, THAT’S LIKE MY IEND JIM, WHO'S GOT TWO MOMS. OR MY IEND BILL, WHO'S GOT TWO MOMS.’ IT’S JT A PART OF THE WORLD THEY LIVE , AND I THK THAT’S SUCH A BETIFUL, BETIFUL THG.”BUT THERE’S A FLIPSI TO THAT: AMONG THE BABY BOOMERS, ONLY 38 PERCENT SUPPORT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, ACRDG TO THE SAME PEW POLL. MORE THAN 70 PERCENT OF REPUBLINS, MEANWHILE, ARE OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, ACRDG TO A JUNE PEW POLL. THAT ULD HELP EXPLA THE HISTORY CHANNEL HAVG ZERO GAY CHARACTERS. VIEWERS OF THE HISTORY CHANNEL TEND TO LEAN REPUBLIN, ACRDG TO A 2012 REPORT BY YOUGOV BRAND INX, AS WELL AS TEND TO BE OLR, WH 39 PERCENT OF THE WORKS DIENCE BEG OVER 55 AND THE AVERAGE AGE OF S VIEWERS IS 49.4 YEARS, ACRDG TO NATNAL TV SPOTS.WHEN ASKED FOR MENT, THE HISTORY CHANNEL SENT A STATEMENT SAYG THAT THE MAJORY OF S NTENT IS “HISTORIL NATURE, AND PRIMARILY FEATUR PROGRAMMG THE HISTORY-BASED REALY GENRE. ADDNALLY, WE HAVE VERY LIMED SCRIPTED PROGRAMS, AND WHAT WE DO HAVE, IS HISTORILLY-BASED, SUCH AS VIKGS AND HATFIELDS & MCCOYS. BEE OF THE NATURE OF OUR PROGRAMMG, AS A WORK, WE FEEL IS APPROPRIATE AND SENSIVE TO ASK ANY OF OUR CHARACTERS ABOUT THEIR SEXUALY (AND SEXUAL PREFERENCE).”IN THE MEANTIME, KANE REMAS OPTIMISTIC THAT THE HISTORY CHANNEL AND OTHER WORKS WH LOW REPRENTATN OF GAY AND LBIAN CHARACTERS WILL PROGRS MORE TOWARD CLN. FOR EXAMPLE, KANE, SAYS, TRANSGENR PEOPLE WERE ONCE “NEARLY VISIBLE” ON WORKS, AND NOW GLEE HAS MA UNIQUE A RECURRG CHARACTER, NETFLIX’S ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK HAS A TRANS CHARACTER, AND THE FOSTERS IS ADDG A TRANS CHARACTER NEXT SEASON.“THERE’S A LOT OF REALLY GREAT ORIGAL STORI OUT THERE TO TELL ABOUT LGBT PEOPLE THAT YOU’RE NOT GOG TO GET SIMPLY BY PUTTG ANOTHER GAY WHE MAN ON TELEVISN,” KANE SAYS. CAROLE LTON
” 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. … [He]was verg AIDS on the show when no one else was, ” said longtime Gay USA -host Andy Humm, who joed the GCN team as a volunteer 1985. 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.
IS LARRY THE CABLE GUY GAY? DEBUNKG THE RUMORS AND EXPLORG HIS VIEWS ON LGBTQ+ RIGHTS
GCN footage also clus other aspects of LGBTQ life: monstratns at the 1987 and 1993 March on Washgton; muny events like Wigstock, the Gay Gam, and Mr. 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.
But the spir of Maletta’s GCN liv on Gay USA, which activist-journalist duo Humm and Ann Northrop cid to keep producg whout him.