LGTBTV

You know, I love television. It's really been a leader through the years at breaking down stereotypes. It takes a while, but it really is cutting edge if you think about it.

• In the 60's and early 70's there were no gay characters on television except maybe Alice the housekeeper on the Brady Bunch (I know she wasn't gay in the show, but c'mon!)
  
• In the late 70's – Early 80's we had Jack Tripper and the boys on Bosom buddies who only "pretended" to be gay or cross-dressed to obtain cheap and comfortable housing. We had Soap, which had the first out lesbian on television, too.
  
• Later in the 80's Tony Randall played a gay character in the lead role, but he was 'closeted' lest we think he would be an unfit guardian for a little girl.
  
• In the 90's we had a single gay character on Melrose Place and Passions and a single gay character in the soap operas Passions and All My Children.
  
• In the late 90's Ellen came out! No more awkward dating scenes! And Ross's ex-wife realizes she's a lesbian on Friends.
  
• In the "naughties" we had gay characters in 20+ shows. Will & Grace – need I say more?
  

And currently we have gay people integrated on "family" shows: Modern Family, Brothers & Sisters. And the BRAVO channel is practically all-gay all the time; The LOGO channel is all gay all the time.

My how the airwaves have changed in the last 40 years. It seems that there are gay characters on every show. JUST LIKE THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE IN EVERY TOWN IN AMERICA. Go figure!

Now, no one makes a big deal on television shows when characters are gay. (Although poor Curt on Glee gets regular Slushie facials – poor guy). It's accepted – It's normal and parents now stand up for their gay children. Yay!

 

So I applaud television for making gay people an integral part of the television landscape.

 

Now for the point of this posting, and I'm sorry it took so long to get here, but here it is: Shouldn't gay people be part of our curriculum? Aren't gay people an integral part of literature, history, culture and society? Are there no gay scientists or mathmeticians?

 

I don't think we have to perseverate on the fact that great figures in history were gay, but isn't it worth mentioning that Shakespeare wrote for an openly gay patron, and that the reason Hemingway and Tennessee Williams couldn't write a sympathetic female character was because they were gay and had issues with women.

 

I'm going to start with Shakespeare. You can't discount Shakespeare. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Ms. L