Queer Like Them

It seems like a mere 20 years ago that prime-time TV viewers were all atwitter about gays on television. Whether it was Jack Tripper pretending he was gay on Three's Company, Jodie Dallas swishing his way through Soap, or the tortured Steven Carrington on Dynasty in the early 1980s, back then, homosexuality was considered a curiosity. If there was a joke to be made of it, all the better. Well, almost. The Rev. Everett Parker of the National Council of Churches had this in response to Soap: "Who else besides the churches is going to stand against the effort of television to tear down our moral values and make all of us into mere consumers?"

I don't know what has become of the Rev. Parker, but from what I can see, viewers are consuming TV's idea of gay culture as happily as a free pass at a day spa. The newest gay-themed series to hit the tube are cases in point: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has become a hit for cable network Bravo. The makeover show for straight men of various degrees of schlubbiness is definitely on the high end of reality programming, meaning it doesn't require backbiting competition. It's a fun romp, particularly in its full-hour format. (NBC, Bravo's parent network, aired a half-hour special on July 24.)

On the other end of the spectrum is Bravo's Boy Meets Boy. Who told the producers that the "rose ceremony" on ABC's The Bachelor/ette was compelling drama? Flutes of champagne replace the roses when James, BMB's "handsome leading man," hands out the bubbly to those he invites to continue the dating game. Zzzzzz. For added measure, his gal pal is present for counsel. Who cares? The thing that's supposed to reel viewers in is the fact that there are -- hee-hee -- straight men planted among the gay suitors. That bugs me. And when I thought about it some more, I decided why Queer Eye, as engaging as it is, bugs me, too.

Dismissing for a moment that meeting your soul mate on a TV show is strange to begin with, can you imagine the outcry if some of Trista Rehn's (The Bacherlorette) suitors were gay or even married? And what if she hooked up with a married man for one of those hot-tub rendezvous only to be told the awful truth later? Wouldn't there be hell to pay for duping the all-American girl who just wants to find Mr. Right? Yet, it's fine to set up an apparently pleasant gay man in the same situation. And what does it say about the straight men who go along with the ruse? To me it all says that there's a whole lot of curiosity about what's going on in other bedrooms. Curiosity in itself is not a bad thing. It is when it's explored at the expense of someone who has not agreed beforehand to indulge the other person's curiosity, as is the case with BMB's James. He does not find out about the straight suitors until midway through the series.

"We hope to open up the hearts and minds of gay and straight viewers as they experience both the romantic journey of our leading man -- and the adventure of the straight mates having to walk a mile in a gay man's shoes," Bravo press materials say. If the producers really wanted to provide an "adventure," why not re-create the experience of growing up gay in rural America? Or seeing your lover return from a tour of duty but being unable to affectionately greet him in the airport? How about sharing the experience of losing family or friends when you come out and how that reshapes your view of family? No, in spite of its premise, BMB seems to be another way for straight men to indulge their homoerotic fantasies without having to relinquish the privilege of heterosexuality.

As for Queer Eye, oh hell, I can't lie -- I love it, but isn't it time that other faces besides the gay white man with a fashion sense are showcased? Maybe it's true that these shows are transitional -- meaning that after these flirtations with gay culture, a more realistic view will make itself known. Well, stand in line. I'm still holding out for more diverse representations of ethnic minorities on TV, too.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Boy Meets Boy air Tuesday nights at 7 and 8pm on Bravo. NBC airs a second Queer Eye special on Aug. 14 following Will & Grace. Jay Leno, the Tonight Show band, and the show's set get worked over by the Fab Five on the Tonight Show, Aug. 14 and 15.