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- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hpscit.sc.hp.com!hpuerca.atl.hp.com!kfj
- From: kfj@hpuerca.atl.hp.com (Kirk Johanning)
- Subject: Re: gay-positive soap opera character
- Message-ID: <C01CpE.ILJ@hpuerca.atl.hp.com>
- Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 19:27:14 GMT
- References: <JPT.92Dec28174934@telecaster.think.com> <BzztoI.A40@queernet.org>
- Organization: HP Response Center Atlanta
- Lines: 56
-
- In <BzztoI.A40@queernet.org> rogerk@queernet.org (Roger B.A. Klorese) writes:
-
- >In article <JPT.92Dec28174934@telecaster.think.com> jpt@telecaster.think.com (James P. Taylor) writes:
- >>I have struggled with this post basically cuz I have to admit to having had
- >>an afternoon network soap on my tv.
-
- >Around our house, I can blame it on my boyfriend. ;-)
-
- Well, IMHO, the only real way to watch a soap is to tape it during the
- week and then on the weekend breeze through all 5 hour-long episodes
- in about 3 1/2 hours.
-
- >>But, I was channel hopping and I was
- >>attracted by a very handsome late teenager. He was being complimented by
- >>another teenager who said [and I paraphrase] "gee.. it must have been tough
- >>telling everyone you were gay last year [?]. I really respect you for
- >>doing it." The other lad says "It wasn't so hard. Most people didn't
- >>react too badly. My father still doesn't totally accept it." The original
- >>fellow says "My dad took it badly too." [Light bulb pops above head of the
- >>person who was being complimented for coming out. This guy is gay too.]
- >>Scene changes to something. I switch channels.
- >>
- >>I think the soap was on ABC and around 14:00 EST. Anyone know the soap??
-
- >It's "One Life to Live." I'm pretty impressed too. They did a
- >major plot involving the blond kid, Billy Douglas, coming out last
- >summer, and I was afraid they'd finish it up and let him fade away,
- >but they haven't. (The summer plot interleaved with an AIDS/Names
- >Project plot, but scrupulously avoided the "gay == AIDS" thing
- >while pointing out we'd carried the brunt of the pain.)
-
- >I was even more amazed they did this particular scene, especially
- >if any sort of romance, even subtle and off-camera, is in the
- >offing: the (het) actor who plays Billy said he didn't know how
- >he'd handle it if they went off in that direction.
-
- I remember seeing an interview of Ryan Phillippe (Billy Douglas) on
- Entertainment Tonight a while back, right as he was telling the local
- priest that he was gay, in which he claimed to have had some internal
- struggle about portraying a gay character but that he had basically
- come to terms with it and it would be ok to do this.
-
- That interview basically got me interested in "One Life to Life".
- The fact that they were going to do a gay-positive story of a teen and
- that this teen was absolutley CUTE has made me set my VCR to tape the
- show every day since then.
-
- I do hope that the writers have a little romance planned for Billy.
- The other character in the above mentioned conversation, Rick Mitchell,
- is also pretty cute. The way that he was looking at Billy makes me
- hopeful that this is just what they are planning on doing ;-)
- --
- ______ Kirk Johanning ______ The opinions expressed above ______
- \ / Hewlett-Packard \ / are mine and may not reflect \ /
- \ / Response Center - Atlanta \ / those my employer or anybody \ /
- \/ kfj@hpuerca.atl.hp.com \/ else for that matter. \/
-