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Will Power!
Much has been made of the role of Jay Leno, David Letterman and SNL in the last few years of presidential politics, but the most significant uses of humor are more subtle and pervasive in popular culture. Witness the underappreciated TV sitcom, which has the power to smash stereotypes and change the world | by Joe Newman

Very well done - and seeing how Tom Selleck has already played one gay man ("In and Out" opposite Kevin Kline - another sterotypical and humorous performance meant to allay the fears of small-town America), and a presidential candidate in, I think, a Showtime movie, he might just be willing to play the first conservative gay president. Wouldn't that be fun!

..."While his character might be leading mainstream America to tolerate gays more, however, he is not necessarily expanding or challenging society’s preconceptions about gay identity."

Precisely. And this is a problem with playing up the stereotype for humor. Do gays need another Cher-loving, body part-obsessed gay man for representation? I agree with Joe Newman's point that Jack does ease some of middle America's fears and prejudices. But at what cost?

Let's add this to the mix. Is there any way to create a modern gay TV character that doesn't fall into a stereotype or anti-stereotype? Sure, we could create someone with a bundle of contradictions (he sings showtunes while he plays football!), but wouldn't that be just as obvious as the exaggerated representation of Jack. We have such hyper-critical lens when looking at gay identity that our own analysis seems ripe for parody. I can imagine the latest sitcom - the Intolerant Critic. For him, only complicated, multi-sided characters are worth watching. There will be no humor that is not laced with a tragic dimension. There will be no jokes that are not following by an equal amount of brooding. Give me a break! And trust the American public just a little. Is Jack real to mainstream America? I doubt it.

Yes, it is possible to get away from the stereotypes. Why is it so difficult imagining a show that depicts gays and lesbians outside the sphere of sexuality? Queer as Folk, which held such promise before its debut, is a disappointing mess with its weekly sexual-conquest substitution for a story line. And the lesbian couple have been reduced to high-strung mothers/protectors - hardly a groundbreaking depiction. I'm still waiting for a series that can break ground by showing there's nothing special about being gay, not because the characters suck face or act like drag queens.

Is it really? Once again, you mentioned several places in which gays were being stereotyped - Queer as Folk, etc - but you do not offer a "nothing special" representation. Besides discussing why anyone would be interested in a person who is "nothing special," I would merely ask, is it possible? Is there a way to represent someone as gay that doesn't have to confront their identity as something, whether they wish it to be or not, that is seen as unique and "special" in our society.

i think that is rather narrow to assume because the writer is a
"I'm a liberal white guy living in a college town whose family is largely Democratic and whose friends are mostly under the age of 30. I don't live in the South, I wasn't a member of the College Republicans, I didn't join Campus Crusade for Christ, and I haven’t given any money to the NRA."
he will not be a homophobe, or know any. homophobia is rampant in all part of society, not only in christians, non-white, non-liberal, over the age of 30 areas. homphobia can be executed in any forme, from a long glance at a same sex couple holding hands in public, to gay rolling. examin all your behavior before you decided that you , or non of your white, middle class, non-bible-thumping, liberal acquaintances are not homophobic or heterosexist.