I was flipping through the offerings on Netflix one night, looking for something zippy and silly to watch after a very long day, when I came across all five seasons of Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. "Oh fun!" I announced to The Mister. "We can finally watch Queer Eye!" We weren't cable subscribers back in 2003, when the series premiered, and other than little clips here and there, I've probably only seen two or three episodes over the years.
Whether you had cable or not, if you were alive between 2003 and 2007, you probably knew who the Queer Eye guys were. The reality show was Bravo's first big hit and it was huge. Like cultural phenomenon huge. It seems like the Fab 5 — Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley, and Jai Rodriguez — were everywhere. They strolled red carpets and appeared on Oprah, whether collectively or individually, introduced as gay guys who could make your life better. Getting queer eyed became a verb ... and something everyone wanted to be a part of.
In 2013, with Rupaul's Drag Race and celebrities coming out of the closet every other week, it's easy to forget how big of deal Queer Eye was at the time. For a little perspective, let's look at life in 2003.
- In 2003, the country we being led by a President who didn't think very highly of gay people. But that was OK, because the Bible told him so. To hell with his Vice President's lesbian daughter.
- It wasn't until 2003 that the Supreme Court struck down Texas' homosexual conduct law.
- Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage in 2003.
- The most prominent gay character on TV, Will Truman of Will & Grace, was a seemingly a-sexual "safe" gay.
Now, let's compare that to 2013 - a year when we've seen the President announce his full support for gay marriage. As of this year gay couples can be married in thirteen states - and that number continues to grow. The Supreme Court ruled the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional and the IRS has announced that married same sex couples can file taxes jointly for the first time. TV is so full of gay characters it's like a pride parade trapped inside the boob tube. Gay characters that are as complex and emotionally complicated as their straight counterparts. We're no longer just the one dimensional witty sidekick. We're lead characters. And, increasingly, those gay characters are portrayed by both straight and openly gay actors. To borrow from the old Virginia Slims slogan, we've come a long way baby.
It can be argued that all of these advances in gay rights were bound to happen, independent of whether Queer Eye existed. I actually doubt that. Back in the early 2000's much of the national conversation was about "the gays". I think that having this group of normal, well adjusted gay men on TV helped push the country along in its thinking. It takes seeing people in your own home, even if it's via a TV screen, to be able to see them as people and not a faceless, threatening group. A mother in the middle of Missouri could turn on the TV and see that these guys, in addition to being talented and entertaining, had heart and soul. A straight guy could watch the show and see that although these guys are flirty and funny, they're ultimately no threat to them ... and could maybe even help them.
You've heard it before - the revolution will be televised. Queer Eye may not have been another Stonewall Riot but it certainly has its place in gay history.
So, what do you think? Did a design show help change the state of homosexuality in America?
(For a little update on the Fab 5, check out Where are the Queer Eye Guys Now? on Bravo.)
Images: BravoTV
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