Overall 3.5 / 5.0 (promising but fails to deliver a high-impact story)
Gay Inclusive? Very – protagonist is gay, and the mystery takes him into London’s 18th Century gay underworld
Gay Positive? Mostly – the era is definitely not gay positive, but the author’s treatment of the gay content is.

Set in 1757, Lord John Grey is the head of his family’s household until his elder brother Hal returns from a military appointment abroad. As a result, Grey has some responsibility to protect his cousin Olivia, who is engaged to marry well-to-do merchant Joseph Trevelyan, whom Grey believes to be “poxed” with syphilis. At that time in history, syphilis occupied the role HIV/AIDS does today. Worse, in fact: it was incurable, and contracting the illness virtually guaranteed the most unpleasant sort of death.

Meanwhile, another mystery erupts: it appears that vital British state secrets have been lost and might be sold to the French. Grey is tasked with investigating the crime to figure out what happened, who was involved and how to recover the lost secrets before it’s too late.

I enjoyed reading a gay-inclusive mystery set in a period of time about which I know little. Author Diana Gabaldon has done her research (in fact, she is well-known for her historical research), and I learned quite a bit about the history of gay people in Georgian England. She also includes a list of resources for anyone who wants to dig deeper and learn more.

The mystery is mildly interesting, but unfortunately fails to captivate. I was never sufficiently invested in the characters or events such that the story’s twists would have me on the edge of my seat.

Although generally sympathetic, the main character never comes alive. Apparently Lord John is supposed to be young and handsome, but he reads like he’s 60. Whenever his handsomeness was mentioned, it was always kind of jarring, because I had forgotten he was supposed to be young and winsome. That indicates a characterization disconnect.

Lord John is a secondary character from Gabaldon’s better know Outlander series (which I have never read). Reviewer Susan Scribner of TheRomanceReader.com comments,

I like Lord John throughout the Outlander series he has always come across as sympathetic, complex and slightly tormented, but this story doesn’t shed much new light on his core character. He’s always been a bit of an enigma, and he remains elusive.

That’s problematic when Grey is at the center of the story and occupies nearly every page of the tale. Considering Gabaldon’s exquisite attention to historical detail, I would expect a multilayered character of depth and unexpected internal contradictions. Instead, we find someone who is genteel and devoted to duty, and that’s about it. Even his gayness, which he must keep secret given the social mores of the time period, fails to render him more than mildly interesting.

At the same time, the story hints at repressed passions and an undercurrent of powerful emotions. Perhaps future stories will allow Lord John to unfold more fully as a human being caught in multiple traps: the repressive social standards of the era, the excruciating necessity of maintaining a pristine image in his social class and the painful denial of a loving, committed relationship.

In fact, I was dying for Grey to get some action! I hoped his new valet, Tom Byrd, would develop a requited attraction to his master. But no. Nothing. The most important romance in the novel – which the reader doesn’t really delve into until the end – is heterosexual.

On the whole, I find this book to be promising, but little else. I hope that Gabaldon grows into this genre, and that future volumes chronicling Lord John Grey do him justice.

Overall Quality 4.5 / 5.0
Gay Inclusive? Very – an engaging and moving story of the gay rights movement and one of its heroes
Gay Positive? Very – although a tragic tale, it is fiercely empowering

This is the movie I wish Brokeback Mountain had been.

Don’t get me wrong – Brokeback Mountain was a masterpiece of film-making, and it was robbed of its rightful Academy Award. But I have a love-hate relationship with such movies – beautiful, moving, and important stories that are horribly tragic and unhappy. I’m glad that a gay love story finally hit the mainstream with Brokeback Mountain, but it did nothing to dispel myths like gay-love-is-doomed and bad-things-will-happen-to-you-if-you’re-gay.

Milk also brings a tragic story to the big screen: the assassination of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk. Yet Milk is empowering in a way Brokeback Mountain was not. Instead of vaguely feeling bad about being gay, I felt inspired, charged up and ready to fight for my rights. Milk also brings to the big screen the struggle not just for equal rights but also for freedom from the physical and emotional violence that gay people have long endured.

Just this week, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee claimed on The View that gay rights are not civil rights because gay people have not been subjected to a history of violence like black people. Such a willfully ignorant statement is nothing short of appalling; and yet, it is representative of a surprisingly large swath of the population. Many do not acknowledge or do not care about the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany; the institutionalized violence against gay people by police in previous decades and by religious organizations (like the Mormons using electro-shock therapy to “cure” homosexuality); and individual hate crimes that have claimed the lives of people like Matthew Shepherd.

Thank God for Milk, and what a timely film it is. The movie dramatizes Milk’s move to San Francisco and his subsequent rise to the position of City Supervisor (after several failed attempts). Once in the position, a significant portion of the movie details his fight against Proposition 6, which would have enabled the state of California to fire any teacher known to be gay along with any teacher who supported them.

Fast forward 30 years, and Californians once again vote on a proposition of concern to gay rights – Proposition 8, which successfully banned gay marriage (after the California Supreme Court legalized it).

My only criticism of the film falls on the editing, and I’m not sure what the Gus van Sant could have done differently. He’s just covering so much territory in the space of a couple of hours that much of the story gets told in fast-forward. Nevertheless, the movie was engrossing from start to finish, and the phenomenal acting from all quarters – both Sean Penn and Josh Brolin deserve extra mention – imbues the story with life.

Please see this movie. Please take your friends and family to see it. Particularly in the aftermath of Proposition 8’s passage, a lot of people seem to dismiss the gay community’s reaction as sore losers throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get their way. They do not – perhaps because they are not willing to – recognize how a group of people have been systematically oppressed throughout even the history of a country that espouses the values of equality and the separation of church and state.

Milk is a sad tale, but one encoupled with hope. I walked out of the theater both devastated and determined. One thing can be said of Harvey Milk: his hope lives on in those of us who are willing to embrace it.

“If a bullet should go through my head, let that bullet go through every closet door”

- Harvey Milk

Overall Quality 2.0 / 5.0 (some potential, but misses the goal)
Gay Inclusive? Very – the story focuses on a gay character putting together a gay soccer team
Gay Positive? Moderately – the gays prevail, but only in the midst of rampant homophobia

The gay pathos in this movie got old fast. Maybe I’m just over it in my own life, so I don’t have much patience for it in my entertainment. I wearied of both the difficulty the main character had in coming out, and the over-the-top homophobia thrown in his face. If it had been handled better, maybe I would have been moved. I wasn’t.

The film starts with Ecki (Maximilian Brückner), a soccer (i.e., European football) player on a local team, beginning to realize he might be gay. Neither his teammates nor his father (Dietmar Bär) react well. In fact, his teammates go into homophobe-overdrive. They say all kinds of hateful and nasty things, and then they kick him off the team. Ecki says he’s going to put together a gay team, and that his gay team will kick his former team’s collective ass in four weeks.

Yeah. The whole story is completely contrived. It’s sad too – I like all of the characters, and they imbue the movie with a kind of happy charm that kept me watching. But turn after turn, the story is just forced.

As one example (out of many): the leather daddy Rudi (Jochen Stern) who suddenly turns out to have an estranged son (Marcel Nievelstein) in the 3rd grade; after the obligatory and dramatic break-up of the gay team (”oh no! what will they do now!”), the son mysteriously shows up at his father’s house and helps rally some of the team members; and then the young son shows up at the actual game, all by himself, in a completely different city. That boys gets around! His mother, almost violently antagonistic toward Rudi when we first meet her, miraculously shows up 5 minutes later, and at the end of the movie she’s cheering Rudi’s soccer success. What?

The characters (well, the gay ones, anyway) are the highlight of the film. There’s the closeted guy. The alternative gender identity person. The three leather daddies in a 3-way relationship. A hunky and effeminate gay Turk. A couple of black players (who unfortunately turn out just to be set dressing). Ecki and his down-to-earth boyfriend, a nurse.

At first, I was a bit put off, especially by the crude leather daddies, but then I thought, why not? First, all of them turn out to be more nuanced than you’d expect. Second, they’re representative of a segment of the gay community. Finally, the thing the gay community really wants – equal respect – shouldn’t just apply to the “normal” gays. If we do that, we’re missing the point of the rainbow.

Check it out if you’re a fan of gay-oriented sports films (because, let’s face it, there aren’t a whole lot out there). Otherwise, give this one a pass.

Overall Quality 3.5 / 5.0
Gay Content 5.0 / 5.0
Gay Positivity 5.0 / 5.0

The makers of Dante’s Cove apparently took my advice from my comments on Season 1. First, they decided to take the show less seriously and just have fun with it. Second, they managed to introduce some quality changes that improve the overall texture of the show. The result is a welcome transition from sub-par entertainment to full-fledged supernatural gay soap opera.

The central relationships and conflicts still take center-stage: Ambrosius (William Gregory Lee) undergoes a welcome modernization and now goes by “Bro.” He’s desperately seeking to overpower Grace and win (perhaps “conquer” would be a better word) Kevin, whose relationship with Toby (Charlie David) has hit rocky times.

Van (Nadine Heimann), meanwhile, finds she has an affinity for magic, and her desire to learn more both alienates loved ones and leads her to the company of an erstwhile villain.

Season Two also introduces some new elements.

• The acting from virtually everyone has improved. We’re not talking Oscar material here, of course, but it’s like most of the actors used the break from the show to take a few classes.
• Adam has been recast with an actor with more on-screen charisma (Jon Fleming), and he consequently has a meatier subplot this season, including a rather bizarre love-hate thing with Bro.
• A bit more lesbian action, which makes the show more accessible to a wider audience. Plus, I like all the lesbian characters. They’re fun. Especially the newest cast addition:
• Thea Gill as Diana. I love every moment she’s on screen. She brings a wonderfully quiet, understated quality to the role which provides a nice counter-balance to the histrionics of the other characters. She’s also deliciously mysterious: she has a secret connection to both Grace and Bro. I look forward to seeing more of Diana.

Most Improved Role: Tracy Scoggins as Grace. Yeah, she’s still sporting that ridiculous British accent, but she’s toned it back a little. She’s also toned the character back a lot, thank goodness. She’s no longer the Melodrama Queen, but is slowly growing into a fully fleshed-out character. She displays greater vulnerability and breadth of character than in the first season. I wonder if I’ll start rooting for her.

Most Awesomely Villainous Villain: No winner. I can’t actually tell who the bad guys are supposed to be. Grace seems to be drifting toward the “good side,” with Bro heading into the dark side of the Force. But Bro is an inconsistent character, sometimes wicked, sometimes comical, sometimes wooden, sometimes natural. I guess he’s the main villain, and maybe his villainy just hasn’t matured yet. The show also gives the impression he’s just a really good guy at heart, such as one comical scene where the ghosts of two children tell him there’s still good left in him. In truth, this show is begging for an awesomely villainous villain.

Most Enjoyable Gay Wish Fulfillment: Watching Kevin cry over Toby. Kevin is the hot young thang who comes to Dante’s Cove in pursuit of Toby. But, he’s not quite ready to fully commit, until his own actions threaten the relationship and he faces the prospect of losing Toby. What a fun way to vicariously experience a hot boy so into his boyfriend that he gets all emo and goes to length to keep his man. Runner-Up: Bro seducing “straight” boy Adam. But because, to my mind, the relationship is non-consensual (Adam is under the influence of both narcotics and Bro’s magic), which lends an ugly edge to their “romance.”

Quality 1.5 / 3.0
Gay content 5.0 / 5.0
Gay positivity 4.75 / 5.0

I want to love this show. I really do. I’m a big fan of fantasy and the supernatural, the cast members are smokin’ hot, and it’s gay gay gay! They don’t hold back either; there were moments I wasn’t sure if I was watching a TV show or softcore porn.

I tell myself, this show doesn’t need a coherent plot – it’s got a dueling witch and warlock. It doesn’t need acting – it has man-flesh in spades! It doesn’t need quality writing – it has melodrama!

I can’t help but compare this to Third Man Out, the mystery starring Chad Allen. These shows are both productions from Here! TV. I loved Third Man Out – it was such a high quality production with unabashed gay characters. It’s exactly the kind of gay-themed television I want to watch. Dante’s Cove has the second part of the equation (up-front gay characters and relationships) but not so much the first.

The way the scenery gets chewed, I wonder if they have to replace the sets each episode. Tracy Scoggins (as Grace) can’t decide which accent to use, William Gregory Lee (the warlock Ambrosius) tries so hard to be menacing, Gregory Michael (the protagonist Kevin) spends most of his time in a trance or walking around like a zombie, and Charlie David (Toby, Kevin’s boyfriend) looks perpetually befuddled.

If you were to tell me that the people involved in the show (on camera and behind the scenes) formerly made porn, I’d believe you. Really. Just look at their names. Gregory Michael. William Gregory Lee. Charlie David. All their names are first names! And that spells p-o-r-n!

I’m actually not sure at whom to aim my most serious criticism. Is it the writer, the director or the editor? The show falters most when trying to build up the suspense. Better acting would help, but the more immediate culprit is poor pacing.

This show sits at an uncomfortable fork in the road. Right now, it’s like a bunch of porn stars decided they wanted to do legitimate TV. I’d be a lot more receptive if the show didn’t take itself so seriously and went the route of a supernatural dramedy. Or the show could take the truly suspenseful path and allow the relationships and dramatic threats to develop organically. The latter option would require higher quality acting, writing, and direction, however. Perhaps the show will mature into it.

Yeah, I’ll continue to watch to see how the show evolves. Despite my criticisms, the show is kind of fun in a fluffy way, there’s some great eye-candy, the special effects are surprisingly good, I like the music, the show is totally gay positive, and many of the actors do show promise of growing into their roles. Besides, I love seeing gay cinema busting down the door into yet another genre, and you don’t see any other gay supernatural thrillers out there on TV, do you?

Here’s hoping Dante’s Cove gets either more serious about its premise, or less so.

Overall Quality 3.5 / 5.0
Gay Content 5.0 / 5.0
Gay Positivity 4.0 / 5.0

Homosexuality has a largely unhappy history in Western civilization. Thank God for men like Magus Hirschfeld (1868 – 1935), who stood up against prevailing conventional “wisdom,” and used science and basic respect to advance the cause of gay rights. Hirschfeld studied homosexuality scientifically; although we might disagree with some of his conclusions (he felt homosexuals were an “intermediate” sex), he dedicated his efforts to advocate on behalf of gay people.

The Einstein of Sex is a biopic which explores Hirschfeld’s life and work. The film is surprisingly engrossing. It’s fast-paced and well-acted, and it’s fascinating to watch the tension between Hirschfeld’s tireless work on behalf of other gay people with his inability to process his own homosexuality in a healthy way.

The props, set design, and cinematography also deserve special mention, especially considering the film is a low-budget independent feature. Each component contributes significantly to the film’s interest and success, and many scenes look like recreated photos from that era.

The film contains quite a bit of male nudity, but it never feels out of place. In a couple of scenes it comes close to gratuitousness, but it never crosses the line.

Unfortunately, the narrative structure undercuts the movie’s effectiveness. It’s choppy, rambling, and disjointed. “The Einstein of Sex” tries to cover too much territory:

• a biography spanning Hirschfeld’s entire personal life
• an ode to Hirscfeld’s work on behalf of gay rights
• a pseudo-documentary on the state of gay rights during that era

But this is a single movie, not a mini-series. As a result, everything gets underserved.

So while this film hasn’t earned a top-shelf slot in my DVD collection, I definitely recommend it for at least one viewing. It’s an entertaining slice of important homo-history that’s undertold.

The Gay Positivity score reflects that this movie covers a lot of negative territory ranging from gay-shame to gay-hate, but the central focus in on telling the story of someone who worked positively for gay rights with a tone of hopefulness for the future.

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For more information about Magnus Hirschfeld:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_Hirschfeld
http://www.stonewallsociety.com/famouspeople/magnus.htm

Overall 2.0 / 5.0
Gay Content 5.0 / 5.0
Gay Positivity 4.5 / 5.0

The series has hit a new low in Season 3.

The events at the end of Season 2 opened the door for the House of Shadows to return to Dante’s Cove and wreck havoc. Meanwhile, Griffen (Jensen Atwood), a representative of the “council of Tresum,” shows up to throw a wrench into everything by taking Diana’s (Thea Gill) power. Kevin (Gregory Michael) is still Ambrosius Vallin’s (AKA Bro, William Gregory Lee) sex slave, but he is desperately conniving to escape and get back to Toby (Charlie David), who in the meantime is being seduced by straight-boy-turned-gay Adam (Jon Fleming).

After the first season, Here! TV started billing Dante’s Cove as a “guilty pleasure.” I’d say Season 2 was reasonably successful in that vein. Season 3 is just bad, however. Not so bad it’s good, just bad.

Awful, cringe-worthy writing. Check. Lame special effects. Oh, yeah. (Season 2 had much better effects, for some reason). Questionable directorial choices. Yup. Clunky, wooden acting. You know it.

Even the sex and nakedness irritated me! They had a sex scene every ten to fifteen minutes. It bothers me that they used it as a substitute for story-telling. If I want to watch porn, I’ll watch real porn. Full-frontal nudity appeared even more often than the sex. Unfortunately, they really only included one “type” of guy – muscle-bound – and I didn’t really find many of the naked guys that appealing.

To tell you the truth, though, the thing that hurts the show the most: there’s no one to root for. Grace (Tracy Scoggins), previously a villain, became my favorite character this season. Thea Gill was wasted, and they didn’t reveal whether Griffen was a villain or hero until last episode or two. Everyone else turned evil, selfish, or stupid; or they were new, and I didn’t have a chance to develop an emotional investment in their character.

I understand that this is a soap opera, and it’s intended to be over-the-top. They’re aiming for so-bad-it’s-good, but they made some poor choices, and overshot.

On the plus side, Grace’s character gets the royal treatment: she has the best, most evocative storyline. Scoggins takes full advantage of it. Atwood brings a much needed low-key performance to the show. It also remains refreshingly gay-positive.

Here’s my wish-list for Season 4 of Dante’s Cove. The writers of Supernatural take over, and Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) roll into town. Can you imagine the possibilities? I can… Mmmmm.

A gratuitous picture of Sam and Dean from the CW’s Supernatural:

Original air date: 30 October 1995

Overall 4.5 / 5.0 (a great episode)
Gay Content 3.0 / 5.0 (a major same-sex relationship)
Gay Positivity 4.5 / 5.0 (perhaps the most gay positive Star Trek TV episode)

The Trill are apparently the most sexually open-minded species in the Star Trek universe (see my review of “The Host” from The Next Generation). Still, they have their own taboos.

The trill are a race of humanoids who host symbionts, or sentient symbiotic organisms, in their bodies. The symbionts live for hundreds of years; after one host dies, the symbiont is transplanted into a new one. It is strictly verboten for a joined Trill to rekindle a relationship with someone involved with a former host. The penalty is severe: exile, without the symbiont being allowed to join with a new host when the current host dies.

Trill scientist Lenara Kahn (Susanna Thompson) comes to Deep Space Nine to experiment with artificial wormholes. As the Science Officer, Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) assists her. Dax and Kahn (the symbionts) were husband-and-wife under different hosts. As they work together, Jadzia and Lenara fight a growing attraction toward one another. Are they willing to risk exile for their love?

“Rejoined” is an engaging episode that encapsulates the best of Star Trek: the exploration of ideas and cultures through deeply realized characters in whom the viewer is invested. Farrell and Thompson enjoy great on-screen chemistry, and a thoughtful and dramatic script explores their relationship in an organic and suspenseful way.

Neither Jadzia nor Lenara blink at the prospect of falling in love with someone of the same sex, even though the original pairing between their symbionts was heterosexual. Additionally, neither Sisko (Avery Brooks) nor Doctor Bashir (Alexander Siddig) indicate any aversion to a same-sex relationship. The conflict arises because of the Trill taboo against “re-association.”

Of course, I’m sad that the relationship doesn’t work out. I suppose it vaguely endorses the negative cliché that gay relationships never work out. And yes, I wish it weren’t just an anomaly, a one-off situation. It’s a cop out to do a “gay episode” and then never show another open, accepted, well-adjusted gay relationship. In some ways, having a great episode like this just highlights the other disappointments.

But “Rejoined” is still a big step forward. I’m thrilled to see a same-sex romance as a central feature of an episode of Star Trek, wherein the gender of the participants is a complete non-issue, and which leads to Star Trek’s first ever on-screen gay kiss!

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For more posts on all things gay in the Star Trek universe, check out my Gay Star Trek Main Page.

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Overall Quality 2.5 / 5.0 (Disappointing and inane)
Gay Content 1.5 / 5.0 (Important gay character)
Gay Positivity 2.0 / 5.0 (The character is positive; his fate is not)

How disappointing. Part I of the miniseries is promising, but Part II moves away from Part I’s strengths and emphasizes its weaknesses. Throw in a serious negative gay stereotype, and color me unimpressed.

A virulent pathogen infects a small town in Utah via a crashed satellite; a near 100% fatality rate ensues. The military puts the Wildfire Program into effect, gathering half a dozen top scientists at a secret laboratory to study the pathogen and create a response. Meanwhile, a reporter (Eric McCormack) tries to break the story, while other government and military personnel engage in some vague, never-fully-realized conspiracy.

Having never read The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, I cannot say how closely the plot adheres to his original story. I suspect it diverges quite a bit.

Part I of the miniseries does a great job of maintaining and building tension and suspense, emphasizing the laboratory portion in a sort of Center for Disease Control-style CSI. The reporter and government conspiracy aspects come across as pure fluff from the very beginning. The bevy of false-start subplots doesn’t help. Unfortunately, Part II dwells more on the fluff than on the lab; and events in the lab take a definitive turn for both formulaic and speculative-in-the-extreme as the story winds to an eye-rolling conclusion.

The miniseries includes a gay character: one of the medical scientists, Major Bill Keane (Ricky Schroder). I am impressed with the inclusion and the way the script handles the inclusion. When discussing family relationship with another doctor, Keane comments, “If you don’t ask, I won’t tell.” The other doctor then opines that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is ridiculous.

His sexuality plays no role in the conflict. I have heard the inclusion criticized according to the “relevance” argument. Keane’s sexual orientation is not germane the plot, therefore, that exchange should not have been included. But that necessitates that any time a gay character shows up in TV or film, their sexuality has to become part of the drama. That’s overdone, and negative by implying that being gay is such a Big Awful Thing that it must cause tension. It’s refreshing to see a gay character included just for the sake of diversity.

*** Moderate Spoiler Warning – To explain the Gay Positivity Score, I have to divulge something that happens near the end. I do not spoil the resolution to the primary conflict. Please stop reading if you don’t want to know. ***

Major Keane dies at the end. Another character also dies, but only because he has to retrieve something from the Keane. I find no compelling reason in the plot why any of the scientists had to die. I was so irritated by the development I nearly stopped watching then and there.

Two overarching stereotypes appear over and over again in the portrayal of gay people. If you’re gay, either you are bad, or bad things will happen to you. Through sheer repetition, it associates “gay” with “bad,” and inculcates the attitude that gay is worse than straight, instead of just different.

The situation is improving as TV and film produce more diverse and balanced portrayals of gay people. But the negative stereotypes persist, thanks to efforts like The Andromeda Strain.