12. Queer as Folk

Snarky Opener (0:00)

All right, I'm just gonna say it. Brian Kinney was a fucking asshole.

Episode Introduction (0:24)

Hello, my LGBTQuties, and welcome back to another episode of A Jaded Gay.

I'm Rob Loveless, and today I'm a non-jaded gay for a very special reason. I actually just recently found out that my book is going to be published this fall.

So very excited about that. Can't wait for you all to read it. It's kind of a dark, supernatural murder mystery. A little bit of Greek mythology tied in there.

There's, like, four separate characters with, like, seemingly separate storylines that then all come together.

Of course, there's a little bit of gay representation in there, too. So, I'm very excited that that's going to be published.

I don't have any final dates yet but believe me, I'll be keeping you posted in the butt plug section.

Anyway, I am very excited about today's episode because we are going to be doing a deep dive into a TV show that is very near and dear to my heart: Queer as Folk.

Queer as Folk (1:08) 

So, I actually never heard of this show until 2014 when I found it on Netflix. And I watched it right after I came out, so there's obviously a little bit of nostalgia tied to that.

And I actually re-watched the series pretty recently. Back in the fall, I ended up buying all five seasons on DVD and just watched it all through the springtime.

So, some of this is pretty fresh, and I'm really excited to talk about the show.

But before we get into the topic and the tarot, I do just want to do a brief recap on Pride since this is the first episode following Pride Month.

2021 Pride Fails (1:34) 

Really just kind of focusing on some of the cringier experiences from Pride.

So first off, when it comes to Pride marketing, you know, we talked about this in the corporate greed and rainbow capitalism episode, there were some cringe-worthy marketing campaigns this year.

So, Burger King Austria, they launched a new quote unquote, Pride Whoppers. And I guess you could just categorize them into tops and bottoms because you could either order the Whopper with two top buns or order the Whopper with two bottom buns.

And I think I heard somewhere that the meaning behind that was supposed to be, you know, same love type of thing, same bun, same loves. But really, like, I think it's just a not-so-subtle nod towards tops and bottoms.

We also had Postmates who decided to mark Pride Month with a bottom-friendly food menu. So, you know, to be prepared at all times, you can order their bottom-safe foods and know that you'll be okay later on.

Actually, this did cause a bit of controversy, though, because I think it's TikTok. I don't know. I don't do the TikTok.

But I think there's a TikToker who did something like that, where he was, you know, talking about foods that were safe to eat, or creating, like, easier, more bottom-friendly recipes of food. And he's claiming that Postmates copied him.

So, there's a little bit of drama going on there. Kind of turning towards a more serious note. At the beginning of Pride Month, Jill Biden actually announced that there were going to be Nancy Reagan stamps through the post office, which, I mean, timing really is not great on that.

I mean, if you've listened to the Surviving Another Pandemic episode, you know, the Reagans were no friends to the gay community. Especially during the 80s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic.

So really, just kind of a slap in the face there. Like, I mean, you want to honor them, fine, I get it. They're historical figures, whatever. But really, during Pride Month? Come on now.

And also, Christina Aguilera donned a green dildo at Pride LA. So, there you go, just rounding out the month.

Anyway, now that we've covered that, let's turn to the tarot.

Tarot (3:21) 

Okay, so we drew the Six of Swords in reverse, which is kind of a grim-looking card, so that's always a reassuring sign.

As you can remember, Swords is tied to the element of air. It's also representative of masculine energy, so it's very action-focused.

Swords is typically tied to communication, thoughts, discipline, the way we conduct ourselves. And in numerology, the number six is typically tied to finding balance and harmony in our lives through the choices we make.

Now, usually when we draw the Six of Swords in reverse, it's indicating that we might be having difficulties moving on or that we're staying in the past.

So basically, it's signaling that maybe we're encountering a delay or an obstacle that's keeping us from moving on from a difficult situation.

And as a result, we need to look inwards to understand what action we need to take to move forward so we can get past the obstacle.

And a great way to do that is by grounding ourselves and being present in the moment instead of holding on to the past, which can be anchoring us and pulling us backwards.

This card can also indicate that we know that we need to make a transition or a shift in our life to move on to a new chapter.

But we might be having difficulty doing that, or we might even be reluctant to do so and kind of afraid to move forward.

But we need to remember that when we're feeling challenged and sometimes even uncomfortable, it's actually an opportunity for growth.

And that through the struggles we may encounter when we have to make a choice or step out of our comfort zone, we're learning and growing, and we're building the confidence we need to know we can be successful in whatever challenges come our way.

So, whatever fear or apprehension we might have, we need to take a moment to reflect on it, but then again, turn that into action and determine what we need to do to move forward.

Okay, so Queer as Folk. Let's get into it.

My Queer as Folk Nostalgia (4:51)

Like I said, I never heard of Queer as Folk growing up. My family didn't have Showtime or HBO, and also, I was seven when the show came out, so really I...a little too young for that.

Anyway, I came out in October 2014, and around that time, someone had told me about Queer as Folk. So, leading up to coming out, I had become interested in watching movies and shows with gay characters just to feel some form of validation.

And I continued trying to find gay representation after I came out, too, because again, you know, I was really, I mean, we'll get into it in a separate episode. But when I came out, I don't think I was ready to come out.

I don't know if anybody ever really is, but I just, I was in a weird place afterwards. So, it was really important to see that validation, even if the validation was stereotypical gay characters. Anyway.

So, I came out, and I watched Queer as Folk, and my mind was blown. I mean, I was shy and still feeling shame and really unknowledgeable and inexperienced when it came to sex.

So, I turn on the show, and here are these characters who unapologetically embrace their sexuality. They're partying, doing drugs, hooking up in the backroom of Babylon with other people watching, and you're seeing full peen when you're watching this, too.

And these were things that I never saw in Will & Grace. So. in some regards, the show was a bit affirming because you're seeing these gay men navigating their lives through dates, sex, and social issues.

But at the same time, it was also a bit depressing for me because, especially earlier on in the series, it was very party-heavy, lots of casual sex and substance abuse. It catered to stereotypes quite a bit, and I knew that wasn't something I identified with or something that I wanted. So, in a way, you know, again, validating seeing gay characters, but ultimately, it's something I didn't identify with.

So, it made me feel a bit isolated. Now, again, the show came out in 2000, and I watched this for the first time almost 15 years later.

So, obviously, things don't always hold up over time. But it was still fun to watch, especially since there was the tie-in to Pittsburgh.

And let me just tell you, if anybody's curious about Pittsburgh, it is nothing like Queer as Folk. I mean, I wish Babylon existed here, but sadly, it does not. Anyway.

So, I watched the first two seasons, and then I fell out of it, and then back in fall of 2017, I watched the full series through. And then I just rewatched it again this past fall into spring.

So, as I've watched this each time, I've taken away more from it, and things have hit home differently at different stages of my life.

Because again, I was 21 when I saw the first two seasons, 24, I think, when I watched the full series through the first time, and I was 28 when I just watched it this past fall.

So, let's get into it.

Queer as Folk (British TV Series) (7:16)

Queer as Folk is originally a British show which I actually watched on Prime Video last winter. I'm not sure, but as of recording this, I'm pretty sure it's still available on Prime. So, definitely check it out.

It's only two seasons, and really two seasons, it's more like one season, and we'll get into it. So, it debuted on February 23, 1999, and like I said, it only lasted two seasons, but that second season was only two episodes.

And really, those two episodes were kind of just to close out the series. So, really it was like a one-season show. And it ended up ending almost exactly a year later, on February 22, 2000.

Now, the name Queer as Folk actually comes from an English saying, and I think just the way to get this across the best is to channel my inner accent. So, there's not so queer as folk, which means, basically, there's nothing as strange as people.

And this phrase was typically used to highlight someone's odd behavior. So, you can see the tie into the show. Obviously, the word queer jumps out because the word queer is used a lot within the community.

But especially given the time the show debuted, homosexuality wasn't as widely accepted, even though the 90s were kind of that gay Renaissance we talked about.

And funny enough, the script actually started with the title as Queer as Fuck, but that wasn't considered an appropriate name. So, you still get a little bit of that cheekiness with Queer as Folk.

Now, the British version focuses primarily on the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay neighborhood.

So, there was Stuart, who was basically the character Brian Kinney was modeled after. Vince, who is basically Michael Novotny, and then Nathan, who's Justin Taylor.

Now, if you haven't ever watched Queer as Folk, that means nothing to you, but fans of the show, you'll kind of get the tie in there.

Anyway, something I thought was interesting, the characters in the US version, Emmett Honeydew and Ted Schmidt, the characters they're based off of were actually only minor characters in the British version.

Now this British version pretty much became the early parts of the first season of the American version of Queer as Folk.

So, Vince is in love with his best friend, Stuart. Stuart meets Nathan, who becomes obsessed with him. There's a lesbian couple who Stuart donated his sperm to.

Vince has a free-spirited and very supportive mother, and a lot of the other plots were carried over into the American series. So again, fans of the show, you definitely see the tie-in.

Now, one of the biggest differences was, you'll remember, in the American series that night where Ted gets drugged by Blake, and he has a seizure, and I think Blake abandons him.

Well, in the British version, this happens to Phil, who he's more of an acquaintance than a close friend of Stuart and Vince. The same thing happens, except when Phil starts seizing the British Blake robs him and leaves him.

And then there's this montage of the next few days passing by, where the group of friends goes to brunch while Phil is lying dead in his kitchen, and One for Sorrow by Steps is playing in the background.

So basically, he was there for a few days before anyone came to check on him and realized he was dead. And that episode was actually really upsetting for me.

Maybe it was because of the seriousness of the scene with one of my favorite Steps songs, or maybe it's because I had a little crush on Phil. But still, it was pretty emotional.

And then, the second season, it's quite different, and I think it's because the quick cancelation required writers to wrap things up.

So, Stuart and Vince, aka Brian and Mike, end up getting together, and they take off and end up in Arizona. Which if you watch the American series, obviously, that did not happen.

Anyway, in terms of reception, and potentially this is the reason for the British version's cancelation, the show was met with mixed reviews from the gay community.

Specifically, the gay press had issues that the show didn't dive into the AIDS epidemic. And I think there was some shock from the wider press, and there was even a call for censorship.

Now, interestingly enough, Beck's Brewery sponsored the first four episodes of Queer as Folk, but they withdrew their sponsorship, probably because of the mixed reception to the series.

And this move was met with some backlash from the gay community, and the company offered to sponsor the second season, so again, those last two episodes, but the producers ended up turning them down.

Now, despite the mixed reception, the series was a smash hit. So again, this series ended on February 22, 2000.

Queer as Folk (American TV Series) (11:11)

And then, on December 3, 2000, so 10 months later, the American version appears, depicting the lives of five gay men and a lesbian couple in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

And it's interesting that they chose Pittsburgh because obviously, when you think of, you know, gay cities, you think of LA, New York, Chicago.

But they chose Pittsburgh because, as a city, it was the closest parallel to the industrial setting in Manchester. However, like I said, the Pittsburgh you see in Queer as Folk is nothing like the Pittsburgh in real life. Okay?

Also, the setting doesn't even resemble Pittsburgh, and that's because it was actually filmed in Toronto. And it's funny, too, because with the show being based in Pittsburgh, there are some geological mistakes.

So here in Pittsburgh, we have the Three Rivers: Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio. But in Queer as Folk, they reference the Susquehanna River a lot, which is actually a river that runs in the eastern and central part of Pennsylvania closer towards my hometown.

So, just like, totally off with geography there. And there was also an episode where they referenced a former classmate who I think is supposed to be, like, totally washed up, and they say that he now has a job in Scranton.

And I don't know if that was a mistake, thinking that Scranton was closer to Pittsburgh than it is, or if it was just a coincidence that they were stating, oh yeah, he's out somewhere in the state now. But just for reference, Scranton and Pittsburgh are, like, four and a half, five hours away from each other.

Anyway, when I was looking into the history of the show a little bit, I found an old trailer for it, which was really kind of fun to watch, so I've included that in the show notes.

And I don't know when exactly it aired, but it starts with a voiceover saying, exhale slowly, and then you hear club music, and you see a montage of shots from the Queer as Folk theme song and people dancing at Babylon.

So, you get text that comes up saying: This December, enter the world of Brian, Michael, Justin, Emmett, Ted, Lindsay, and Melanie.

And it shows some of the sexier scenes from the first few episodes, like Brian stripping for Justin, and Brian grabbing Michael's crotch, Brian hooking up in the bathroom at work.

Basically, Brian just having sex nonstop because that is his character.

And then, it cuts to a scene where Brian and Michael drop Justin off at school after his night with Brian, and then kind of switches gears into the more serious storylines that you see in season one.

So, you know, we have Justin, who's in love with Brian, Debbie, who wants Michael to meet somebody so he'll forget about Brian, Ted feeling lonely and being told to put himself out there, and Lindsay and Melanie at the hospital with their baby, Gus.

Queer as Folk Debuts (13:24)

So okay, December 3, the show premieres in the United States, and it's largely the same episode as the British version, with the exception that Emmet and Ted are main characters, whereas, like I said, the British show, the characters they were based off of were only minor characters.

So, we start off with the opening theme, and the song is called Spunk by Greek Buck. And we can see why.

There are hunky men go dancing and swimming against a colorful, psychedelic background, kind of reminiscent to the Groove is in the Heart music video. We were just missing Lady Miss Kier dancing.

And let's not forget the silhouettes of two guys in cowboy hats and briefs dancing in a way that simulates, well, you get it.

Anyway, the first episode starts in Babylon, the hottest gay bar in Pittsburgh. Sea of hot guys dancing. And then we hear Michael's opening monolog.

And he says:

"The thing you need to know is, it's all about sex. It's true. In fact, they say that men think about sex every 28 seconds. Of course, that's straight men. Gay men, it's every nine.

You can be at the supermarket or the laundromat or buying a fabulous shirt when suddenly you find yourself checking out some hot guy. Hotter than the one you saw last weekend or went home with the night before.

Which explains why we're all at Babylon at one in the morning instead of at home in bed. But who wants to be at home in bed? Especially alone, when you can be here knowing that at any moment you might see him. The most beautiful man who ever lived. That is until tomorrow night."

Then it cuts over to a hot, shirtless, ripped guy, and we hear our narrator saying:

"By the way, that's me. Six-one. 46, inch chest, 16-inch biceps, 28-inch waist. A veritable god. I wish."

The camera then cuts over to our real narrator, and the monolog continues:

"Okay, that's me. Michael Novotny, the semi-cute boy next door type. 29, five-ten, 140, 9 inches, 12 cut. All right, so I exaggerate, but like, who's told the truth since they invented cybersex?"

So, we're introduced to Michael Novotny, who was your regular guy. He works at the Big Q, which is kind of like a Walmart-type store, and he's a huge comic book fan. Specifically, he's obsessed with Captain Astro.

Then there's Brian Kinney, who's supposed to be the hottest guy in Pittsburgh, but he has a terrible attitude. And, like, I'm just gonna say it, I find him insufferable.

Anyway, he's the hotshot ad exec and Michael's childhood best friend. And Michael has a huge crush on him.

Then there's Michael's roommate, Emmett Honeycutt, the token flamboyant one in the group, and Ted, who's a little older than the rest of the group and is an accountant with low self-esteem.

So, we also have Debbie Novotny, who's Michael's extremely supportive mother, who works at the gay diner on Liberty Ave.

And Michael's kind of embarrassed by how supportive she is, and her brother Vic, Michael's uncle. And he lives with her because he's had some health struggles due to being HIV positive.

And there's also Lindsay and Melanie, a lesbian couple who we'll get into in a bit.

So, the first episode starts off that the guys are at the gay club, and Brian notices this new guy, Justin Taylor, who's 17 and figuring out his sexuality.

And I double-checked in Pennsylvania, at least at the time of filming this, the age of consent was 16. So, this isn't as rapey as it sounds. Or maybe it is, I don't know.

Anyway, Brian takes Justin home, and Michael, Emmett, and Ted go their separate ways. And this is where the first sex scene between two men took place on American TV.

Brian brings Justin back to his loft, takes off his shirt, and then pours a bottle of water over himself in a dramatic slow-mo way. Super cheesy, and yeah, the show is not known for its amazing dialog.

Anyway, he strips down completely naked, while Justin seems unsure, and Brian asks:

"So, are you coming or going? Or coming and then going? Or coming and staying?"

So then, while Brian is edging him, he gets a phone call and answers. Something urgent is going on, and he says he'll be right there.

He calls Michael, who's hooking up with a guy who's wearing a fake butt pad, and Brian, Justin, and Michael end up driving to a hospital.

And they're there to visit Lindsay and Melanie because Lindsay just delivered the couple's baby. And you find out the father is Brian because he provided the sperm donation for the couple.

So, he and Lindsay, I think they dated back in college or were at least really good friends, and Melanie and Brian have a really tense relationship.

After they visit, Michael drives the trio home in Brian's car because Brian took some drugs, and he gets all flirty with Justin in the back of the car and takes him home.

So, Michael is, of course, pissed because he's in love with Brian and watching his best friend that he's in love with flirt with this other, younger, hotter guy. And so, Michael drops him off and leaves.

And back at the loft, Brian rims Justin, which you see up close and personal. Although, in the British version, you see a little more action with it. And then they have anal sex, and Justin stays over.

So, the next day, Brian wakes up all groggy from his night before, and he doesn't even remember Justin's name. So, like, ouch. That hurts.

Especially for Justin because this is his first sexual encounter. He thinks he's in love. So, it's really kind of just a shitty situation.

And during that time, Brian also remembers that he now has a son. So, Michael wakes up to find out that Brian's Jeep was vandalized, but you don't see to what extent. And he drives and picks up Brian for work, and they have to drop Justin off at high school.

So, these two guys, who are 29 years old, are driving a 17-year-old back to his Catholic High School. The car pulls up in the front of the school, and you see the word faggot spray painted in bright pink.

So, before Justin leaves then, he asks Brian when he can see him again. And, of course, Brian responds with the cheesy line:

"You can see me in your dreams."

Blah. But alas, history was made. That was the first gay sex scene on American TV.

Queer as Folk (Season One) (18:36)

So, the show went on for five seasons with some pretty provocative plotlines. And I feel like for the first two seasons, things were a little more fun. There was more partying and hookups and things like that.

And then I feel the last three seasons became more serious. I mean, don't get me wrong, still partying, still drugs, still sex.

But it definitely got more political, which makes sense because that was the George W Bush era, which was not a great time for the LGBTQ community.

Now, that being said, I think there was more sex in the earlier seasons, but in the later seasons, I think there were more displays of full nudity. I don't know, maybe that's just me, but an observation I noticed this most recent time watching it.

Anyway, season one consisted of 22 episodes, which largely ties around the love triangle of Michael, Bryan, and Justin.

So, like I said, you know, Justin and Michael are both in love with Brian, which obviously causes some tension between them.

And Brian is aware that Michael loves him, but he doesn't acknowledge his feelings. And then he kind of just outright rejects Justin, saying that he doesn't do boyfriends.

So, the first time I watched this, I was 21, and I really related to Justin's character. You know, kind of exploring the gay dating scene, falling very easily for kind of the first person he meets because he believes it's love.

And also, as he's exploring his sexuality, you know, his parents find out, and his mom is kind of shaken. And luckily, his mom comes around in the long run, but his dad outright rejects him, and they have a very contentious relationship.

That being said, there is a really great scene where Justin's mom takes him to therapy because she thinks he's too young to understand these things.

And the counselor asks him a question about his sexuality. And this is his response:

"I like dick. I want to get fucked by dick. I want to suck dick. I like sucking dick. And I'm good at it, too."

And, obviously, while his mom was shocked at this, she eventually did come around and she became a big ally of the community. And that's thanks in part, to Michael's mom, Debbie, who's a proud PFLAG member.

But, because of the dad rejecting Justin, it causes some tension, and the parents actually end up divorcing.

That same first season, you know, Michael's a little bit more of a hopeless romantic type. And he's trying to date other guys, but it's tough because he always has his eyes set on Brian.

And this is kind of a theme throughout the earlier seasons, and then kind of that Brian crush just fades away. But he starts seeing a doctor in season one.

There's some rivalry between Brian and the doctor. The doctor is quite a bit older, and Michael's still trying to go out and party, and obviously, that's causing some issues with the relationship.

It ends up that the doctor actually has a son out in Portland, and he decides he has to move back to help out with the son because his son's having trouble in school, I think, or something like that.

So, Michael and the doctor end up breaking up. But while season one again was largely, you know, partying, sex, all that stuff, there was one thing that really kind of stood out to me.

And even having watched it for the third time, it's still a really unsettling scene for me. It's the season one finale.

So, Brian agrees to go to Justin's prom with him, and they have a great time. They dance in front of the whole school. It's kind of this really magical romantic moment.

And, at the end of the night, Brian kisses him good night and gets in his Jeep. And he looks through his car mirror and watches Justin, they're in a parking garage, he watches Justin walk away from the car.

And then he sees Chris Hobbs, who is a bully that had been torturing Justin at school because he was gay.

Chris Hobbs sneaks up behind Justin, and actually has a baseball bat, and beats him in the head with it. And Brian sees the whole thing happen through his car mirror before he can even react.

Queer as Folk Storylines (21:46)

So, season two consisted of 20 episodes and picks up shortly where we left off.

So, after the attack, Justin doesn't have a ton of recollection of that night, and he was planning on going to art school post-graduation, but because of his injury, he has some trouble with his artistry skills, and he has to basically, kind of relearn how to be an artist.

And him and Brian actually kind of form a somewhat relationship, I guess, an open relationship, at the time. I don't think they ever really defined it, but they were living together at one point.

You know, making out with each other while they were having sex with other guys at Babylon, you know, the old-fashioned kind of romance.

Ted ends up getting fired from work because he gets caught watching porn at work, which is not a great idea. But then he ends up actually creating his own porn company and becomes pretty successful with that.

And Emmett actually does some camera work for him there. Lindsay and Melanie, they continue navigating parenthood and end up getting married.

And Michael starts dating a college professor named Ben, who's actually HIV-positive. And this was a pretty big topic to cover.

You know, there's still a lot of stigma associated with HIV and other STDs, but back then, I think the stigma was even worse. So, they do encounter some hardships in their relationship, including health scares.

And actually, something that I thought was pretty interesting was Michael's mom, Debbie, she's kind of against the relationship, despite her brother being HIV positive, because she's so afraid that Michael will become infected.

And, as we continue on through the season and the series, you know, Michael and Ben get more serious. Michael ends up donating his sperm to Melanie so Lindsey and Melanie can have another baby.

There's an election in Pittsburgh, actually, for the new mayor, and Brian lends his ad skills to help the police chief, who's actually harmed the LGBTQ+ community and the rest of the gang, is trying to encourage members of the community to come out and vote so the police chief won't win.

And the police chief conducts a raid on Ted's company, the porn site, and he gets arrested for hiring someone underage. Although, I believe it turns out that underage person was planted by the police.

And the police chief ends up closing down one of the gay bars, and Debbie finds a murdered teen in a dumpster outside the diner she works at.

And it turns out that actually a police officer had killed that teen, and the police chief had covered it up.

So, you can really see how it's starting to get more political as we go on, and I think especially with that election with the police chief, and then there will be another kind of political issue coming up in the final season.

I think that was largely tied to the show's reaction to the Bush administration. The final two seasons were significantly shorter. They were only 14 and 13 episodes, respectively.

Season 4 largely focuses on Ted, who's recovering from a crystal meth addiction. Justin actually befriends a kid named Cody, and they form a pink posse, which is a vigil anti-group to protect the LGBTQ+ community from homophobic attacks.

But it actually spirals, and they start terrorizing straight couples. And Justin actually confronts his stalker from season one, which was a pretty intense scene.

He holds him at gunpoint, and he has him get on his knees and puts the barrel of the gun in his mouth, and has to make a decision if he's going to pull the trigger or not.

And Melanie is pregnant at this time, and Lindsay ends up having an affair with a man, and they end up getting separated for a while and almost divorced. They get back together eventually.

Brian gets diagnosed with testicular cancer, which he tries to hide from everybody else.

And another storyline that really drew me in was Emmett starts seeing a professional football player who's closeted. And it's really tough for Emmett because he really cares for this guy, but understandably, he doesn't want to be this guy's secret.

And Emmett is flamboyant and out and loud and proud as he should be, and he's realizing that he's compromising himself by having this secret relationship with the football player.

And, towards the end, Michael and Ben get married in Canada, where it's legal. They're doing some kind of bike ride from Canada to Pittsburgh.

But on the way back, they're not able to get back into the United States. They get held up at the border because their marital status isn't recognized in the United States.

And Michael's uncle, Debbie's brother, Vic he actually ends up dying of AIDS-related complications, which is really upsetting and emotional.

And then, in the final season, the overarching theme was that the gang was fighting Proposition 14, which was a fictionalized state proposition that would take away all legal rights and benefits from same-sex couples.

Which is a big risk for Melanie and Lindsay because basically, Melanie would have no rights to Gus, who is Lindsay's biological son. And Lindsay would have no rights to Melanie's biological daughter.

And Brian ends up buying Babylon, and he tries to reinvigorate it, while Emma gets hired to be Pittsburgh's resident queer guy on the local news station, which I think was a little nod to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Because again, this was, I think, 2004 this season.

And then, as we get towards the end, episode 10 of the season was really heavy. And especially the first time I watched it because Cyndi Lauper makes a guest appearance and is performing at Babylon for a fundraiser to fight Proposition 14, and the bar gets bombed.

And the first time I saw this was fall 2017, so it was just a little over a year after the Pulse shooting. And I remember feeling anxiety in my chest from that.

One of the, you know, minor recurring characters ends up dying. Michael is in really critical condition, but luckily, he recovers.

And, basically, the bombing has all the characters kind of reconsidering their lives as we wrap up the end of the show.

So, in the season finale, Emmett and Ted both meet potential new flames, so there's hope on the horizon for them.

Michael's married to Ben, and they've adopted this teen that they took in, I think, in season three, he was on the streets. So, they're kind of their own little family unit, which really is all Michael wanted.

Lindsey and Melanie actually decide to move to Canada because they don't feel safe in the United States, and they want to raise their children in a country where their parents are accepted.

And Brian and Justin, at first, they were getting married, but then they opted not to get married since they realized that marriage is denying themselves who they really are and what they really want at that point in time.

And quite appropriately, the season finale, it ends with Michael and Brian dancing at Babylon in the debris of the bombing, but then it transfigures into the club we all know and love, and it's filled with that sea of hot men.

And we started off the series with Michael's opening monolog, and it ends with a monolog from Michael. He says:

"So, the thumpa thumpa continues. It always will. No matter what happens. No matter who's president. As our lady of disco, the Divine Miss Gloria Gaynor, has always sung to us, we will survive."

So again, this show is groundbreaking for its time, not only for the sexual content but for the topics it explored, which were certainly more explicit than Will & Grace, which ran from 1998 to 2006. So, right around the same time as the show.

Reaction to Queer as Folk (27:46)

Now, interestingly enough, the show creators were expecting uproar from more conservative viewers, cough, cough, Republicans. But that never really happened.

They actually received some negative backlash from members of the gay community who thought the show would create negative implications regarding the depictions of gay men and feeding into certain stereotypes, which was another common issue with Will & Grace. People complain that Will & Grace fed into the stereotypes too much.

And also, while the show was primarily aimed at a gay audience, Showtime found that it had a large following with heterosexual females.

And supposedly, the show was canceled because it was becoming costly to produce, and Showtime didn't want to be known as a primarily gay network.

Now, again, obviously, those were just some rumors floating around. There wasn't any actual headline or press release from Showtime saying that, but it's been largely speculated that that is the reason why.

LGBTQ+ Representation in Queer as Folk (28:33)

And, one thing I did want to point out was that the majority of actors in the show were actually straight.

The only characters who were gay were Randy Harrison, who played Justin, Peter Paige, who played Emmett, and Robert Gant, who played Ben.

And Thea Gill, who played Lindsay, actually came out as bisexual, I think, during the filming of the show.

So again, the show was groundbreaking for the time but doesn't necessarily hold up because obviously, you know, one, there was a lack of diversity, and two, there were lots of stereotypes. And again, we have the issue of, you know, straight actors in gay roles.

Now, obviously, I'm not out here shouting cancel Queer as Folk, you know, the 2000 series, because it was groundbreaking at the time. Obviously, today, it doesn't hold up as much.

You know, if this show were to debut like this today, it wouldn't be received the same way. But it really did do a lot for the gay community at the time, you know?

Like I said, first-ever gay sex scene on American TV. And I think, you know, especially at that time, especially during the Bush administration, representation was important, even if it was stereotypical at some points.

And the show definitely has a nostalgia factor, and it's had a legacy.

Queer as Folk (Peacock Reboot) (29:37)

And actually, on Peacock, there was just the Queer as Folk reboot.

Now, this reboot, I read that it actually was supposed to be inspired more so by the UK version than the American version, so it doesn't really kind of tie into any of that at all.

The new reboot, still called Queer as Folk. It came out on June 9. I literally watched it that entire weekend. Binged it. All eight episodes. Loved it.

And at first, I wasn't sure why they were calling it Queer as Folk because, from the commercials, it didn't seem like anything was tied into the series at all.

So, it kind of felt like, all right, you know, this is great that we're having another, you know, queer show out here.

You know, it's going to be definitely a drama addressing some heavy topics, but it kind of seems like they're just tacking the name onto it.

But when you watch it, you can definitely see, you know, that it kind of is, not a continuation. It's not a sequel by any means. But definitely, you know, within the family of Queer as Folk.

And in the first episode, the character dynamics were kind of similar to what we saw in both the UK and the American versions of Queer as Folk, but with updated representation.

You know, we have Mingus, who's nonbinary. There is Ruthie, who's a trans woman, Shar, who is her partner and uses they/them pronouns. You know, we have Julian, who's neurodivergent.

That was one thing that they really did cover a lot in this reboot. You know, they focused on gay people with disabilities.

But in terms of the character dynamics, you know, we have Brody, who's coming home to New Orleans. By the way, his mother's Kim Cattrall. Amazing. And his brother is Julian.

And Brody goes out to Babylon, so, you know, we have the same bar name there. And he meets Mingus, and they kind of hook up a little bit in the bathroom before Mingus goes on to perform, you know, a drag performance.

And there's a shooter who comes in and shoots up the club. And again, I mean, I'm glad they didn't show it. They definitely alluded to it. You know, it's happening. You hear the gunshots.

But it wasn't like, you know, a dramatic showing of it, thankfully, because I think that would have been too much to handle. But definitely a heavy episode to start off with.

But then Brody goes to the hospital. Ruthie was also at the bar, and her partner, Shar, is pregnant and actually has gone into labor, so Ruthie is hurrying to the hospital to be with Shar during that time. Mingus is taking Brody to the hospital.

So, with Mingus and Brody, you kind of have the Justin Bryan dynamic, or I guess I should say the Nathan Stuart dynamic since this is more inspired by the UK version.

And then, after Shar has their children, Ruthie lets Brody know because Brody is the sperm donor. So again, you can see those kind of similar character dynamics to the original series.

There's also some nods to the UK version of Queer as Folk. You know, there's an ass-eating scene in the first episode. So, I mean, I think that's just a general theme between the UK, the 2000 version, and then, you know, this new reboot.

Also, later in the season, you see one of the characters driving a jeep, just like the original Queer as Folk. Also, at one point, Brody's thinking about just leaving.

He feels like he's been just, you know, a drain on people, and he's thinking about relocating to Manchester. And he's like, yeah, I've already talked some guys on the apps.

And he pulls up his phone to show his friend one of them, and it's Nathan. An adult version of Nathan who, may I say, has aged very well. But I really enjoyed the reboot.

I think it really focused in on the diversity that we needed to see that the US version definitely lacked.

And I think the theme around the reboot, too, was really inspiring, in a way, because obviously, the first episode, there's the shooting, and the rest of the season really focuses on rebuilding after that.

You know, literally, rebuild Babylon following the shooting, but also rebuild some of the relationships between the characters.

You know, we see friendships fall apart. We see, you know, family struggles. We see relationship struggles. And it's all the rebuilding and, you know, getting past the hurt there.

So, I really enjoyed it. I'm hoping there will be a second season. I'm assuming there would be. I can't imagine that it wouldn't be renewed.

Episode Closing (33:10)

But yeah, so that's Queer as Folk, you know. Hope you enjoyed the entire series that I just spat out to you in the however long this podcast episode is.

You know, like I say in almost every episode when we talk about pop culture, I think representation is really important. And you know, as we progress, we're seeing truer representation.

Again, you know, Queer as Folk, 2000 to 2005, it was not perfect. Groundbreaking for the time but certainly not perfect. And definitely doesn't hold up today.

So, it's nice seeing this newer reboot come along that addresses that and provides a platform for truer representation by being more inclusive.

You know, we're not just having the straight-acting white masc presenting hunky, you know, ripped gay man.

You know, there's such a diverse group of characters that really come from all walks of life and really help bring new perspectives to the show.

And obviously, this episode isn't really tied to emotional well-being as much, but connecting it to the tarot, the Six of Swords in reverse.

You know, it indicates that we are having trouble moving forward because we're holding on from the past and that we need to, you know, assess and take action to move forward.

We have to move through the discomfort to learn, to grow, and bring on new opportunities. And I think that's something that's covered through all three franchises of Queer as Folk.

You know, the original UK version, the US version, and the reboot is that all these characters face struggles, whether it is, you know, Justin coming to terms with his sexuality and being accepted by his family, or the political issues, you know, with Proposition 14, the bombing at Babylon.

Or in the reboot, the shooting at Babylon, or, you know, the broken friendships and relationships and trying to repair that.

You know, these characters are all placed in uncomfortable situations that really challenge them, but they all choose to take action, to move on, to grow, to learn from the experiences.

And again, while the 2000 version may have been stereotypical, it really, I think, did provide some storylines so that we could all see ourselves in or relate to in some way.

And it definitely helped pave the way to get to the representation we're seeing today. The truer representation, the more inclusive representation.

And just to close this episode off, I'm pretty sure I said this quote in the representation episode we did earlier, but love this quote from Debbie, and I think it's just really, you know, powerful to end on:

"Mourn the losses because they are many. But celebrate the victories because they are few."

Connect with A Jaded Gay (35:22)

Thank you once again for listening. Hope you enjoyed this episode. You know, definitely encourage you to check out the original Queer as Folk on Amazon Prime right now.

And if you haven't already, check out the reboot. It's on Peacock. Loved it. Amazing. You're definitely going to want a second season after you watch it.

Please remember to rate, review, subscribe. You can send me an email rob@ajadedgay.com. You can follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @ajadedgaypod.

And you can follow me, Rob Loveless, on Instagram @rob_loveless, or on Twitter @robjloveless.

And remember, every day is all we have, so you got to make your own happiness.

Mmm-bye.

Outtake (36:25)

And this is his response. Note to self: insert audio here.