I just got home from work and saw the bad news. Molly Ivins, a columnist who has become a hero to me ever since I first became politically aware, is gone. I knew she was battling breast cancer again, but somehow I never doubted that she'd beat it. All you had to do was read her columns to know that this woman was a fighter. In fact, she'd already beaten the disease twice before.
Her monthly columns in The Progressive were always the first thing I turned to when the magazine arrived. She was wise, passionate, and so very, very funny. She stood up for true progressive values and spoke the truth to power on a daily basis.
I really don't feel like I have adequate words to express how tragic this loss feels. At 62, it was far too early for her to leave us. The loss of her voice will leave a huge void to be filled.
If you've never read Molly's writing, do yourself a favor and go check out her books. I'd recommend Who Let the Dogs In or Bushwhacked.
Rest in peace, Molly Ivins. You were one of a kind.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Developments!
Okay, so I haven't finished that post I've been working on this week and which I'd hoped to post last night. Right now I'm between classes, but I had to log on and post the news. After months of no development, it seems like there may finally be some movement in the Luke storyline on ATWT!
In yesterday's episode, they actually mentioned for the first time since last fall that Luke is gay. Not only that, they actually based a story around it! It wasn't much, but it was a start. It was great to see Luke on our screens again, and it got even better when Lily actually asked her son how school was going. Luke's response was that she's got to stop asking that question like she expects him to say that he was 'gay bashed between fourth and fifth periods'.
Finally a mention of how things are going at school for Luke, though not a very revealing one. Still, some foreshadowing of a story to come, perhaps? We'll see.
The real action of the day was when Holden's newly returned cousin Brad Snyder came over for dinner. Brad noticed that the place looked different and Holden explained that they'd had a fire and had to redecorate.
Uh, oh. At that point, Luke wasn't in the room yet, but he walked in just in time to hear Lily beg Brad's pardon and Brad respond by using a fake effeminate voice and a limp wristed gesture:
In yesterday's episode, they actually mentioned for the first time since last fall that Luke is gay. Not only that, they actually based a story around it! It wasn't much, but it was a start. It was great to see Luke on our screens again, and it got even better when Lily actually asked her son how school was going. Luke's response was that she's got to stop asking that question like she expects him to say that he was 'gay bashed between fourth and fifth periods'.
Finally a mention of how things are going at school for Luke, though not a very revealing one. Still, some foreshadowing of a story to come, perhaps? We'll see.
The real action of the day was when Holden's newly returned cousin Brad Snyder came over for dinner. Brad noticed that the place looked different and Holden explained that they'd had a fire and had to redecorate.
Brad: Did you do it yourself? Or did you get some queer type to do it?
Uh, oh. At that point, Luke wasn't in the room yet, but he walked in just in time to hear Lily beg Brad's pardon and Brad respond by using a fake effeminate voice and a limp wristed gesture:
Brad: Well, I mean, no insult, the place, it looks great. I just figured that you maybe got someone who was, you know -- Fabulous with fabrics and colors.
Luke seemed calm (does this indicate the sort of thing he's dealing with on a daily basis at school?) but Lily was livid. She told Brad that what he'd said was offensive and if he was going to talk like that, he could leave her home. She also demanded an apology.
Brad: Okay, sure, yeah. If you want. But, I mean, what did I say that was so bad? I mean, do you have something against gay decorators?
At that point, Brad's brother Jack grabbed him and drug him outside while Lily looked like she was about to go nuclear on him. Outside, Jack filled Brad in.
Things could be looking up for Luke, especially since according to AfterElton.Com, the powers that be at the Network have confirmed to them that Luke will have increasing visibility over the next months as he helps his family deal with their problems (Lily's diet pills, his little sister's newly developed eating disorder that stems for Lily's reaction to her own weight gain) and that it's all leading up to Luke GETTING A BOYFRIEND this spring! Yes, the powers that be actually confirmed that Luke is getting a boyfriend, and that the storyline is 'being written now'. Check out the article here.
As if all this wasn't enough, Passions, the worst soap on TV (which won't be on much longer, since it's been canceled and will finish it's eight year run this summer) is actually taking a storyline chance that daytime has never done before. If the writing on the show wasn't so spectacularly awful (thanks, James E. Reilly!) I'd be more happy about this development, but I'll share it with you anyway. For months, viewers have been in on the fact that main character Chad, who is one half of Chad & Whitney, a couple fans have rooted for years for and who are finally together & married, is having an affair with a mystery person.
Well, at the end of this week, viewers will learn that Chad's lover is another man! It won't be until the end of February that viewers find out who the man is, but Chad (who is African American) has apparently been 'on the down low' with another man for months. Is this daytime's first truly bisexual male character, then? If so, that's huge.
Well, the actor who plays Chad claims that the storyline was a surprise but "Chad loves his wife, so in his heart this isn't a deception. He is not in love with this other guy. He's addicted to sex."
Oh! I see. So straight sex addicts seek out gay sex with long term secret lovers? This may just be the actor's own reaction to the story, but with James E. Reilly writing the storyline, God only knows what the end result will be. This is the man who punished a female character on Days of Our Lives for having an abortion by having her lose everything- her man, her ability to have children- and then had her forgiven by a vision of the Virgin Mary!
I somehow doubt, given Reilly's track record, that this will be a positive storyline for the glbt community. But we'll see. Like I said, I'd be more excited by this storyline if the person writing it was less of a hack mired in 1950's morality, at least where female characters are concerned. But maybe he'll surprise us on this one and go out with some dignity?
I'm so late for class!
Brad: Luke is gay? Why didn't somebody tell me?
Jack: Well it just never occurred to me that you would start spouting off like some kind of homophobe in the middle of a party.
Brad: I'm not a homophobe. I mean some of my best friends are gay. I just didn't know. Wow, cousin Holden, he's got a son who's light in the loafers.
Jack: Brad, please!
Brad: You know what, now that you mention it, I should have seen it right off.
Jack: Would just shut -- stop, shut your mouth!
Back inside, Luke tried to calm his mother down.
Luke: People say things. And sometimes they think about it first and sometimes they don't. But I have to learn to handle that. Mom, you're not always going to be there to run interference.
Lily: Did you expect me to just stand there and take that, from that bigot?
Holden: Lily, there's a happy medium between shutting the guy down and going off on him.
Lily: He insulted our son!
Holden: He didn't know that Luke is gay.
Lily: So that makes it right?
Holden: He wasn't trying to be malicious.
Lily: I don't want him here. No, never again.
Luke: Mom, mom we really don't have to go there. I mean the guy's willing to apologize.
Holden: Brad, he can be rude, but his heart's is in the right place. He loves his family.
Lily: Did that sound like love to you, Holden?
The show wrote it as an overreaction on Lily's part (she's been taking diet pills in secret to lose post-pregnancy, post-coma weight and they're messing with her moods apparently) and I suppose it was one, to some extent. I just would have preferred it to be an overreaction based on her own strong feelings, though, rather than diet pills. I happened to like the way Lily reacted to encountering homophobia for the first time since she accepted Luke for who he was, especially since she was encountering it in her own living room. I think it shows the fierce love she has for her son and her own lingering guilt for her treatment of him after he came out. I was cheering her on, to be honest.
Things could be looking up for Luke, especially since according to AfterElton.Com, the powers that be at the Network have confirmed to them that Luke will have increasing visibility over the next months as he helps his family deal with their problems (Lily's diet pills, his little sister's newly developed eating disorder that stems for Lily's reaction to her own weight gain) and that it's all leading up to Luke GETTING A BOYFRIEND this spring! Yes, the powers that be actually confirmed that Luke is getting a boyfriend, and that the storyline is 'being written now'. Check out the article here.
As if all this wasn't enough, Passions, the worst soap on TV (which won't be on much longer, since it's been canceled and will finish it's eight year run this summer) is actually taking a storyline chance that daytime has never done before. If the writing on the show wasn't so spectacularly awful (thanks, James E. Reilly!) I'd be more happy about this development, but I'll share it with you anyway. For months, viewers have been in on the fact that main character Chad, who is one half of Chad & Whitney, a couple fans have rooted for years for and who are finally together & married, is having an affair with a mystery person.
Well, at the end of this week, viewers will learn that Chad's lover is another man! It won't be until the end of February that viewers find out who the man is, but Chad (who is African American) has apparently been 'on the down low' with another man for months. Is this daytime's first truly bisexual male character, then? If so, that's huge.
Well, the actor who plays Chad claims that the storyline was a surprise but "Chad loves his wife, so in his heart this isn't a deception. He is not in love with this other guy. He's addicted to sex."
Oh! I see. So straight sex addicts seek out gay sex with long term secret lovers? This may just be the actor's own reaction to the story, but with James E. Reilly writing the storyline, God only knows what the end result will be. This is the man who punished a female character on Days of Our Lives for having an abortion by having her lose everything- her man, her ability to have children- and then had her forgiven by a vision of the Virgin Mary!
I somehow doubt, given Reilly's track record, that this will be a positive storyline for the glbt community. But we'll see. Like I said, I'd be more excited by this storyline if the person writing it was less of a hack mired in 1950's morality, at least where female characters are concerned. But maybe he'll surprise us on this one and go out with some dignity?
I'm so late for class!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Vote: Let Luke Find Love!
I just wanted to do a quick post to let you know that if you're interested in helping As the World Turn's Luke find love, you can click on this link which will take you to a CBS Daytime fan panel for ATWT. One of their current questions is as follows:
I think it's a potentially hopeful sign that they're putting this question to the viewers, since it shows that they're actually considering going there. But on the other hand, if too many people vote no it could hurt our chances of seeing a real storyline develop for Luke. So, please take the time to vote if you can. You do have to register first, but it's just your name, e-mail, and gender. You can skip the rest of the questions and just vote on Luke's storyline if you don't follow the show, or voice your opinions on other storylines & characters if you do.
And of course, you can always voice your opinion on how the Luke storyline is going by contacting the show via snail mail or e-mail. Here's the contact info:
As the World Turns
1268 East 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11230.
atwt@cbs.com
Oh, and another quick note: Van Hansis has been pre-nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Younger Actor. Now, each show gets to pre-nominate two actors/actresses per category, and those actors choose two episodes of their work to send in. A panel then viewers all the selections and nominates five actors/actresses in each of the categories.
They'd be a fool not to nominate Van for the incredible work he's done during Luke's coming out storyline. I think the hardest part will be for Van to choose just two episodes to send in when there were so many amazing scenes spread out over months worth of shows!
So, congrats to Van on this first step to the Emmy he so richly deserves to win!
Tomorrow I hope to be able to post a piece I've been working on this week when I've been able to grab a few minutes here and there.
| 5) | Do you think Luke should have a boyfriend? |
 | Yes. I like the character of Luke and think it would be interesting to see him meet someone. |
| Maybe. I miss him not having a story and if part of that includes finding a boyfriend then it might be worth tuning in. |
| No. This is not a topic I am interested and I don’t really care for the character and will likely tune out. |
I think it's a potentially hopeful sign that they're putting this question to the viewers, since it shows that they're actually considering going there. But on the other hand, if too many people vote no it could hurt our chances of seeing a real storyline develop for Luke. So, please take the time to vote if you can. You do have to register first, but it's just your name, e-mail, and gender. You can skip the rest of the questions and just vote on Luke's storyline if you don't follow the show, or voice your opinions on other storylines & characters if you do.
And of course, you can always voice your opinion on how the Luke storyline is going by contacting the show via snail mail or e-mail. Here's the contact info:
As the World Turns
1268 East 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11230.
atwt@cbs.com
Oh, and another quick note: Van Hansis has been pre-nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Younger Actor. Now, each show gets to pre-nominate two actors/actresses per category, and those actors choose two episodes of their work to send in. A panel then viewers all the selections and nominates five actors/actresses in each of the categories.
They'd be a fool not to nominate Van for the incredible work he's done during Luke's coming out storyline. I think the hardest part will be for Van to choose just two episodes to send in when there were so many amazing scenes spread out over months worth of shows!
So, congrats to Van on this first step to the Emmy he so richly deserves to win!
Tomorrow I hope to be able to post a piece I've been working on this week when I've been able to grab a few minutes here and there.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Catching Up
It has been five months since I last took pen in hand (metaphorically speaking, of course) to update this blog. When I started Seth in the City, I intended it to be a daily blog if possible, but certainly I intended to update at least three or four times a week.
Life gets in the way, but it also comes down to forgetfulness on my part. I'm just not in the habit of blogging on a regular basis and unless I get myself into the habit, this blog will probably just wither away, if it hasn't already. Use it or lose it, right?
Its been a busy five months for me, but when I think of all the things I could have found the time to blog about, I could kick myself.
But, no point in crying over spilt milk, right? So I'm going to treat this as a new start for Seth in the City. I don't mean to imply that Ill be blogging each and every day, but I do want to try and blog at least a few times a week.
I can't promise I'll be interesting, but I will do my best to get something up.
Lets start where we left off, shall we? That would be with Luke on As the World Turns.
I'm sorry to say that things have gone downhill very fast with that groundbreaking storyline. Around Labor Day, things finally came to a head between Luke & his best friend (and secret crush) Kevin.
Things between the two of them had been bad ever since Luke skipped out on the double date that Kevin had set up for them, and Luke finally decided it was time to tell Kevin the truth about himself. He followed Kevin up to a lake where a group of teens had gathered for an end of the summer trip and managed to get Kevin to agree to hear what he had to say.
It was another of those powerful scenes that As the World Turns was doing so very well with the Luke storyline at that point. Alone in a cabin, Luke finally confessed to Kevin that the reason he'd been acting so weird lately was that he'd been hiding a secret and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Kevin melted instantly and told Luke that he himself was no altar boy and Luke could tell him anything.
Relieved, Luke finally said the words he'd been so afraid to say to his best friend: I'm Gay.
Kevin's reaction wasn't exactly what Luke had hoped for. He fled the cabin without saying another word, but Luke followed him and confronted him.
Life gets in the way, but it also comes down to forgetfulness on my part. I'm just not in the habit of blogging on a regular basis and unless I get myself into the habit, this blog will probably just wither away, if it hasn't already. Use it or lose it, right?
Its been a busy five months for me, but when I think of all the things I could have found the time to blog about, I could kick myself.
But, no point in crying over spilt milk, right? So I'm going to treat this as a new start for Seth in the City. I don't mean to imply that Ill be blogging each and every day, but I do want to try and blog at least a few times a week.
I can't promise I'll be interesting, but I will do my best to get something up.
Lets start where we left off, shall we? That would be with Luke on As the World Turns.
I'm sorry to say that things have gone downhill very fast with that groundbreaking storyline. Around Labor Day, things finally came to a head between Luke & his best friend (and secret crush) Kevin.
Things between the two of them had been bad ever since Luke skipped out on the double date that Kevin had set up for them, and Luke finally decided it was time to tell Kevin the truth about himself. He followed Kevin up to a lake where a group of teens had gathered for an end of the summer trip and managed to get Kevin to agree to hear what he had to say.
It was another of those powerful scenes that As the World Turns was doing so very well with the Luke storyline at that point. Alone in a cabin, Luke finally confessed to Kevin that the reason he'd been acting so weird lately was that he'd been hiding a secret and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Kevin melted instantly and told Luke that he himself was no altar boy and Luke could tell him anything.
Relieved, Luke finally said the words he'd been so afraid to say to his best friend: I'm Gay.
Kevin's reaction wasn't exactly what Luke had hoped for. He fled the cabin without saying another word, but Luke followed him and confronted him.
Luke: I trust you with, like, the biggest deal of my life, and you turn around and say nothing?
Kevin: What do you want from me?
Luke: Nothing. I'm just so sick of pretending to be someone that I'm not. And you're my friend, so I wanted you to know who I really am.
Kevin: Yeah, well, now I know.
Luke: And we're okay?
Kevin: You know, I always knew there was something wrong with you. And now I know why. You're a freak.
From there, it got worse as Luke on-again-off-again-on again cousin Jade (yes, now she really IS his cousin; don't ask) emerged and rushed to her own defense of Luke, revealing another secret in the process:
Jade (to Kevin): I can't believe he ever tried to be straightforward and honest with a jerk like you.
Kevin: I don't think you can use the word straight.
Jade: Oh, can I use the word pig? Because what I don't understand, is how a pig like you thinks he has the right to judge anybody.
Luke: Jade, please, this really isn't helping --
Jade: Luke is kind and smart and strong, and he's more of a man than you could ever dream of being.
Kevin: He just said he's not a man.
Jade (to Kevin): Did you really just say that?
Luke: Look, Jade, Jade, just go away. Please, go away.
Jade (to Luke): How? How could you ever love someone like that?
Kevin: What did you just say?
Luke: Jade --
Jade (to Kevin): He defends you, do you know that? You act like a pig and he tells me I don't know what you're like!
Kevin: I'm not like that!
Luke: Jade, just shut your mouth and listen to me. You told me that I need to come out here and handle this myself. So please let me.
Jade: You can't let him talk to you like that.
Luke: And you can't fight my battles for me.
Jade: He's not worth it.
Luke: You can't decide that either. Jade, look, I'm so glad you're in my corner. But you have got to go. Please, you have to.
Jade: You don't deserve to be his friend. (Jade exits)
Kevin: Don't worry, I'm not! Look, don't come near me, don't even come close --
Luke: Kevin, Kevin, we need to talk about this.
Kevin: You expect me to stay here alone with you? After what she just said --
Luke: I think you should just --
Kevin: I think you're out of your mind.
Luke: Kevin, we need to talk --
Kevin: Look, if I stay here longer, I'm gonna beat the crap out of you.
Kevin's reaction to the news that Luke was gay and had feelings for him was about what viewers were expecting, given what we'd seen of the character. Van Hansis as Luke, though, truly made the scenes into something heartbreaking and powerful. He conveyed Luke's hurt and, more importantly, his sense of inner strength during these scenes, making them even more poignant. Luke's refusal to back down and let Kevin just walk away after hearing that he was gay was a big step forward for the character.
After telling Luke he'd beat the crap out of him if he stayed any longer, Kevin rushed off to rejoin his girlfriend and other friends and proceeded to get drunk (fueling a lot of fan speculation that Kevin was trying to drown out feelings of his own that Luke's confession had brought forward) and then out Luke to everyone and drop the F-bomb while he was at it. Catching sight of Luke across the lake, Kevin raised his beer can in a toast:
After telling Luke he'd beat the crap out of him if he stayed any longer, Kevin rushed off to rejoin his girlfriend and other friends and proceeded to get drunk (fueling a lot of fan speculation that Kevin was trying to drown out feelings of his own that Luke's confession had brought forward) and then out Luke to everyone and drop the F-bomb while he was at it. Catching sight of Luke across the lake, Kevin raised his beer can in a toast:
Kevin: Look who it is, our friend Luke. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to give a toast to a great guy -- a liar -- and a faggot!
Thanks to ATWT's writing and Van Hansis's portrayal of the character, the audience at this point had come to identify with Luke so strongly and to root for him so much that it made the F word carry more power than it may otherwise have for some. I think for many people who don't know anyone who is gay, seeing a stranger treated that way has less of an impact than seeing someone they do know and care about treated that way. And that's what Luke had become, in the best soap character sense: someone you know and care about. I'd like to think that a lot of eyes may have been opened among viewers regarding the use of hateful words.
What came next was just as important, especially following the storyline with his biological father, in which Luke seemed to be slotted into the 'damsel in distress' role. As the World Turns made Luke a hero when he saved the life of the person who had just outed him to half the student body and called him the F-word to boot.
Drunken Kevin and his girlfriend took a boat out onto the lake and the girlfirend ended up accidentally whacking Kevin in the head with an oar and sending him under. Luke, who saw this from the shoreline, dove in and swam Kevin back to shore, where he performed mouth to mouth and saved Kevin's life.
When Kevin woke up in the hospital and realized Luke had performed mouth to mouth on him, Luke naturally expected a bad reaction.
Luke was under no illusions, though, about just where things stood between him and Kevin and about the sort of school year he was facing, being the outed gay kid. When Holden arrived at the hospital, he and his son had a heart to heart.
With Luke finally being out to everyone and Lily finally coming out of her coma and accepting Luke, apologizing to him for the way she'd reacted to his coming out, that portion of the storyline was over. There was no doubt that ATWT had done the coming out storyline better than anyone else ever had in daytime. It was truly groundbreaking, and now they were clearly setting the stage for more groundbreaking storylines with Luke.
Right? Wrong.
As I said, that was early September. It was also the end of Luke as a front burner character. In the nearly five months since then, Luke has only been on to be a confidant to Jade or to be in the background at family events and the big New Year's Eve Party.
How is that senior year going for Luke? What's it like being an out gay teen in high school in Oakdale? We've got no clue, because Luke's senior year is more than halfway over and it's not been mentioned once. Kevin hasn't been seen or mentioned since those hospital scenes and Luke sightings have become increasingly rare in the last couple of months.
Is Luke going the way of traditional gay soap characters after all? Come out and then vanish? Rumors are flying that he'll finally have a storyline later this winter, but what sort of storyline? Will he get a love interest? One rumor out there says that he'll make over a female character, a la Queer Eye, and then she'll fall for him. Considering that, in coming out to his cousin Lucy last summer, Luke demonstrated that he has no stereotypical gay fashion sense ("Fashion? I like stripes.") lets hope this one is just a ludicrous rumor and not where they're actually going with this amazing character. But more and more, I fear that performing mouth to mouth on Kevin may be as close as Luke ever gets to a kiss on this show, let alone a love interest.
As the World Turns was recently nominated for a Writer's Guild Award, based upon episodes they submitted. What episodes did they choose to submit? Luke coming out to his parents, and Luke coming out to Kevin. They know these are powerful episodes, and yet they've more or less dropped the character rather than delving further into his experiences as a gay high school senior, or having him find love. They're more than willing to use the Luke story to try and get awards, but they're unwilling to show that there's anything more to being gay than just coming out! It's cowardly and unworthy of the story that came before it.
The viewers deserve better than this, and so does Van Hansis, a talented actor reduced to serving punch in the background just because his character is gay on a soap opera. This unwillingness to follow through, to tell important stories with real meaning, is a big part of why soap ratings are in the toilet, and why ATWT's ratings in particular have been dismal lately. They were up nicely the week Luke came out to Kevin, but now they're lower than ever. Coincidence? Hardly. Hopefully these fools will wake up before it's too late, if it's not already.
What came next was just as important, especially following the storyline with his biological father, in which Luke seemed to be slotted into the 'damsel in distress' role. As the World Turns made Luke a hero when he saved the life of the person who had just outed him to half the student body and called him the F-word to boot.
Drunken Kevin and his girlfriend took a boat out onto the lake and the girlfirend ended up accidentally whacking Kevin in the head with an oar and sending him under. Luke, who saw this from the shoreline, dove in and swam Kevin back to shore, where he performed mouth to mouth and saved Kevin's life.
When Kevin woke up in the hospital and realized Luke had performed mouth to mouth on him, Luke naturally expected a bad reaction.
Luke: Look, Kevin -- I don't know what you expected me to do, but I didn't really have a choice, okay? Someone I care about -- like a friend -- I couldn't stand by and watch you drown. No matter how much you hate me for who I am.
Kevin: Thank you.
Luke: What?
Kevin: Thank you. For saving my life. After I did everything to trash yours.
Luke: Yeah, you acted like a jerk. But that doesn't mean you deserved to die.
Kevin: I was worse than a jerk. Saying I knew that there was always something wrong with you. And calling you a -- a faggot. It was wrong.
Luke: Yeah.
Kevin: I'm sorry. I take it back.
Luke: Liv must have done a number on your head.
Kevin: I'm not saying I'm cool with what you laid on me. It's just -- the way I reacted, I crossed the line. I mean, you saved my life after I made fun of you. I mean, who does that? Look, anyway, thank you.
Luke was under no illusions, though, about just where things stood between him and Kevin and about the sort of school year he was facing, being the outed gay kid. When Holden arrived at the hospital, he and his son had a heart to heart.
Luke: Kevin totally freaked when I told him I was gay. He said stuff.
Holden: What stuff?
Luke: You don't want to know. So, yeah, he's all happy now that I saved his life. He apologized for that he said, and thanked me. But as far as us being friends? That's over.
You should have seen Liv's face when I was giving Kevin mouth-to-mouth. She was acting all hysterical and she can't talk tonight. But back at school? She's going to make it very clear to everyone that I'm gay.
Holden: And you don't want that?
Luke: No, I do want that. I'm sick of hiding, but I don't want Kevin and Liv putting their spin on it.
Holden: What spin is that? Maybe you're wrong about what Kevin's feeling. He said that you saved him and maybe you're reading him wrong.
Luke: Dad, he -- he called me a faggot, dad. He said he was going to beat me up.
Holden: But he just said that --
Luke: Yeah, but he was talking to you. My dad. In a hospital in the middle of nowhere, and he's all happy that I just saved his life. But when we get back to school -- and he's hanging out with the other guys, and they start making fun of him because he got kissed by the gay guy --
Holden: It was CPR. You saved his life.
Luke: But I'm not like them.
Holden: Luke --
Luke: And that's all that matters.
Holden: Luke --
Luke: Dad, come on. You know what high school's like. So don't tell me that it's going to be easy. Or they'll get over it. Because you know that's not how it works.
Holden: I do know that, but --
Luke: All this time, I thought I was going to have such a good time being a senior. The best year of my life. Not anymore.
All of which seems to be setting up some important storylines with Luke dealing with his senior year as a potential outcast, right? Remember, this was happening at the beginning of September, right as school was about to start.With Luke finally being out to everyone and Lily finally coming out of her coma and accepting Luke, apologizing to him for the way she'd reacted to his coming out, that portion of the storyline was over. There was no doubt that ATWT had done the coming out storyline better than anyone else ever had in daytime. It was truly groundbreaking, and now they were clearly setting the stage for more groundbreaking storylines with Luke.
Right? Wrong.
As I said, that was early September. It was also the end of Luke as a front burner character. In the nearly five months since then, Luke has only been on to be a confidant to Jade or to be in the background at family events and the big New Year's Eve Party.
How is that senior year going for Luke? What's it like being an out gay teen in high school in Oakdale? We've got no clue, because Luke's senior year is more than halfway over and it's not been mentioned once. Kevin hasn't been seen or mentioned since those hospital scenes and Luke sightings have become increasingly rare in the last couple of months.
Is Luke going the way of traditional gay soap characters after all? Come out and then vanish? Rumors are flying that he'll finally have a storyline later this winter, but what sort of storyline? Will he get a love interest? One rumor out there says that he'll make over a female character, a la Queer Eye, and then she'll fall for him. Considering that, in coming out to his cousin Lucy last summer, Luke demonstrated that he has no stereotypical gay fashion sense ("Fashion? I like stripes.") lets hope this one is just a ludicrous rumor and not where they're actually going with this amazing character. But more and more, I fear that performing mouth to mouth on Kevin may be as close as Luke ever gets to a kiss on this show, let alone a love interest.
As the World Turns was recently nominated for a Writer's Guild Award, based upon episodes they submitted. What episodes did they choose to submit? Luke coming out to his parents, and Luke coming out to Kevin. They know these are powerful episodes, and yet they've more or less dropped the character rather than delving further into his experiences as a gay high school senior, or having him find love. They're more than willing to use the Luke story to try and get awards, but they're unwilling to show that there's anything more to being gay than just coming out! It's cowardly and unworthy of the story that came before it.
The viewers deserve better than this, and so does Van Hansis, a talented actor reduced to serving punch in the background just because his character is gay on a soap opera. This unwillingness to follow through, to tell important stories with real meaning, is a big part of why soap ratings are in the toilet, and why ATWT's ratings in particular have been dismal lately. They were up nicely the week Luke came out to Kevin, but now they're lower than ever. Coincidence? Hardly. Hopefully these fools will wake up before it's too late, if it's not already.
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