*TV’s diversity movement has expanded with an increased presence of black gay men.
Shows featuring black gay characters in prominent storylines include Fox’s “Empire,” BET’s “Being Mary Jane” and OWN’s “The Haves & The Have Nots.”
The New York Daily News contributor Karu Daniels noted how the increased attention involving non-stereotypical roles for black gay men is a step above the days where they were relegated to “stereotyped sidekicks or hunky objects of affection.”
“It was only a few years ago that GLAAD’s annual television reports found that gay black men were one of the most underrepresented groups on television, but the current influx of more diverse characters is a very promising sign,” Matt Kane, a program director at GLAAD, told Daniels.
For “Empire,” one of the show’s main story arcs involve the struggle of R&B singer Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett) to gain his father’s acceptance while competing to be the one among his brothers to take over the family business. All this, in addition to grappling with going public with his sexual orientation.
Daniels goes on reference “Being Mary Jane” and the character Mark Bradley (Aaron D. Spears), a cable news anchor who keeps his homosexuality secret from the public and his family. The show, now in its second season recently featured Mark’s mother (S. Epatha Merkerson) grilling him about hiding his sexuality.
Over at “The Haves & The Have Nots,” the show’s third season story arc is raising eye-brows with Jeffrey Harrington (Gavin Houston) getting blackmailed by his mother (Angela Robinson), who refuses to accept that he’s gay.
With the success of such shows, Kane hopes the networks recognize the value of diversity toward commercial success while capitalizing off the momentum.
Despite his appreciation of recent efforts by networks, Kane emphasized the importance of character development, telling Daniels:
“Those characters should also be distinct from one another, and represent a wide range of ages, socio-economic backgrounds, professions, and personalities.”
To read more of Karu Daniels’ story, click at NY Daily News.
