Jan 02, 2004  |  By: KEVIN NAFF  | COMMENTS     

Gay news wasn’t just made in the courts in 2003. Apart from the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning sodomy laws and rulings on same-sex marriage in Massachusetts and Canada that brought hard fought victories for gay rights proponents, there was big news out of Hollywood, New Hampshire and on the presidential campaign trail.

Five gay guys turned television on its head as “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” became TV’s most talked about show. Rev. V. Gene Robinson was consecrated in New Hampshire as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, and Democratic presidential candidates campaigned hard for gay votes.

Below is a recap of the year’s most notable gay news events (in no particular order) that happened outside of the courtroom.

Must-see gay TV
Things just keep getting better for Carson Kressley, Kyan Douglas, Ted Allen, Thom Filicia and Jai Rodriguez. The cast of Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” known as the Fab Five, went from obscurity to breakout stars of TV’s latest reality makeover craze. Each week, the Fab Five take a frumpy straight guy in need of help in fashion, decorating, food, culture and grooming and transform him into a hip, well-dressed metrosexual.

The cast of ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’ helped Bravo win record ratings. (Photo by Chris Haston/courtesy of Bravo)

The show debuted on July 15 and quickly became one of the most watched shows on cable television. The show is regularly watched by more than 3 million people, a record for Bravo. The ratings were so hot that NBC — Bravo’s parent company — aired some episodes during its popular “Must See TV” Thursday night lineup and has licensed the show’s concept in Britain and Scandinavia.

More recently, the show’s stars have cashed in on their success. The Fab Five negotiated a significant pay raise for the second season. Filicia has discussed as the new spokesperson for the Pier 1 retail chain, while Kressley is doing ads for Marshall Field’s department stores and recently signed a book deal.

Bravo also hit paydirt in 2003 with the reality show “Boy Meets Boy,” in which a hunky gay suitor, James, had to narrow a field of 15 potential mates to win a prize. The surprise twist was that some of the mates were straight and out to trick James in order to win a prize of their own. In the end, James’s gaydar proved sound and he chose 24-year-old gay Californian Wes as his mate. The series drew more than 1.5 million viewers, the second best-rated show in Bravo history behind “Queer Eye.”

Meanwhile, on CBS, a gay couple won the “Amazing Race,” a reality show where teams of two race around the globe competing for a $1 million cash prize. Reichen Lehmkuhl and Chip Arndt beat out 11 other teams and celebrated their one-year anniversary on the show. Lehmkuhl, 28, is a pilot and graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, while Arndt, 36, graduated from Yale and Harvard Business School and works as a financial consultant. The two broke up shortly after their victory.

Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion, causing a split in the church. He resisted calls to step aside saying that he believed he was answering God’s call. (Photo by Jim Cole/AP)

Episcopalians consecrate gay bishop
For most of the summer the Episcopal Church was deeply divided over gay issues. In June, Episcopalian leaders voted to make Rev. Gene Robinson the next bishop of New Hampshire. Robinson is gay and lives with his partner.

In the months before the announcement, the worldwide Anglican Communion — of which the Episcopal Church belongs — had debated the issue of gays in the church after Dr. Jeffrey John was appointed to be a Bishop of Reading in England. John, at the urging of his friend Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the 77 million followers of the church, declined the position to avoid splitting the church.

But Robinson consistently said that he felt a calling from God and overcame the pressure to step aside. Many of his followers said that the church was going through another step in its evolution, very similar to when it first ordained women. Robinson told the media that there have been many gay ...