THE
BIG
NEWS
in
gay
television
in
2004
wasn’t
who
was
gay
on
the
small
screen,
but
where
to
find
them.
The
year
marked
a
number
of
endeavors
looking
to
woo
gay
and
lesbian
viewers
with
programming
and
stations
meant
just
for
them.
The
biggest
announcement
came
in
May
when
MTV
Networks
announced
its
plan
to
launch
LOGO,
an
all-gay
basic
cable
channel,
on
Feb.
14.
In
July,
the
channel
made
its
programming
plan
clearer,
saying
it
would
initially
focus
on
reality
programming
and
movies,
with
some
scripted
content.
LOGO
also
announced
it
is
scheduling
an
impressive
lineup
of
celebrity
appearances,
including
shows
with
Alan
Cumming,
Margaret
Cho,
Scott
Thompson
as
well
as
Cher
and
Chastity
Bono.
Also
gaining
ground
is
here!TV,
which
offers
several
gay-themed
pay-per-view
movies
a
month
through
satellite
providers
DIRECTV
and
Dish
Network.
On
Dec.
1,
DIRECTV
began
offering
here!
as
a
subscription
channel
with
24-hour
content.
Q
Television
is
also
screaming
for
gay
attention.
Q
is
a
24-hour
digital
cable
channel
available
on
RCN
in
Boston,
New
York
and
San
Francisco
as
well
as
on
some
satellite
providers.
After
just
signing
the
rights
to
air
the
Gay
Games
in
2006,
stay
tuned
for
more
from
this
channel.
ALSO
IN
2004,
cable
continued
to
lead
the
pack
of
gay
characters
and
content
over
network
television.
A
smattering
of
mostly
white
male
gay
characters
still
remains
on
the
networks,
but
the
best
place
for
gay
viewers
to
find
representations
of
themselves
remains
on
cable.
Currently,
there
are
only
six
gay
regular
characters
on
network
dramas
and
comedies,
the
lowest
since
the
Gay
&
Lesbian
Alliance
Against
Defamation
started
keeping
track
in
1996.
As
an
exception
to
the
rule,
HBO’s
gay
favorite
“Sex
and
the
City”
by
gay
creator
Darren
Starr,
bowed
out
this
summer.
But
“Desperate
Housewives,”
ABC’s
runaway
smash
by
gay
creator
Marc
Cherry,
filled
the
void.
Other
than
that,
cable
holds
most
of
the
gay
favorites.
In
January,
Showtime
added
“The
L
Word,”
a
lesbian
serial
soap,
to
its
lineup
that
already
included
the
male-oriented
“Queer
As
Folk.”
“L
Word”
proved
to
be
appealing
to
enough
viewers
to
win
a
return
for
a
second
season
beginning
on
Feb.
20.
Comedy
Central
scored
a
hit
in
the
summer
with
“The
Graham
Norton
Effect,”
the
gay
British
talk
show
host’s
queer
(but
tamer)
version
of
his
BBC
smash.
The
channel
also
did
well
with
gay
characters
on
“Reno
911”
and
“Drawn
Together.”
Bravo
solidified
itself
as
the
unofficial
home
of
gay
programming.
Following
the
2003
success
of
“Queer
Eye
for
the
Straight
Guy,”
Bravo
brought
viewers
the
gay-inclusive
reality
shows
“Manhunt:
The
Search
for
America’s
Most
Gorgeous
Male
Model”
and
“Project
Runway.”
The
network
also
aired
(and
re-aired,
and
re-aired)
a
concert
special
by
gay
rocker
Elton
John.
New
travel
episodes
are
expected
to
boost
sagging
ratings
on
the
“Queer
Eye”
third
season.
Starting
Jan.
11,
the
Fab
Five
visits
the
U.K.
for
two
episodes
and
doll
up
a
number
of
guys
in
the
conservative
Lone
Star
State.
On
Jan.
12,
“Queer
Eye
for
the
Straight
Girl”
debuts,
with
three
gay
guys
and
a
woman
remaking
women.
THE
TWO
“QUEER
EYE”
shows
highlight
the
ever-increasing
number
of
gay
cast
members
in
reality
television
on
both
cable
and
the
networks.
“Manhunt”
and
“Runway”
each
had
three
gay
contestants,
and
CBS’s
“Survivor”
left
its
first
two
lesbian
castaways
stranded
on
an
island.
