ELIMINATE THE NEGATIVE After years of criticism, the networks are becoming more gay sensitive--and now gay producers and writers are quick to flag negative references before they air. "Our radar for offensive jokes and stereotypes is going all the time," says David Lee, the gay cocreator of NBC's Frasier and The Pursuit of Happiness. Loretha Jones, a producer of Robert Town send's sitcom The Parent 'Hood, recalls reworking a script in which one of his sons mistakenly agrees to see a gay man he's met through a computer chat, triggering a round of antigay jokes. "There was a major fight to get that out," she says.
NEVER FORGET THE BOTTOM LINE The conventional wisdom, despite evidence to the contrary, is that gay topics are a tough sell on TV. Says Rick Leed, president of Wind Dancer Production Group, which turns out Home Improvement, "I certainly do my best to work with gay-oriented material, but honestly, our company is a business, and one of our problems is that mainstream America is not really gay friendly when it comes to mainstream TV shows."
For most gay writers and execs, it's still just a matter of doing their jobs. While they're happy to promote a gay-themed project, they're still playing to the dominant--read: straight--marketplace. "I'll do business with certain agents because they are gay or gay friendly, and that creates a level of comfort like the feelings of fraternity among ethnic groups," says attorney Colden. "But ultimately, it has to do with mainstream commerce--you're always looking for great writing, an edgy director, developing movie stars, and it's irrelevant whether they are gay or straight."
