Queer as THAT?!?!

At the risk of seeming simultaneously like a homophobe and a stater-of-the-obvious, I am compelled to admit that, immediately following my virgin "Queer as Folk" experience, I said aloud to my cat, "Wow, that is a GAY show."

I am person who has been wanting Showtime for as long as I can remember. When I was in high school, I wanted to watch R-rated movies with the good parts that regular cable cuts out, and now I am interested in the original programming, the so-called "groundbreaking" series, documentaries, and movies—like "Weeds" and "Huff," and of course "Queer as Folk." Well, my time has finally come. We have a free Showtime preview and I am as happy as any TV enthusiast could ever be.

I watched "Huff" Sunday night and tonight, I'm watching "Weeds." Last night, I skipped the end of the NCAA men's basketball championship game and stayed up past my bedtime to watch "Queer as Folk." It struck me initially as a gay, uncensored "Melrose Place." There was a lot of sex and also something happening at an ad agency. "Queer as Folk" is, of course, better acted and better written than "Melrose" and the comparison waned as I became more interested in the characters. I remained shocked by all the naked men because I am used to mainstream cinema and, therefore, ubiquitous naked women. (I am working on getting used to naked men, though.) One of my points is, however, why does there need to be nakedness at all? Can't we tell a story about the complexity of human relationships without boobs and asses all over the place? This is a beef I have with everything, really. The entire world. Not just "Queer as Folk."

I liked the show. I don't know if I've made that clear. I don't know whether or not it is an accurate representation of being young and gay in Pittsburg, but I am willing to bet that "Friends" isn't an accurate representation of being young and straight in Manhattan. We don't want TV that is 100% accurate. We just want it to reflect the way we are and the way we feel. We don't want it to ignore us, and we want it to be entertaining. I think "Queer as Folk" accomplishes that. I'm going to watch it again tonight. As a straight woman who supports the LGBTQ movement, this show represents kind of a "put your money where your mouth is" situation for me because I love TV. If I can support, appreciate, and like this kind of show on my TV, I will allow myself to feel good about that, but I won't tell myself that I know what it's like to be gay because I watch "Queer as Folk" anymore than I know what it's like to be African-American because I watch "Soul Food." (And I do watch "Soul Food" and I do love it.)