Showtime's Queer as Folk:The Realistic Portrayal of Gay Culture

One of the most groundbreaking shows ever broadcast on television in the United States was the Showtime original series, Queer as Folk. Before the premiere of Queer as Folk, no other television show featured an open and honest portrayal of the lives of a group of gay men. Queer as Folk brought many issues, stereotypes, and myths about gay men into the social conscience of the United States during a time when we were beginning to truly learn and understand the lives of gay men, an often oppressed social majority.

Because the show originally aired on the premium cable network Showtime, producers, writers, and actors alike, had the luxury of being able to push the envelope and offer a completely realistic portrayal of every aspect of the relationships of gay men, from relationship arguments, to club party scenes, as well as some memorable, eye-pleasing, intimate sexual scenes.

One of the many purposes of Queer as Folk was to show the human side of homosexuality. Before the show premiered, many people believed that being gay was all about partying and people with a promiscuous inclination towards sexual behavior. Each of the characters on the show were vital members of society who went to work every day, and faced many of the common headaches and heartaches, as well as the good times, that we all face within society. Two of the characters on the show, Brian Kinney and Hunter Montgomery, were somewhat promiscuous in the beginning. Both of these characters matured, and eventually settled into a loving relationship with just one partner.

Queer as Folk also served to promote that there is a sense of family in the Gay community. Deb Novotny, portrayed by television legend Sharon Gless, was the unofficial mother of the group, offering guidance to the men and women. Often times the entire group was seen socializing at Deb Novotny's house over dinner, displaying that gay men do indeed hold to a sense of family values.