# She's a lesbian and he's gay. And in other news, the pope is Catholic **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046 "2006-01-02T05:09:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/81 "2006-01-03T15:40:51Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > ER: After catching up on my ER-watching, I have to say, of all the characters past and present, desk clerk Jerry Markovic coming out the closet wouldn’t surprise me much. Finding out he’s a “top” would be… can you imagine climbing that “bottom?” I find Abraham Benrubi incredibly adorable. He can top this bottom any time. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/82 "2006-01-04T19:51:00Z")
Answering my own question: JD and Turk on _Scrubs_ are AWFULLY close for two straight guys. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/83 "2006-01-04T20:59:48Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The 1966 TV sitcom _Occasional Wife_ showed an ambitious junior executive working for a babyfood company whose boss wants to project a family image. Therefore all employees had better be married if they know what side their bread is buttered on. Also, the family-oriented boss has a habit of visiting the employee’s apartment for dinner. > > What’s a [gay] employee to do? > > How about make a deal with your [lesbian] friend to show up and pretend to be your wife whenever the boss comes over? Yep, that was the whole premise of the show. The words “gay” and “lesbian” were interpolated in brackets in my description, because of course in 1966 no one said such things openly on network TV. The gay is all subtext. . . . And I had always just assumed _Ned and Stacey_ was an original concept . . . ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/84 "2006-01-04T21:01:50Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > Sam Malone. Think about it. . . . That’s some heavy overcompensation. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/85 "2006-01-04T21:02:30Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > **Harris** from _Barney Miller_- a metrosexual long before it was stylish. Someone mentioned the character of Shepherd Book earlier, and I have to say I’ve always assumed Ron Glass himself was gay. With regard to the Olivia Benson character on _Law and Order: SVU_, I thought her reaction to Alex’s “death” was indicative of a closer relationship between the two than had been depicted on screen. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/86 "2006-01-04T21:48:48Z")
Lenny and Squiggy from _Laverne & Shirley_. Really, look at the way they dressed. Maxwell Smart. Look at how long it took him to figure out 99 had the hots for him. Definitely in the closet and only pretending. And I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned **Skipper** and **Little Buddy**. Shame on you all. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/87 "2006-01-05T01:40:02Z")
Wait a minute – wasn’t Ares revealed to be Xena’s father, making her a demigoddess? (Not that a little thing like that would stop a Greek god from gettin’ it on, but still – did they really have incest on “Xena”?) So, what I’ve gathered from this thread is that there’s a very narrow range of gender-appropriate behavior; take one step outside that and you’re assumed to be homosexual (if you’re a tv character, at least). Glad to see we’ve come so far. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/88 "2006-01-05T01:53:44Z")
[ob anime] Goodness, you could probably write a book on Japanese homoeroticism. Gay men in manga/anime tend to be either really, fabulously flaming, or at least rather obviously ambiguous. In General: \*A lot of [Akira Ishida](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Ishida) roles tend to be a little fruity. \*If the mangaka currently/previously draws yaoi dojinshi (in the case of [CLAMP](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CLAMP) and [Kazuya Minekura](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuya_Minekura) especially), be on the lookout for massive Subtext. \*Be especially wary of titles where the men are prettier than the women. \*And some fans pretty much ship any two male characters, especially if they’re otherwise unattached. That said, here’s some titles that made me raise a few eyebrows, at least: \*[Peacemaker Kurogane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacemaker_Kurogane) \*[Saiyuki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saiyuki) \*[Trigun](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigun) [/ob anime] ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/89 "2006-01-05T02:08:30Z")
This one’s pretty obscure, but Dr. Arcane and Graham on the old _Swamp Thing_ TV series were totally gay. They spent most of the series sniping at each other like an old married couple, and nobody with Dr. Arcane’s hair and clothing choices could be straight. 🙂 I could also see Dr. House and Dr. Wilson on _House_, though House himself would probably have to be bi given his fondness for hookers. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/90 "2006-01-05T02:10:47Z")
Lt. Kara “Starbuck” Thrace isn’t lesbian so much as she’s extremely gender-confused, possibly transsexual. It goes back to when her religious maniac mother married Kara’s gay father in an attempt to “cure” him. He stuck it out long enough to father Kara, but then finally ran off with his male lover when Kara was a toddler. Kara’s mother then complicated things by going beserk and spending the next twelve years beating and abusing the “child of sin”. Kara hates her mother and identifies with her father so strongly that she is practically a gay man in a woman’s body. > [@SmartAleq](#): > > Dude, he’s a machine! What he has is a plastic replica of what a fully functioning male would have–i.e., he has a DILDO! In this context you might have to say, he _is_ a dildo. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/91 "2006-01-05T02:16:35Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > So, what I’ve gathered from this thread is that there’s a very narrow range of gender-appropriate behavior; take one step outside that and you’re assumed to be homosexual (if you’re a tv character, at least). Glad to see we’ve come so far. Maybe I’m just stupid but I assumed this thread was all in good fun. Oh, and Miss Moneypenny, totally gay. She doesn’t want to fuck Bond, she just likes fucking with him. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/92 "2006-01-05T03:03:58Z")
> [@KCSuze](#): > > I always saw sexual tension there between Geordi and Data. Data was awfully attached to Geordi, and Geordi’s interest in women was only because he was closeted. I figured those two would eventually get together, retire their commission, and adopt a couple of kids and a toaster. Nobody has mentioned Geordi’s big crush on Kristy. Classic geek, too wrapped up in his schoolwork when he was a kid to pay attention to girls, so when he’s grown and starts noticing them, he doesn’t know how to talk to them. > [@](#): > > Of course [Q’s] gay. He’s too fabulous to be straight. Besides, he showed an unusual interest in Picard for a haughty omnipotent being. Well, he did appear in Janeway’s bed once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/93 "2006-01-05T03:07:34Z")
have I missed it or has Kira Narisse really not been mentioned yet? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/94 "2006-01-05T04:18:30Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > Re: Tasha Yar, she did do the wild thing with Data in the “Naked Now” episode, _after_ this exchange (paraphrasing): > > Data: I am a fully functioning replica of a human male. > Yar: Then you have _just what I need_! > > Which sort of tosses water on the possibility of her being gay. Yes. Tasha’s whole demeanor is the product of her upbringing, which she briefly describes in one episode, and re-experiences in another episode, either in a dream or while under the mental influence of an alien force (I can’t remember which). Her native planet was apparently an extremely lawless place, and she told of her need to run and hide from “the rape gangs”. Her “butch” appearance and demeanor was an intentional attempt to make her gender less obvious so that she would be a less likely target. Hence, the cropped hair, almost no makeup, and masculine body language. All learned characteristics that she retained after escaping from her home planet. Her fighting skills were also acquired during those formative years, and, though refined through her Starfleet training, still resemble the self-defense techniques taught to women for the purpose of fighting off a potential rapist. In the encounter with Data, the disease she contracted … no wait, that sounds funny. The encounter with Data only happened because of the disease in her system. It reduced her inhibitions and allowed her to drop the walls she had built around herself. Basically, she let the woman out. Data was merely convenient; if Mr. Mott, the barber, had happened along instead of Data, he would have worked just as well. > [@anyrose](#): > > have I missed it or has Kira Narisse really not been mentioned yet? I thought so too, at first, but not once the character was more developed. She was definitely straight, and showed it. She had an intense relationship with a male Vedik, and there were hints that she was romantically involved with her rebel cell leader during the Cardassian occupation. Frankly, I’ve rarely seen a more passionate character on a TV show. It just took her quite a while to refocus her passion, from fighting to love. But when she did, it was men she was passionate about. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/95 "2006-01-05T05:14:26Z")
If anime counts… _Read or Die_ (the miniseries/movie, and the series). Yomiko Readman has been breaking women’s hearts all over the freakin’ world. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/96 "2006-01-05T06:25:08Z")
John Madden. Just ask him about Brett Favre, and you’ll see what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/97 "2006-01-05T06:41:53Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > John Madden. Just ask him about Brett Favre, and you’ll see what I mean. Ick. If we look at it that way, Tim McCarver has a thing for Derek Jeter. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/98 "2006-01-05T11:43:34Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > I thought so too, at first, but not once the character was more developed. She was definitely straight, and showed it. She had an intense relationship with a male Vedik, and there were hints that she was romantically involved with her rebel cell leader during the Cardassian occupation. Frankly, I’ve rarely seen a more passionate character on a TV show. It just took her quite a while to refocus her passion, from fighting to love. But when she did, it was men she was passionate about. Evil Intendant Kira from the Mirror universe, OTOH, would go after anybody, male or female. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/99 "2006-01-06T02:53:01Z")
> [@Miss Mapp](#): > > Evil Intendant Kira from the Mirror universe, OTOH, would go after anybody, male or female. Including, it seemed, her alternate-self. Man, that would be even hotter than twins! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046/100 "2006-01-06T03:37:10Z")
> [@Miss Mapp](#): > > At Trek conventions, Andy Robinson will often tell people that he plays Garak as gay/bi and attracted to Dr. Bashir. This was complicated by Garak’s being a Cardassian, a race that seemed to be rather xenophobic in general. I seem to remember one episode where Garak went off to Bashir about how deeply he really hated being surrounded by humans, Bajorans and assorted other aliens all the time. DS9 was one of my favorites of the Trek series and the Cardassian characters were always interesting IMHO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shes-a-lesbian-and-hes-gay-and-in-other-news-the-pope-is-catholic/338046.md?page=6)