# TV & Movie Characters Who HAD to Have Been Gay, but Weren't **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436 "2003-12-17T01:11:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/101 "2003-12-19T00:05:35Z")
Not that I disagree with the assessment of Will Truman, but he has in fact kissed men on the show. In addition to kissing Jack (in a political context, on The Today Show protesting NBC’s not showing–on a fictional program–two men kissing) he also kissed a guy he was dating. It was a quick “goodbye” kiss as the semi-boyfriend got on the elevator but it was there. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/102 "2003-12-19T00:09:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philster \* > \*\* > Arnold Horshack > > \*\* Horshack got married to a nice girl. On camera, in the last season. ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/103 "2003-12-19T01:32:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElvisL1ves \* > \*\*Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble got together privately after bowling. The theme song even said so: “We’ll have a gay old time!” \*\* No way. Fred and Barney were the most hetero of cartoon characters, I mean come on, they’re based on Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton, two guys who wouldn’t know gay if it pinched them in the ass. Hahaha…could you imagine some guy hitting on Ralph? If Fred and Barney WERE gay, they would have got rid of those conniving domineering wives of theirs a LONG time ago. Did anyone mention Sgt Carter and Gomer Pyle? IMHO Sgt Carter had a lot of unresolved lust for Gomer that manifeted itself as hostility. And then there’s Majors Nelson and Heally. I mean, come on, if you had a young Barbera Eden in a bottle at home waiting to obey your every command, would you even want to leave your house, let alone hang out with that dickead Roger? Jon ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/104 "2003-12-19T02:55:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rysler \* > \*\*It’s now canon that Xena and Gabrielle were lovers. \*\* In one episode, Xena tells Gabrielle that she (Xena) “Is looking for a cunning linguist.” So, either Gabrielle wasn’t very good or she was dropping a hint that she was interested. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/105 "2003-12-19T07:19:37Z")
Daria and Jane, from TV’s _Daria._ Oh yeah, right, like I’m the _only_ one who sees it! ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/106 "2003-12-19T07:50:18Z")
Cliff Clavin from _Cheers_ ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/107 "2003-12-19T12:58:54Z")
**Sam Gamgee** and I mean it. This is even more obvious if you read the book. **Fred** and **Barney** were probably gay. That whole “volunteer fire department” thing was just an excuse for a big gay orgy. ---
**Author:** ![HDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@HDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HDS)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/108 "2003-12-19T13:01:05Z")
Sam and Frodo “sighs” The movie versions, anyway. That bit in TT where Frodo gives him the “Frodo wouldn’t have gotten every far” speech with those blue eyes shining. Awwwwww… ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/109 "2003-12-19T14:23:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sampiro \* > \*\*(I wonder where [Lisa Whelchel](http://www.lisawhelchel.com/) , who’s now a very conservative Christian homeschool mom, stands on the gay issue, since she has to have grown up around people in show business.) \*\* I don’t know where she is, but I went to grade school with Lisa Whelchel’s cousin and her aunt was my sixth grade history teacher! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/110 "2003-12-19T15:53:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nitroglycerine \* > \*\*No way. Fred and Barney were the most hetero of cartoon characters, I mean come on, they’re based on Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton, two guys who wouldn’t know gay if it pinched them in the ass. Hahaha…could you imagine some guy hitting on Ralph? \*\* Funny you should mention this; Eddie Murphy imagined exactly that–a gay Ralph & Ed–in his standup act, many years back. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/111 "2003-12-19T16:15:39Z")
**Homebrew** : > [@](#): > > And Malcolm Gets _is_ [gay](http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?id=9067&sd=06/25/03). Three male leads in that movie, and _Chris Kattan_ plays the straight one?! ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/112 "2003-12-19T16:37:40Z")
I think I ranted about that before, **Fiver**. Unless he has some heretofore hidden acting talent, casting Chris Kattan opposite indie-darlin’ Parkey Posey is an astonishingly bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/113 "2003-12-19T17:05:26Z")
Dennis Finch in _Just Shoot Me_ ---
**Author:** ![TWOTfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@TWOTfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWOTfan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/114 "2003-12-19T17:48:41Z")
The two murderers in Hitchcock’s “Rope”. ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/115 "2003-12-19T18:55:07Z")
Mr French in Family Affair. ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/116 "2003-12-19T20:03:36Z")
Rod and Todd Flanders. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/117 "2003-12-19T21:32:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Yeah, but they didn’t talk about it on TV. \*\* (sigh) No, I guess you’d have to grow up here to know that there are some things you don’t discuss anywhere. Pretty much everything, now that I think about it. Upper MidWesterners invented “don’t ask, don’t tell.” We don’t ask because we really, truly don’t want to know and will stick our fingers in our ears if you start telling. What you do is your own business. Appropriate topics of conversation: 1. Weather 2. Sports 3. The good deal you got down at the Farm & Fleet 4. Weather. We get a lot of mileage out of the weather because we get such a variety of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Frink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mr.Frink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Frink)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/118 "2003-12-19T23:46:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tangent \* > \*\*I don’t know where she is, but I went to grade school with Lisa Whelchel’s cousin and her aunt was my sixth grade history teacher! \*\* **WOW!!!** ---
**Author:** ![marinwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@marinwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marinwood)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/119 "2003-12-20T04:23:40Z")
Snagglepuss. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436/120 "2003-12-20T05:26:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HDS \* > \*\*Sam and Frodo “sighs” > > The movie versions, anyway. That bit in TT where Frodo gives him the “Frodo wouldn’t have gotten every far” speech with those blue eyes shining. Awwwwww… \*\* Oh yes-that was the sweetest thing! I don’t know if it was something Tolkien intended or not, but Sam and Frodo would be THE sweetest couple! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-characters-who-had-to-have-been-gay-but-werent/219436.md?page=7)