We’re a very insecure community about the way that we are portrayed or the way we’re thought about by straight people. We’ve sort of been beholden to the way straight people think about us, and we let that control our community a lot of the time. … If you think we’re a bad representation of the gay community, it’s like, every gay person knows … we all know the way these seven guys, including myself, act on the show are an accurate representation of the way a lot of gay people act.
—Reichen Lehmkuhl, who says he’s on board for another season of A-List: New York if they want him, expected The Gays to have a problem with how the show portrayed The Gays but isn’t necessarily paying much mind to it [AfterElton]
Patrick
Reichen is a horses ass, if not for reality TV and Lance Douche Bag, he’d be waiting tables for real A-Listers.
TeamRodiney
Team Rodiney all the way! http://www.cafepress.com/teamrodiney
Mike_AFX
Hmm, they are an accurate presentation of how gays act? I have never met a gay person as obnoxious as any one of those queens on the A-list.
scott ny'er
@TeamRodiney: Agreed. Team Rodiney.
And I take issue with Reichen. Well, more so Dereck, TJ, Austin, and then hairstylist dude. And in that order. I don’t care if your homo or hetero. Act like those douches and I’ll hate you. Reichen is meh. If he truly treated Rodiney like the show has made it seem like, then I hate him too.
Kieran
Another thing about our “community” Reichen is that there is a fine line between love and hatred. They’ll absolutely HATE your guts if they determine (probably correctly) that they have a zero chance of ever having sex with you.
Michael C.
An accurate representation of how a certain, very small subset of how gay trash act. As for people being jealous they can’t have sex with these losers, please. Anyone with a brain would rather rub their dick in petri dish than risk letting any one of these walking disease vectors touch it.
Cam
That is a phony cop-out. It’s like somebody saying “Gee, you can’t criticize us or else it means you’re insecure.”
Um, No Reicken, it could also mean that you’re a douchebag and we’re being honest in our opinions of you. I’m not worried about how others see the gay community when I say that some of the guys on this show seem one career step above hustlers (Not counting Austin who obviously is a hustler). It is just a judgement call based on what it is you are putting out there.
Don’t wear red shoes if you don’t want people to say “Hey! He’s wearing red shoes”, similarly, don’t be a gold digging shallow narcissist if you don’t want people to say “Hey, they’re shallow god digging narcissists!”.
Fitz
No one that I care about, no one that I esteem in any way acts like these guys at all. They don’t represent gayness, they represent vapid narcissism. The fact that that we both like cock is about all that we have in common.
Cam
Wow, so they are now filtering the word d o u che bag?
That said, no Reichen, if I see how you are behaving on a show and I think that I don’t like your personality, or behavior, it doesn’t mean that I am worried about how others see gays when I make my judgement of you. It could just mean that I have seen you, and don’t like your behavior or personality.
The most childish response ever is to say “Well if you dissagree with me it must be because YOU have issues…yeah…or it could just mean I dissagree with you.
Charlie
@Michael C.: Right… because The “Real Housewives” shows depict how most American women act? I don’t want to watch the A-List but I’m not worried about how it makes the gay community look. It’s not a documentary.
Devon
Maybe I’ve just been hanging out in the wrong bars or something, but I’ve never met a gay guy in real life who would fit in on that horrifyingly, soul-murderingly awful, gay minstrel show.
pete
I was sincerely hoping nobody would respond to this posting. I was hoping it would show that we are better than that……
papparon
LOL – the show is just fluff and a guilty pleasure – I hate to admit that I watch it, but I do. I think these guys are intentionally over-the-top for the ratings – and it’s working!.
And NO, I don’t know a single gay person who behaves like these guys are portrayed, and that’s what makes the show fun.
Skeptical Cicada
Who the hell are you, and what the hell is A-List?
Nevermind, I have higher priorities than some reality show celebrity wannabe.
Jonathan
Sadly I can’t help but agree with Lehmkuhl. Throughout my life I’ve encountered countless gay men all of whom share many of the qualities both good, but particularly not so good, with these characters. I recommend everyone read John Rechy’s “City of Night” which was my earliest glimpse into the prevailing gay culture which has, in my view here in Chelsea(NY), changed very little.
Teeson
Unfortunately living in NYC I see these types of guys all the time. They are all holier than thou and are complete douches. It’s the main reason that I do not go out in Chelsea or Hell’s Kitchen anymore.
Benjamin
The most dangerous place to stand is between Reichen and a camera.
Gregger
@Patrick: That’s unfair to horse’s asses everywhere. Reichen is just not worth the attention or the time of day. Hopefully in some lifetime Reichen might grow a personality, then he might be worth the time of day.
Fitz
@Jonathan: I’ve seen those men too. What is important is to decide if that is who you want to aspire to be. I’m lucky. I am surrounded by incredible gay male friends who are focused on living good, useful, happy lives, and not so much on this other crap. I want to be more like my friends. I don’t think the other kinds of guys ever asked themselves “Why am I here”
Jon B
For all of you commenting how no gay guys actually act like this, go to Beige at Bowery Bar on Tuesday night, or Rockit on Friday, or Carnival on Wednesdays, or Griffin House on Sundays… or Fire Island… anyway, it may not be everyone, but those people exist, and at least in New York, they are fairly prevalent.
Michael C.
@Charlie:
You might want to brush up on your reading comprehension skills as you appear to have none at all. “A certain, very small subset of how gay trash.” So, in other words, a subset of a subset. Absolutely not representative of most gay people at all. Just the worse of the worse. Just like creatures of “Jersey Shore” only represent a very, very tiny minority of Italian Americans.
Hey, one thing both groups (“Jersey Shore” and “A-List”) have in common. I wouldn’t get in a hot tub that any of them had been in unless it was cleaned and sanitized by an EPA hazmat team.
rrr
@Mike_AFX: Reichen has spent many years living in LA and now NY in the former reality tv/wannabe performer world. His view of the community and its make up is probably skewed by that.
Mike
I don’t understand how these people can complain about money and then complain about money woes, but I feel bad for them. If Reichen actually thinks that they are an accurate depiction..or A-List then they are self delusional.
Team Rodiney!
adman
These guys are certainly not the type of gays to pay me and my little small business owning suburb living self any attention. They would almost certainly turn snooty in an instant should I show my chiseled, butch, hairy, working man thang anywhere near them, let alone if I showed up with my partner, since we are both over forty anyway.
Having said that, I sort of sense a bit of redeemable quality in TJ in particular, and Derek, well….somewhat. They try to do the right thing, and TJ has shown to me anyway that he tries to be a principled human being for the sake of the greater good, despite his *oh so unfortunate NY subcultural subculture* leanings. I think as the show goes on, Queerty posters who go apeshit, (and I’m not excluding myself by any means :-)) will be proved wrong.
Mark
Isn’t reichen something you take if you have a cold? And why would I watch any show, straight or gay, whose premise is to watch a group of self absorbed people tear each other down? Really, is this what we have become? How painfully shallow and sad…….
Miles
This is off topic but does anyone know what happened to “morning goods?” Did Queerty drop it?
AdonisFire
He is such shit, can’t stand shallow stupid gays like him.
Tony
why can’t there be shows about people supporting each other rather than tearing each other down…….i know…boring….but can’t we do better than this ???
Kyle
Listen, I’ve seen enough stuff about this show to figure out that Reichen and his comrades are embarassing. But they’re embarassing to themselves. They don’t make *me* feel embarassed and they shouldn’t make “us” feel embarassed either.
I’m sure there are plenty of gay guys who are like them, and I’m just as sure there are plenty of gay guys who completely aren’t. And I don’t give a care. Frankly, it’s ridiculously common of social minorities to be concerned about how their members behave, as if we’re all accountable for how everyone acts. I honestly think Mr Lehmkuhl is right – we are overly concerned with not looking bad to straight people. And just like when people are freaked out about “making women look bad” or “making black people look bad”, in shaming and policing other members of our “group”, we’re just enforcing hegemonic social standards.
So the “A-List” guys are idiots, but it’s not my problem.
Jack
Reichen is douchebag.
gregger
Reichen is an asswipe. If he wants to talk about insecure, princess look in the mirror and do it quick!!!
stevenelliot
an old girl once told me that good looks are the cheapest commodity…..
which one is which in the foto? I guess the Reichen is the guy facing us? Yeah he’s hot. no package. hope it was just cold that day….
I live in LA. Breath it. Sick sick sick of the wayfarer-esque glasses and the pork-pie hats. Its not even gay-fashionable. Its totally out for fashionistas here to wear that. Thats straight boy, comfort wear now.
Never seen this show. It looks like it would give me flash backs of being 30 and attempting to keep up with the gay Jones’s
Miles
I have to admit to watching this show but I wouldnt call it a guilty pleasure either. I’m just waiting to see the “fight” between Rodiney and that model wannabe queen that they’ve been teasing us with. What can I say, I am a sucker for cat fights.
With that said Reichen has a point, a small one but still a point nonetheless. I am sure there really are gays who live like this small group of shallow attention wanting queens out there. There are also draq queens, bears, leather queens, etc, etc that are all small parts that make up an entire so called gay community. It’s not all pretty but they do exist.
Marc
Reichen always seems like he just hatched out of an egg about 6 minutes ago. Always out of his depth, always a little dizzy, always experiencing everything like it’s the very first time.
If he had long hair, he’d be twirling it while he talks…
JoeyO'H
Thanks to all the posters this mornign for your humorous comments. I enjoyed my morning java that much more.
Reichen’s comments are asinine. Of course he’ll sign on for a second season- he needs the cash! He has made himself more and more appear as a douchebag on this show. Of course, they camp it up to higher extreme when they are filming, but this is not a positive and real look into the gay community. Of course, a little drama does not hurt, but these guys are adults and they act like little high school girls much like their counterparts on Real Housewives of Whatever.
@Adman: Maybe you should send a casting tape to the producers. I’ll take a (REAL) hairy, chiseled, butch, working man any day over some of these hairless, self-absorbed twinks that have no clue of ‘real gay life.’
The only reason I tune in: Mike Ruiz and he is NOT seen enough. He’s adorable, comes off normal, and did I say he’s adorable?
Oh screw it! He just hotter than hell. But the appealing thing most about him is his non-drama appearences on the show. Oh, did I mention he’s hot?
Sug Night
Problem with this show is it’s totally FALSE advertising. These guys would have to work their way up to be on the d-list. And they’re about as deep as a thimble.
You’re right, they are no more representative of our population than the trailer park trash females on the Housewives series are of women.
However, the housewives are not in the middle of a fight for their own equality, so I don’t think Logo’s doing us any favors with this show. Sure, entertainment is entertainment, but this is a crucial time for us all.
Aaron in Honolulu
YES, Reichen is an attention whore and a douche-bag but whether you guys like him or not, he does have a point!
The gay community does in fact try very hard to be perceived as likable in public so that homophobes don’t have good reason to hate us. The truth is, some of us are likable and some of us are not. It’s just that people who come across as unlikable on reality shows tend to make good television: these are the people we love to hate, the ones that make us feel better about ourselves. If the men on A-List don’t represent the gay community as a whole then what the hell are we whining about? If someone one stereotypes you because of what they saw on this show, blame their ignorance, not the A-List.
If you think we don’t care about what others outside our community think about us YOU ARE FULL OF SHIT.
Sug Night
And yes, Reichen has done himself no good here either. I would admit to having at least a neutral opinion of him before this, not really aware of who he was, except someone with some sort of public platform.
NOW? “Douchebag” doesn’t begin to cover it. What a waste of human flesh. I wouldn’t pay money to see him in ANYTHING.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@Miles: Looks like times are tough at Queerty. No more morning goods. You would think they would at least give some info………..I am still undecided if I miss the thumbs up/down feature though……….
And dear Retch-in the only way your group of misfits could truly take the “A-list” tag is if its short for “A”sshole-List
Sam
What will Reichen have in 10 years? Bitch tits and still be as stupid as he is now.
Xtian99
um, isn’t this the guy that blew Lance Bass for like ten minttes like ten years ago and was on some “reality show” before that???? yeah …so, thanks for the pithy, weighty social commentary on the state of gays and their social images, but in the words of by friend Robtert.. “just shut up and suck!”
I watched to the show two times. Totaly vapid and totally entertaining at the same time. Who doesn’t like train wrecks? and these guys are indeed Amtrak Acela’s flying full speed toward a washed out bridge. Watching Reichen and his brazilian oompa loopa born-without-a brain-stem-i-used-to-be-a-model-but-i’m-4’9″- boyfriend try to talk through their “issues” in bed was hysterical!
Some of them are great too look at, but all in all I much prefer seeing these kinds of guys in porn, with something in their mouth’s so they can’t speak, and the remote’s “eject button” close by for salvation.
Miles
@Patrick: Agreed. If Reichen had not dated Lance Bass, we would never hear about him. He is milking his 15 minutes of fame. That said, he has a HOT body. There use to be naked photos of him floating around the Internet. Anyone have the link?
Miles
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: Thanks for letting me know. Without “morning goods” there really is no need to visit this site.
Jay
The gay community’s biggest problem is its obsession with looks and beauty. Instead of educating themselves and fighting for their political rights, young homosexual men are preoccupied with having a six pack and awesome pecs.
Tony Kushner’s line in Angels still strikes me every time I read it: “A homosexual is someone who, in 15 years of trying, can’t get a pissant anti-discrimination bill through City Council.” Although the quote’s specifics may be outdated, the meaning still rings true with today’s political issues (gay marriage and dont ask dont tell, for example).
Shouldn’t we, as a community, try to present a better image? Not only to the young gay community, but to the straight community as well? Instead of perpetuating stereotypes?
Rick Gold
@Patrick: Granted, Reichen is a pompous weirdo, but GENERALLY those of us with degrees from the Air Force Academy don’t wait tables…
DG
“we all know the way these seven guys, including myself, act on the show are an accurate representation of the way a lot of gay people act.”
Sadly, yes. And these seven guys represent the reason that I waited so long to come out of the closet. If you watch the Housewives of DC, Atlanta or New York, they’ve also selected the most repulsive men to represent the gay community. The reality is that these vapid, loud, dumb prissy boys are a dime a dozen. And simpleton Reichen gets less attractive with every word that flows from his uptight lips.
On the other hand, I suppose that good looking, successful, intelligent men wouldn’t take part in shows like this.
TheInsider
Trash. Dumb. Crass.
Reichen’s ears do look better now after he had them pinned back hehehe… Still, though, no brain in between them.
miles
Sorry haters—-I would tap Reichen’s ass in a minute!! I know it’s wrong but I think he is crazy hot!!
Hilarious
It’s only accurate if you’ve chosen to make your entire existence hiding in a gay ghetto. Otherwise the outside world full of people who only happen to be gay among many other things do not act like anything seen on that ridiculous show(let alone LOGO at all).
People who have made their entire persona about their sexuality really make me sick. How can you just be your sexuality and nothing else? That’s not even half a person. Pathetic.
Tj
I point the finger at the Channel, LOGO, the prodouchers, and the directors.
These characters are obviously set up and “staged” to say certain things. I doubt they all thought of themselves as what has been called A-List. The term is reserved for big, BIG celebrities, or super, ultra-rich (more than 50 Mil, minimum) stylish people.
Such diverse people as Patty Hearst and Tom Cruise. Neither of whom I care for
A-List. Hmmm, oh yeah! Derek, and, and TJ! And Austin!
jason
These guys act like vain women. It’s all about appearance. They’re appearance fascists.
michael
These guys are just gross……even the so called hot ones are nasty queens normally passed over!
Rich
It’s not we take issue with the way the show portrays gay men. We just feel sorry for you, Reichen because the show makes all of you, especially Reichen, look pathetic.
OrchidIslander
I was done with LOGO when it you canceled Noah’s Arc – with absolutely no good reason. Although those of us, chock full of melanin, know the reason. LOGO deserves The A List, and all the criticism that comes with it.
Jonathan
Being gay has many more dimensions, both tangible and intangible, than sex itself. Being gay shapes the manner in which we experience the world which is, in very fundamental ways, entirely different from our straight counterparts. To suggest that leading a gay-centric life is akin to living in a ghetto is absurd and no one would ever say the same about a straight person.
rjp
shallow is his lifeblood
Kevin
Ask anyone who has actually met and knows Reichen, and he or she will confirm that he is a major douche bag, megalomaniac, and slut. And for the record: a big ole bottom. And ask any ex- (including the ex-husband, Chip) and he will confirm that what you witness on TV between him & Rodney is just a repeat, in some for or another, of every one of Reichen’s past relationships. Ultimately, the relationship is undone by his self-aggrandizement, arrogance, and refusal to commit fully to any relationship beyond mere hollow, fatuous words. What he needs is a porn star boyfriend who is equally ripped, VGL, and soulless. What a vile piece of tripe.
Chris Alberghini
They’re gross. And yes, I’m signing in with my real name. That’s how odious I find them and the show. Here’s the thing: I am in no way “politically correct”, and as a GAY comedy writer, I’m all for making fun of everything. But if you’re going to do it, do it well, and do it with intelligence and some level of authenticity and honesty. Don’t assemble some group of sad sacks and script sassy lines and finger snaps that we don’t for one minute believe any of them would even have the intelligence (or self-awareness) to come up with on their own (which is saying something, considering how mediocre those lines are in the first place). Don’t have some nelly queen who represents a model (apparently, just the one) tell us that he’s connected enough to get on any VIP list in the city when we all know he’d be lucky just to get through the door at Splash. Don’t trot Reichen whatever-his-last-name-is out and ask us to invest in his community theatre scenes of shirtless sensitivity and sincerity. (Seriously, some of those teary-eyed reaction shots? What did she think she was shooting, “Terms of Endearment”?) And for the love of God, don’t call it “The A List.” Unless the title is supposed to be ironic–and I really don’t see the creative team being smart enough to even see the irony, let alone comment on it–it’s preposterous. These guys are so far from being important, connected, or aspirational (in any way, shape, or form) that you can’t even call it hyperbole. It’s just a lie from a bunch of people who think their audience is stupid enough to believe it if they call it that. Mmmm, yeah, these guys are the A list. Movers and shakers, all of ’em. I can just picture the grandmas in the midwest tuning in to learn that botoxed, lemon-headed hairdressers and cunty “model managers” run the town. (“Look how connected he is, Lindsay Lohan slept in his apartment once!”). And clueless little gay boys can tune in to learn that, if you bottom for the right people,you can buy a New York apartment with the big proceeds from your off-broadway play! And they can all dream of having a sassy, ginger-otter assistant “telling it like she is” while flapping her abnormally unhinged, Muppet-like jaw. If it were even remotely entertaining or witty, I could overlook this aspect of it. But it’s not. The writing is so tired, the situations so cliche, and the cast so desperately in need of some intensive Acting for the Reality Show 101 and should be lining up outside of Learning Annex if there’s a Season Two. Oh wait, I forgot, they’re THE A LIST–they don’t have to wait in lines. Girls better start pulling some strings… fast!
BrooklynBorn
Sadly, those A-List guys are actually pretty mild compared to the true gay horrors I’ve met in Manhattan. Hopefully they’re on the way out and young queers won’t feel the need for such crap, nor for even moving to NYC or West Hollywood or San Fran. to begin with.
BrooklynBorn
Chris Alberghini : THAT was pretty good.
Lou 225
I feel bad for RL. He is the pretty gal with zero self confidence. The bigger and buffer he becomes on the outside, the smaller and more pathetic his insides are becoming. You can see it in his eyes. Sorry big man.