Is television finally feeling willing and able when it comes to portraying more disabled characters? It certainly appears that way.
According to GLAAD’s 2016 “Where We Are on TV” report, the percentage of series regulars with disabilities this year has risen to 1.7 percent (15 characters), up from last year’s 0.9 percent (eight characters). It is an “amazing” accomplishment, according to Ryan O’Connell, a gay and disabled TV/film writer and author of “I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves,” a memoir based on his life as gay and disabled–but still not enough.
“We are limping our way very slowly into the mainstream, honey,” he tells Queerty.
Even still, O’Connell is determined to be part of the solution, no matter how long it takes to limp there.
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In May 2015, The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons and his partner, Todd, optioned the rights to turn O’Connell’s book into a TV show. After that, O’Connell spent the next 18 months working with Parsons to get TV’s first gay and physically disabled male character on the small screen. Things didn’t exactly go according to plan.
“I ended up going to six networks and they all passed,” O’Connell says. “Here’s the thing: Putting a gay disabled character on television is very hard. Hell, putting a gay character as the lead of a TV show is hard. We’ve come a long way in the past few years, especially with shows like Transparent, but the reality is that Hollywood is still living la vida Kevin James.”
It doesn’t help that Hollywood is “very focused” on looks either, he adds. While many shows seem eager to portray hidden disabilities (such as bipolar disorder), the same cannot be said for people with physical disabilities.
“I think Hollywood is largely not interested in disabled people because they don’t view us as ‘sexy’ or ‘cool,’” he says. “To [Hollywood], we are just sad and something to be pitied.”
Of course, the disabled TV landscape is not all sad. O’Connell praises ABC’s Speechless for having an actual disabled person as the lead character.
“I do think [Speechless] is a great sign of what’s to come,” he says.
Related: Five Tips For What Not To Say To Someone Who Is Gay And Disabled
Ray Bradford, GLAAD’s Director of Programs, Entertainment Media, who helped pen the organization’s “Where We Are on TV” report, remains hopeful that the number of people with disabilities on TV will continue to rise, but admits it may require some extra work from showrunners.
“Showrunners and content creators should stop being afraid that including characters with disabilities will automatically draw focus and shift the entire plotline into one about someone’s disability. That premise rarely happens in life,” he says. “Our advice would be to include disabled characters liberally and creatively, and also be mindful that LGBTQ people with disabilities are some of the most creative, fierce and funny people around; the source of good characters and storylines.”
As for O’Connell’s own show, Special: Warner Brothers eventually bought it, and intends to launch it on their online digital channel, Project Mix. The plan is to shoot eight 15-minute episodes in May or June. It is an exciting time, O’Connell says.
Related: What It’s Like To Date Someone Who Is Disabled (According To My Non-Disabled Exes)
“With Special, I mainly want to show a disabled person whose narrative isn’t all tragedy, who has a strong point of view, and loves to laugh,” he notes. “I want people to see themselves in a character they never thought they could identify with. A running theme in my writing is taking things that are considered taboo or weird and putting it through a f-ing mainstream, Top-40 blender.”
Sounds special, indeed.
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dean089
I’m still waiting for Hollywood to portray a gay character where being gay isn’t the sole reason for his existence.
Bryguyf69
In the 90’s, there were plenty of HIV+ characters in movies, and to a lesser extent, TV. They had varying degrees of physical disability, but according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, being HIV+ is in itself enough to qualify for benefits and protections.
That said, this really isn’t a gay issue anymore, We’ve progressed far enough that the coveted Nielsen 25-49 age demographic readily accepts LGBT characters. Millennials, especially those under 25, even welcome it. A 14y/o African-American girl wistfully commented on my Yourtube video that she wished she had gay [male] friends. While that was sweet, I also worry that ir’s based on a romanticized image of LGBTs,, and gays are automatically seen as tragic (a shoutout to the late Vito Russo), and ultimately heroic. That’s a lot of pressure to place on gay kids.
The issue, then, is disability. Although I work in medicine and have interacted with plenty of disabled patients, even I admit to feeling discomfort in seeing disabilities. The patients don’t make me feel uncomfortable, but the disability may. And it’s natural since it forces us to confront our own morbidity and mortality. That’s why I tell medical students to confront those feelings rather than suppress them.
Depending on how disabled a character is, acceptance may be tough. I don’t think an escapist audience would want to see someone with a colostomy bag or an amputee (Dancing with the Stars notwithstanding — no pun on “standing”). It has to be more subtle. Or a disability with the possibility of healing. And associated props have to be somewhat common, i.e. a cane or wheelchair is fine, but the forementioned colostomy bag is not. Even an oxygen tank may be too much. In short, Hollywood needs to go slow.
Bryguyf69
@dean089: How about Sulu in the latest Star Trek movie? Or Gil Chesterton in Frasier? While he was clearly gay (it was never stated explicitly, and he was married), the character was mocked as much for his snobbery as his closetedness. There are plenty of other examples but I don’t have the time to ist them now. Maybe later…
Bryguyf69
In 2009, the long-running soap, As the World Turns, had an extended storyline where gay teenager Luke — a major character — was paralyzed. Issues affecting the disabled were explored in depth, including its effect on his boyfriend and their love life.
Photo
http://www.newnownext.com/wp-content/uploads/backlot/images/atwtimg01_0.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT3V0PHJPsE
markgtx11
But so many people hated Looking because they didn’t identify with the characters. Won’t they feel the same way in this situation unless they are disabled as well?
Bryguyf69
Another Luke and Noah tribute video, focusing on Luke’s paralysis. You can see Luke’s despair and anger better in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqXSfZd_e_4
Bryguyf69
This excerpt explores how Luke’s disability affected his relationship with Noah. Excellent writing and acting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6F9uwN9_bw
SouthPaw81
WHY is it necessary to represent every combination of human variation possible? (First of all, it’s IMPOSSIBLE!) When I a gay character, I feel represented, when I see a disabled character, I feel represented. When I see disabled characters that can’t fend for themselves, I get irked, but that’s another conversation. All these different variations are what make us INDIVIDUALS.
Arconcyyon
Our no not is the extris tele cine stduion OSCAR hollword ! tema personaliy ! luck sucesss the ticket the mídea tve report tve LIVE .
SouthPaw81
Sorry, I have omitted a word in the first sentence after the parenthetical … it should start off “When I SEE a gay character, I feel …
Brian
Lol. Hollywood doesn’t even want to depict male homosexuality so why would it want to show diabled male homosexuality?
Hollywood loves stereotypes that don’t offend women. That’s why any male homosexuality allowed through the filter will be depicted as fairies. Just look at Modern Family.
Hollywood liberals hate masculine male homosexuality.
Hank
Hollywood can barely portray ordinary gay characters.
AJAnders
I wouldn’t be so quick to give a pat on the back to ‘As the World Turns’ with that temporary paralysis story involving Luke. It happened just one day after Luke and Noah got together. Fans of the show saw immediately from the convenient timing of his accident that it was nothing more than an excuse by the writers to keep Luke and Noah from having sex.
The show was in an awkward position from the start. Luke and Noah were popular immediately and brought new fans to the show. But the producers were obviously scared of offending some sponsor or group so there was no affection between the two other than a glace from across the room. After kissing twice, it would be another 9 months before the guys kissed on screen again, prompting angry fans to go to the media over the blatant censorship. It was nine straight months of well timed interruptions that stopped them from kissing…every…single…time.
And the sex issue? It would be a year and half before they finally did the deed, which was severely watered down after the original script was posted online. On this show, where couples got engaged after the second date, Luke and Noah got the shaft. Paralyzing Luke was nothing more than a first of many c*ckblocks to keep the boys from consummating their relationship.
chris_clb614
@AJAnders: It’s why the Kyle/Fish storyline from One Life to Live was miles away better, even throwing in a mass same-sex wedding, among other plots.
He BGB
I enjoy speechless. I enjoy shows where people aren’t beautiful (I call CW,the beautiful people’s network, everyone is preening and perfect looking and young). My complaint about the Exorcist is the handsome priest no.1, and his love story with a woman. Who cares? The movie had no love story and ordinary looking people but I digress.but even in speechless the teen wheelchair bound guy just got a girlfriend. Shu*! Hollywood has to ruin everything with romance back stories!
BriBri
Wake me up when there’s a checkbox for FUCKTARD on Grindr.
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Herman75
The Family Stone (the movie) had a deaf gay son.
The actor Ty Giordano is deaf. The character is a white guy with a black boyfriend so right there you can check the disgaybled and the intergaycial boxes. Plus the movie has Sara Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, and more. Good Xmas movie. Bravo is showing it on Thanksgiving.
The Way He Looks is a movie about a blind gay kid discovering his sexuality and falling in love. I believe you can stream it on Netflix.
Sure, there are
movies and television shows with straight disabled characters but not all that many.
ErikO
A better question would be, do people who are disabled and LGBT or gay/lesbian even want to be portrayed in Hollywood films and TV shows? I have friends who are LGBT and disabled and they could care less about being represented by the media in TV and in films.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
I think it would be great.
John
The bigger question is will anyone watch it? You take a wide brush to paint the story and hope there is some factor that appeals to a large demographic, when you narrow in it becomes difficult to get enough viewers. People didn’t turn in to “Roseanne” because of Sandra Bernhardts gay character, they tuned in because of the struggles of a Mid-west, middle class family, they didn’t tune into “Cosby” because they were a black family, they tuned in because people saw their own kids and parent relationships…I am still not sure why anyone tunes into Two Broke Girls. Back on track, I have watched “Speechless” twice now (which isnt gay, but disabled) and stopped I couldnt relate and the only likeqble character is the companion of the disabled kid.