Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Tips

Logo to Go

Following the popularity and relative success of both Q Television Network and Here! (a satellite television channel), Viacom jumped on the gay television bandwagon in the summer of 2005 and launched the now-popular gay cable channel, Logo. Available to over 10 million cable viewers in America, Logo was launched under the MTV Networks umbrella. Their programming has included 200 movies, including over 20 documentaries. There are also about six original series, including "Noah's Arc," a drama that deals with four black gay men in Los Angeles.

Despite an initial outcry from the Christian right, Logo has been quite successful over the last few years. This is due in part to the growing acceptance in the mainstream of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues.

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HomoHop

Hip Hop music has touched a lot of music fans -- not the least of which is the homosexual community. But not many people think of hip hop as a gay musical style. That's why gay, lesbian, and bisexual rap and hip hop artists banded together to launch the HomoRevolution Tour in 2007 in the Pacific Southwest.

After Alex Hinton's documentary "Pic Up the Mic," "homohop" came to the forefront of the LGBT community. The film featured eighteen LGBT hip hop artists all over the world, and debuted on MTV Network's Logo cable channel.

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Queer TV

One of the first gay-oriented cable channels ever launched was Q Television Network. The channel offered programming ranging from films to music and talk shows geared toward issues in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender world. Owned by Triangle Multimedia, the channel found its biggest hit from 2005-2006 with "The Queen Edge with Jack E. Jett." This humorous variety show hosted celebrities (a permanent fixture was comedian Sandra Bernhard), musical acts, and comedy.

Although the network shut down due to financial difficulties in early 2006, QTN still stands out as a milestone for gay television programming.

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Daytime Gay

If you thought you had to wait until after dark to get good gay story lines on television think again. "As the World Turns" has not only addressed homosexuality by featuring a young gay couple on their daytime drama, but that couple has been lauded by fans across the country. The CBS Daytime Fan Panel voted Luke and Noah (nicknamed "Nuke," by fans) their favorite couple on the show. They were also named one of “Soaps' Best Super-Couples” by TV Guide. Even Entertainment Weekly is in on the act, adding the gay teen couple to their list of “17 Great Soap Supercouples.”

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Queer as Folk Lives On

Even though Showtime's super-hit show "Queen as Folk" has finished its run, the show still lives on -- and not only on DVD! This gay-oriented program made history by airing the very first explicit sex scene between two men (albeit simulated) ever to air on American television. In addition, "Queer as Folk" broke plot line boundaries by tackling controversial issues like gay marriage, adoption of children by same-sex couples, illegal drug use, HIV awareness, sexual discrimination in the workplace, and even homosexuality among Catholic priests. "Queer as Folk" was a great program to be sure, but it also served the greater good by standing out as a banner for gay rights and advocacy of homosexual and bisexual lifestyles.

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Rocking Out

Being openly gay or bisexual has long been considered a dark and destructive thing for a rising star in the music industry. However, more and more artists and producers have come forward...and their success has skyrocketed. Here's a (brief!) list of just a few who have rocked "out" over the past few decades:

• David Bowie
• Ani DiFranco
• Melissa Etheridge
• David Geffen
• Boy George
• Elton John
• Janet Joplin
• k.d. lang
• Little Richard
• George Michael
• Lou Reed
• Jimmy Somerville
• Michael Stipe

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