Joshua Lyon over at The Huffington Post has a good piece about the impact of Happy Endings character Max, played by straight actor Adam Pally, on gay images in the media. Lyon writes:
"A recent episode of ABC's Happy Endings ended with Max, the resident gay character played by Adam Pally, stretched out on a couch, shirtless, with a look of ecstasy on his face. Because he was stuffing it with a huge sandwich, its contents spilling out all over his large, exposed hairy stomach.
In terms of positive portrayals of gays on mainstream television, that one scene did more for me than three seasons of Kurt on Glee. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that a massive hit has a main character like Kurt, who's adamant about believing in and being yourself. But it also bugs me that Kurt reinforces the same cartoon stereotypes we've been fed for years -- he's what I imagine Dr. Smith from Lost in Space must have been like as a teen, before growing old and bitter."
I'm not sure about the Lost In Space reference (forgive me sci-fi gay geeks, you know I'm a Star Wars gal:), but for the most part I agree with him. While some queens may think Max isn't quite gay enough, I think gay dudes like him need to be shown on TV alongside the Kurts and Blaines. For every one of us that is stylish, witty and a little flamboyant, there is another who's messy, a little lazy and unfashionable. And that diversity needs to shown. Of course, being that it is a sitcom, Max is a bit of an exaggeration, and I am a little perturbed the writers haven't blessed him with a BF yet.
Hopefully the networks will throw us black gays a bone and give us another "Calvin" now that Greek has ended, or *keeps fingers crossed* another Carter (who else remembers Spin City lol). Any who, read the rest of Lyon's article HERE. And, if you haven't caught Max in action, watch an episode of Happy Endings below.
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