Dustin Lance Black, Doug Spearman and others talk about their first gay screen experiences

Last Thursday, I attended “Gay Today In Hollywood,” a terrific evening put tiogether by the Writers Guild of America West Gay & Lesbian Writers Committee. On Tuesday, I’ll post a story from the panel about the state of gay cinema. Today, I share some fun answers from members of the panel about the first gay characters they remember from movies or television:

Dustin Lance Black, Oscar winner for screenplay of Milk: “Growing up in Texas in a Morman family, they’re very good at keeping anything that even might be gay or slightly gay-themed, that’s all kept from you. Even a PG-13 rating you’re not going to see it. I knew I was gay from a very early age and I think the first time I felt uncomfortable watching someone and I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s what a gay person is,’ was watching Mork and Mindy. Mork seemed like the stereotype of gay and that’s what I’m going to turn into. Then Hollywood Squares foillowed and that didn’t help. As soon as I went off to college and was away from the family, I raced to the video store and I got My Own Private Idaho. I had a huge crush on River Phoenix. It’s been quite a journey for me to have my first gay film that inspired me and I thought was beautiful. Then to be making (Milk) with (Gus Van Sant, who directed Idaho), it’s a lovely journey that way.”

Liz Feldman, Emmy-winning writer-producer (The Ellen DeGeneres Show): The first character that I saw and identified with, even though I wasn’t sure that I was a lesbian, was Jo from The Facts of Life. I don’t think she was sure either. I just remember that I really identified with that character and not having any idea why. I saw The Hunger too when I was 12 or 13 and I had no idea what I was looking at. It was such a deviant way to be introduced into lesbianism – which is great! For me, a turning point was Fried Green Tomatoes because it was such a beautiful movie that I loverd so much. It was almost there – it was almost gay. And I loved the movie so much that I bought the book and was like, ‘Wait a minute, they’re actually lovers in the book.’ I remember feeling this sense of injustice that the movie had taken out the most beautiful part of the book.” Ellen came out at a really important time in my life. I was like 19. My mother tells the story of watching that at home and my dad – who is really homophobic – walked in and he’s like, ‘Why are you watching that?’ and she’s like: “Because it’s about your daughter!”

Doug Spearman, one of the stars of Noah’s Arc television series and movie: “I was in high school when Soap was on. I didn’t know what gay was but the first time I identified it was Billy Crystal playing Jodie on Soap. I’d seen Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly. But Jodie was gay and knew what he was. There’s this one scene that sticks in my head: his mom walks into the bedroom and he’s got on wig and one of her dresses. she’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ She starts to rag on him then she says: “Oh wait! You wear that belted!”  My mom and I watched that together and we kind of looked at each other and it was, ‘Okay, we know, right? We don’t have to talk about this.” … The silver screen is really a mirror for our culture and it was a long time before I saw me at all. I think one of the most beautiful movies about gay people – ever – is An Early Frost. An NBC Sunday night movie of the week. It was a brilliant, brilliant movie.”

Howard Bragman, publicist and author of Where’s My Fifteen Minutes?: “I’m 53 and we were invisible. We didn’t have gay people on TV and I wasn’t seeing artful cinema in Flint, Mich. But I was a horny little thing and Batman was very sexual to me.

It really was. And there’s nothing gayer than The Wild, Wild West. Two guys in that rail car, I mean, c’mon! And his pants were painted on. We had to sort of create our own sexual images back then and our own sort of gayness.”

Honey Labrador, producer: “For me it was Kristy McNichol on Family. Buddy and her skateboard. I was fortunate enough to live in Paris when I was 18 and 19 years okld and so  I saw a lot of independent film and I remember seeing My Beautiful Launderette and being so touched and moved by the story and the humanity of these men. And then  Maurice. I just loved anything English and gay.”