So AMC's The Walking Dead has featured it's first gay kiss between two guys and the Phobes are out in full force. This is not new. . .
I consider myself an Out and Proud Gay Man. Living in South Mississippi it's not easy. So you can imagine how I felt when rumors started circulating on the internet about The Walking Dead's resident Bad Ass Daryl Dixon being gay. At first I was really excited. He's by far my favorite character on the show, even though he isn't in the comics. I have been a fan of the actor Norman Reedus since he starred in Boondock Saints. He's a brilliant actor capable of anything and pretty easy on the eyes too.
But as I thought about it more, I began to ask why his sexual orientation should even be an issue. This is The Walking Dead we're talking about, this is a show that spends most of it's air time focusing on survival in a post apocalyptic world overrun with hordes of the undead.
I went back and forth with my feelings about Daryl being gay. I was greatly attracted to the idea of the baddest character on the show, being gay. In television today the Token Gay is usually stereotypical. Limp wrist, pastels and all. Daryl was a character that was rich in development and a fan favorite. Even the creators of the show and Reedus discussed making the character gay. Reedus was all for it, as were several members of the cast. But in the end, the issue was put to bed by comic creator Robert Kirkman on The Talking Dead. He said that Daryl was indeed straight, that the toyed with the idea and decided that's not the direction they wanted to go. But Kirkman did tell us that they were going to bring in a gay character from the comics.
Since the comics has quite a few gay characters, the possibilities could have been endless. Many fans like myself were hoping for the character Jesus to make an appearance. He's one of my favorites in the comics because he is exactly like Daryl Dixon and the comics play off his sexuality as a non issue. But seeing as how the show has a resident Bad Ass, I started to suspect that as Rick's group neared the Alexandria Safe-Zone we would be seeing Aaron or Eric. Turns out, I was right.
In last Sunday's episode we saw Aaron and his lover Eric share a kiss after being apart. I thought it was simple and beautiful. But as expected the internet was all abuzz with condemnation. I don't know what upset some of the die hard fans more, the fact that there was going to be a prominent gay character on the show, or the fact that Rick and his group didn't react harshly to the character being gay. There were no under breath jokes, or looks of disgust on their faces. We're talking about the end of the world where as the season three tagline said, you must "Fight the dead, and fear the living!" So did it surprise me no one in Rick's group had a negative thing to say? Of course it didn't. What were these upset fans expecting Rick to say?
"Oh thanks for the food and water and the chance at a possible home where my children might actually have a life, but I'm gonna pass because you're gay."
Let's be as realistic as we can (remember what the show is about of course.) Rick and his group have been on the road barely surviving since the prison in season three. Rick has lost nearly everyone and everything dear to him. Do you really think that he's gonna care if someone is gay or not? That's probably the furthest thing on his mind.
And allow me to point out that Aaron and Eric are not the first gay characters on the show. Did people forget about Tara Chambler? She's been portrayed by the very talented and beautiful Alanna Masterson since the episode "Live Bait" in season four. How on earth could anyone forget about her??? Even though her being a lesbian has been downplayed and only really mentioned in passing, there was no outrage when it was revealed she was gay. But flash forward to season five, enter Aaron and Eric and the internet explodes.
Look at the content of the show. On a weekly basis we see all sorts of graphic violence and gore, and the show is praised for it. We introduce a lesbian character, and she becomes part of the main cast and is a great addition to the group. But show two guys kiss, and well...we just can't have that. That's going too far.
It amazes me that we still live in a world where people are more comfortable watching violence and gore, but shy when they see two men kiss. It takes me back to Star Trek Deep Space Nine when two female characters kissed. There really wasn't much outrage or negative comments. Because it's perfectly normal for two WOMEN to be attracted to one another. So why not two men?
To the haters, you need to get over yourself. It's obvious that gay men have always been here and are not going away. Even the Zombie Apocalypse can't stop us, so what makes you think that your narrow minded opinions will keep us in the closet? You need to join the rest of the 21st Century. Aaron and Eric are gay. They love each other. They are going to kiss and probably do a lot more. Rick and his crew obviously do not care. So why do you?