Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay
Encyclopedia
Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay is an American reality television
special which Fox
planned to broadcast on June 7, 2004. The two-hour special featured two heterosexual men competing for a $50,000 prize based on their ability to pass as gay for a week, including convincing their friends and family that they, the competitors, were actually gay. At its conclusion, the two would be judged by a panel of gay men who had been told one of them was gay. The contestant selected by the panel as gay would win the money. Seriously was produced by Rocket Science Laboratories, the same company that produced other Fox-aired reality series including Joe Millionaire
, Temptation Island and My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance
.
.
In addition to the program's content, Fox also received criticism for its promotional material, including describing the gay judges as a "jury of their queers". The network later apologized for its "failed attempt at humor" that was "ill-chosen and inappropriate".
Several of the gay men involved with the production of Seriously sharply criticized GLAAD for its response to the special. "It's unfortunate that a group as well-intentioned as GLAAD is going to set themselves up as censors and judge what other people should be allowed to air or see. Our primary purpose was to be funny, but if people actually got to see the show, they would probably be more tolerant of gay people in the future," said creative consultant Christian McLaughlin
. Executive producer Ray Giuliani concurred, saying, "I am gay; I have a boyfriend; I live in West Hollywood; I have gay friends. The idea that I would do something I would consider homophobic is crazy. [The contestants] walked away learning something about what it feels like to be a gay man in the middle of a straight world." Jackie Beat
, a drag
performer who appeared on the series in his male identity as a "mantor" (adviser) to the contestants, said, "GLAAD should have no problem with the show because gay people do not come across negatively in any way. What they don't see is that it's obviously poking fun at the straight dudes." One of those "straight dudes", Larry Anderson, who was at the time of filming a 28 year-old salesman from Massachusetts, credited Seriously with helping him conquer his own homophobia
and believed it would have shown that stereotypes about gay men are not accurate.
seeking to force the television industry to recognize reality television writers, editors and producers as a collective bargaining
unit. The suit, Shriver v. Rocket Science Laboratories, was settled in 2009 for $2.57 million.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
special which Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
planned to broadcast on June 7, 2004. The two-hour special featured two heterosexual men competing for a $50,000 prize based on their ability to pass as gay for a week, including convincing their friends and family that they, the competitors, were actually gay. At its conclusion, the two would be judged by a panel of gay men who had been told one of them was gay. The contestant selected by the panel as gay would win the money. Seriously was produced by Rocket Science Laboratories, the same company that produced other Fox-aired reality series including Joe Millionaire
Joe Millionaire
Joe Millionaire is an American reality television show that was broadcast on Fox beginning in January 2003. It was broadcast in the UK that same year...
, Temptation Island and My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance
My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance
My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé was a one-shot television reality show on the Fox Network during the 2003-2004 season. The show consisted of six hour-long episodes.-Plot summary:...
.
Criticism
Seriously drew the condemnation of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which called the special "an exercise in systematic humiliation". Among the objectionable content, GLAAD noted the contestants' description of their experience as "their worst nightmare" and being "trapped in gay hell". One contestant had to tell a former wrestling teammate that his participation in the sport was based on his desire for "close contact with sweaty boys" and later had to trick an unsuspecting gay man on a blind date with him to agree to a second date. GLAAD scheduled a meeting with the network to discuss its concerns. On May 26, within hours of setting up the meeting, Fox announced that the special had been pulled from the schedule. Fox publicly attributed the decision to "creative issues" but an anonymous source inside Fox said that GLAAD's intervention was welcomed following the failure of the network's earlier gay-themed reality program, Playing It StraightPlaying it Straight
Playing It Straight is a 2004 American reality show in which one woman spent time on a ranch with a group of men in an attempt to discern which of them were homosexual and which of them were heterosexual. All of the men pretended to be heterosexual. The woman went on individual dates with the men,...
.
In addition to the program's content, Fox also received criticism for its promotional material, including describing the gay judges as a "jury of their queers". The network later apologized for its "failed attempt at humor" that was "ill-chosen and inappropriate".
Several of the gay men involved with the production of Seriously sharply criticized GLAAD for its response to the special. "It's unfortunate that a group as well-intentioned as GLAAD is going to set themselves up as censors and judge what other people should be allowed to air or see. Our primary purpose was to be funny, but if people actually got to see the show, they would probably be more tolerant of gay people in the future," said creative consultant Christian McLaughlin
Christian McLaughlin
Christian McLaughlin is a television writer, producer, and author. McLaughlin is a graduate of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas...
. Executive producer Ray Giuliani concurred, saying, "I am gay; I have a boyfriend; I live in West Hollywood; I have gay friends. The idea that I would do something I would consider homophobic is crazy. [The contestants] walked away learning something about what it feels like to be a gay man in the middle of a straight world." Jackie Beat
Jackie Beat
Jackie Beat is the drag persona of actor, singer, songwriter and screenwriter Kent Fuher. Beat has appeared in a number of independent feature films both in and out of drag, including Wigstock: The Movie, Flawless and Adam & Steve...
, a drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
performer who appeared on the series in his male identity as a "mantor" (adviser) to the contestants, said, "GLAAD should have no problem with the show because gay people do not come across negatively in any way. What they don't see is that it's obviously poking fun at the straight dudes." One of those "straight dudes", Larry Anderson, who was at the time of filming a 28 year-old salesman from Massachusetts, credited Seriously with helping him conquer his own homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
and believed it would have shown that stereotypes about gay men are not accurate.
Lawsuit
On August 30, 2005, Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay was one of several programs cited in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of AmericaWriters Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
seeking to force the television industry to recognize reality television writers, editors and producers as a collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
unit. The suit, Shriver v. Rocket Science Laboratories, was settled in 2009 for $2.57 million.