The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV (10 page)

Another gay member of the
Chicago Hope
staff, the passionate and outspoken Dr. Hancock, is continually at odds with HMOs, the other doctors, and the hospital administration, all of whom he fights to ensure minority patients receive the care they deserve. The politically minded doctor runs the hospital’s clinic and at one point even considers pursuing a career in politics. In comparison to the other characters on the show, little is known about Dr. Hancock’s personal life, though he often finds himself in the middle of a crisis. (a bomb goes off in his clinic, he’s shot by his brother-in-law, etc.)

No doubt some of these character traits were factors when producers made the decision to have Dr. Hancock, who’d been a regular for nearly two and a half seasons, come out to Dr. Shutt in the fourth season (“The Lung and the Restless”). His disclosure during his conversation with Dr. Shutt is integral from a thematic standpoint to the respective personal conflicts both characters are experiencing in the episode. Dr. Shutt is having an identity crisis because a brain aneurysm has left it impossible for him to perform surgery. Forced to slow down, he begins to realize he has sacrificed his personal life to pursue his career. Dr. Hancock is disillusioned when he discovers his political mentor, Bill Burke (Lawrence Pressman), wants to keep his black ancestry a secret to protect his political career when his daughter tests positive for the sickle cell gene. In the final scene of the episode, they are watching surgery in the observation deck when Dr. Shutt poses a question: “You know who you are outside of being a doctor?”

“I’m a guy who does charity,” Dr. Hancock replies, “restores antique cars, jogs ten miles a day, collects first editions, I’m gay.”

Dr. Hancock’s disclosure makes Dr. Shutt realize he hasn’t been paying enough attention to the world around him. “Wow. I really have not been at the party, have I?”

“No, but you’re here now. Welcome to it,” Dr. Hancock replies.

Like Dr. Hancock, ER’s Dr. Maggie Doyle (Jordan Fox) was not one of the series’s original characters (she was introduced as a new resident during the third season). Opinionated, competitive, sometimes to the point of being abrasive, she admits she has trouble dealing with authority. When she catches Dr. Carter’s eye, she shares her love of firearms by taking him to a shooting range (“Who’s Appy Now?”). During shooting practice, Dr. Doyle points out her “girlfriend” in the next stall, an ex-cop who is extremely jealous. Dr. Carter is mostly taken aback by the news she is gay and accidentally shoots out one of the lights. GLAAD media director Chastity Bono was more eloquent than Dr. Carter in her response to Dr. Doyle’s revelation, which she hoped would develop into a “strong plotline.”
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Unfortunately, Bono didn’t get her wish. Dr. Doyle’s sexuality was never fully explored and like many gay and lesbian characters, she inexplicably disappeared from the series during the fifth season.

ER
has featured a few other gay characters. The first was paramedic/EMT Raul Melendez (Carlos Gomez), the partner of Nurse Hathaway’s boyfriend, Ray “Shep” Shepherd (Ron Eldard). Raul’s sexuality is first revealed when desk clerk Randi Fronczak (Kristin Minter) comments to Hathaway and Shep that Raul is cute (“Dead of Winter”). Hathaway politely tells her she’s not his type. Shep’s response is far less subtle: “Ever dress up like a lumberjack? Longshoreman? Greco-Roman wrestler?” Shep’s kidding aside, it was refreshing to see a straight man and a gay man have a professional and personal relationship with the sexuality of the latter never being an issue.

Shep’s devotion to his partner is evident when Raul tragically dies after being burned over 90 percent of his body (“The Healers”). Shep blames himself for what happened because, instead of waiting for the fire department to arrive, he led Raul into the burning building to rescue three children. In an emotionally charged scene, a guilt-ridden Shep stays at his dying friend’s bedside and repeatedly tells him he’s sorry. Raul’s death leaves Shep with emotional scars that lead to his nervous breakdown, which puts an end to his relationship with Nurse Hathaway.

Another gay
ER
character is nurse Yosh Takada (Gede Watanabe), who for a time was the only gay Asian male on television. He’s a minor character, but like the other members of the ER nursing staff, he’s ever-present. He’s also subject to the occasional homophobic comment. In “Split Second,” a patient refers to him as a Chinese fag. (“Japanese,” says Yosh matter-of-factly). An obnoxious E.M.T refers to him as the “Cookie Fairy,” as he munches on the cookies Yosh baked for the doctors (“Hazed and Confused”). The E.M.T later explains to Dr. Greene he doesn’t mind if the guy is a “bone smoker. I was just joking with him like I would with anybody.”

In the Fall of 2000,
ER
introduced a strong storyline that lead to the coming out of Dr. Kerry Weaver. Like Dr. Hancock, Dr. Weaver’s personal life had always been something of an enigma. Although her abrasive, efficient, and at times patronizing manner continues to alienate people, her character has been softened since she debuted at the start of the second season. Weaver is finally given a personal life when she enters a lesbian relationship with psychiatrist Dr. Kim Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell). In “Rescue Me,” they go to dinner, which Dr. Legaspi mistakes as a “date.” Dr. Weaver tells her she is not gay, but it’s clear she is attracted to her. At the very least, it’s an honest portrayal of a woman who, by all accounts, is exploring the possibility of entering a physical relationship with another woman. She does eventually become involved with Dr. Legaspi, but they get off to a rocky start. Dr. Weaver is not totally comfortable being involved with a woman, and certainly not with going public about it. When Dr. Legaspi is falsely accused of sexual misconduct with a young, suicidal patient who caused a rail accident (“Witch Hunt”), Dr. Weaver, fearing their personal relationship will be revealed, doesn’t come to her defense. Dr. Legaspi has no choice but to break it off with Dr. Weaver.

In the wake of society’s (and television’s) changing attitudes, homosexuality was no longer being “treated” via the guise of a medical condition, like alcoholism, ulcers, or heart problems. Living in a more enlightened TV age, not only are doctors more prepared to “treat” their gay patients, but the patients themselves are more self-aware than their late-1970s counterparts in recognizing the “symptoms” (i.e. sexual attraction to other men). The patients are typically teenagers, who are worried that other people, particularly their families, will find out they’re gay.

In “It’s Not Easy Being Greene,”
ER’s
Dr. Ross checks out a teenage jock named Ray (Jonah Rooney), who comes in complaining of headaches. Dr. Ross can’t find anything physically wrong with him. Finally, Ray breaks down and admits he is gay. Instead of talking to the confused teenager himself, Dr. Ross lets someone from the psych unit handle it. When Nurse Adams (Yvette Freeman) asks him why he didn’t talk to the boy himself, Dr. Ross claims it’s outside his expertise; he also resents the implication he’s homophobic. The psychiatrist never arrives and when his father shows up, Ray pretends his headaches are from doing his math homework. Realizing he should have spoken to Ray himself, Dr. Ross tells the teen he’ll be around if he ever needs to talk.

In terms of Dr. Ross’s character, the point of the story is a little unclear. At first it seems Dr. Ross may indeed be a little uncomfortable dealing with the subject because he gets very defensive when he is questioned by Nurse Adams. On the other hand, there was never any indication in prior shows that he is homophobic. His professionalism is certainly not in question. Dr. Ross is constantly putting his job on the line by refusing to follow procedures if it is in the patient’s best interests. Perhaps the situation means to demonstrate how some doctors are unable to handle certain cases.

An even more complicated case awaits psychiatry intern Dr. Shutt when a 19-year-old Hasidic Jew, Jacob (Michael Goorjian) is admitted to Chicago Hope for obsessive-compulsive disorder (“Austin Space”). According to Dr. Shutt’s supervisor, Dr. Webber (Christine Tucci), Jacob’s compulsive behavior (he paces back and forth and tells bad Jewish jokes nonstop) can be found in young people from strict religious backgrounds. At first, Dr. Shutt assumes Jacob doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of his rabbi father (Arthur Rosenberg). On the contrary, Jacob wants nothing more than to be a rabbi, but he is afraid if he tells his father he’s gay, he’ll be rejected. When Jacob finally comes out, his father slaps him and begins lecturing Dr. Shutt about the Bible’s position on homosexuality. Dr. Shutt advises the rabbi not to allow religion to come between him and his son. The rabbi eventually comes around and agrees to seek family counseling. The episode’s religious angle on an otherwise familiar storyline is noteworthy because religion isn’t the villain. Once again, it simply becomes a matter of an individual trying to accept something which strongly defies his traditional beliefs.

Some kids have an even worse time of it. While riding with paramedics, ER’s Dr. Greene (Anthony Edwards) saves a badly beaten male prostitute (“Stuck on You”). 16-year-old Kevin Delaney (Chad E. Donella) suffers from blood clots due to a protein “s” deficiency in his blood, but he refuses to take his blood thinner because if he were to get hurt on the streets, he could bleed to death. The teenager is extremely flirtatious with Greene, suggesting he join him in the shower and making remarks like “You’re cute when you’re angry.” “Is that the only way you can relate to me,” Dr. Greene asks, “by turning me into a john?” Dr. Greene takes a genuine interest in the teen’s welfare, so when he discovers there’s a warrant out for his arrest, he gives him $50, his pager number, a list of shelters, and puts him in a cab.

In “The Domino Heart,” Dr. Greene once again takes a personal interest in a gay patient. Michael Mueller (Justin Louis) arrives in the ER after a car accident caused by a seizure while driving. Michael’s lover Curt (Hank Stratton), who was in the passenger seat, has only a minor cut on his forehead. Greene determines that Michael’s seizure was caused by an overdose of theophylline, which he takes to control his asthma. Dr. Greene suspects the overdose was intentional. Soon, Michael admits Curt has been beating him up over things like forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning. Each time Curt promises to never to do it again. Dr. Greene’s attempt to intervene fails and the two men leave the hospital.

Towards the end of the episode, they return. But this time it’s Curt who got hurt while loading bags into the back of the car and Michael “accidentally” put it in reverse. Dr. Greene manages to clear Michael’s name with the police. “I guess you got what you wanted,” Michael tells Dr. Greene. “I’ll be safe at home tonight.” Michael still refuses to talk to a social worker, but thanks Dr. Greene for his support.

Another medical issue that has gained national media attention in the past five years is intersexuality, a condition involving the “congenital anomaly of the reproductive and sexual system.”
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An intersexed individual is born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia, or an internal reproductive system that is not considered “standard” for either a male or a female. An estimated one out of every 1,500 infants born is intersexed, though the number is higher “if we include all children with what some physicians consider cosmetically ‘unacceptable’ genitalia.”
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Serious ethical and medical questions have been raised regarding the so-called “treatment” of intersexed individuals. Cheryl Chase, executive director of the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA), estimates nearly one of every 2,000 infants is subjected to cosmetic genital surgery. In the majority of cases, the procedure is “unnecessary. Outcomes are poor in functional, cosmetic, and emotional terms. Surgeries are often repeated, sometimes over a dozen times.”
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The main goal of the procedure, which is typically followed by hormonal treatments, is to assign a newborn with either a male or a female identity. Yet, the question remains: is the surgery in the child’s best interest or, as the ISNA claims, merely “a policy of pretending that our intersexuality has been medically eliminated?”
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In 1997, intersexuality received unprecedented media coverage in newspapers and magazines around the country.
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Network news magazine shows devoted segments to the subject, such as
Dateline NBC’s
“Gender Limbo” (1997), which features an interview with Chase, and ABC’s
Prime Time Live’s
“Boy or Girl?” (1997). The media’s interest in the topic was in part generated by the formation of the ISNA, which has raised society’s awareness of intersexual people by gaining the support of individuals in and outside the medical community, including activist groups like Transsexual Menace, GLAAD, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
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Prime time medical dramas like
Chicago Hope
and
ER
also responded with storylines about intersexual individuals. One of the earliest is a 1996 episode of
Chicago Hope
(“The Parent Rap”) in which a baby with ambiguous genitalia is born to a couple, Bob and Gail Broussard (Paul McCrane, Cynthia Lynch). Complications during delivery force the surgeon to perform a hysterectomy to save Gail’s life. Consequently, she will not be able to have other children. This upsets Bob, who wanted a son to carry on the family name.

So the Broussards consider their options. Constructive surgery can be performed, but only to give the infant female genitalia because the procedure to make the baby a male is too risky. Another possibility is to simply wait until the child develops rather than pre-determining its gender. The distraught couple also consider a third option — giving the baby up for adoption. In the end, they elect to go ahead with the surgery and make their child a female.

The episode effectively dramatizes the dilemma parents of intersexed infants face, though for dramatic purposes the writers throw some complications into the plot (the mother cannot have more children; surgery to make the infant a male cannot be performed) in order to limit their options. Still, the ISNA would not agree with the Broussards’ decision because they believe “no surgery should be performed unless it is absolutely necessary for the physical health and comfort of the intersexual child. We believe any surgery...should be deferred until the intersexual child is able to understand the risks and benefits of the proposed surgery and is able to provide appropriately informed consent.”
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The remaining episodes do not focus on newborns, but older children; typically the child who is unaware he or she is intersexual. On
ER
(“Masquerade”), Dr. Benton performs exploratory surgery on an 11-year-old girl and discovers she has “testicular feminization,” meaning she is genetically a male but developed external female sex organs, yet has no ovaries or uterus. The parents are referred to a genetics counselor and the fate of the child’s gender is unknown.

Chicago Hope
went one step further than the
ER
story line with an episode that explores intersexuality from the patient’s point-of-view. In “Boys Will Be Girls,” Dr. McNeil (Mark Harmon) discovers his female patient, Deborah (Mae Elvis), was actually born a boy. Deborah’s mother (Christine Estabrook) reveals to Dr. McNeil that a doctor botched her son’s circumcision. The hospital convinced the couple that the best course of action was to raise their son as a girl. Now Deborah, who never received female hormones when he reached puberty, is a confused teenager who wants to be a boy and doesn’t know why.

When Deborah learns the truth, he is happy, especially when Dr. McNeil and Dr. Hanlon (Lauren Holly) tell him there’s a procedure that can be performed to reconstruct his penis. But his parents object, so Chicago Hope is forced to take them to court.

On the stand, Deborah explains she could “never be the daughter that her parents always wanted.” The judge rules in his favor, but Deborah hesitates about going ahead with the procedure for fear his parents will reject him. The parents eventually consent and Deborah’s dream finally comes true.

GLAAD praised “Boys Will Be Girls” for its “uncommonly sophisticated and nuanced look at gender identity and sexual orientation.” Although the organization felt that the episode “overstates the ease with which Deborah’s male physiology is restored,” they considered it a “ground breaking” look at gender reassignment.
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The episode also exemplifies how much progress has been made since the days Dr. Welby and Dr. Gannon were doing hospital rounds, in both the medical field and the medical drama, and in regard to cases involving gender identity and sexual orientation.