this is NOT a coming out story. at all.

The only aspect you have to offer is it has to come out that adam fucked rafe. How is that a coming out story? it also has to come out that he did this to ashley, is that a coming out storyline? Sharons baby daddy has to come out too, is that a coming out story?

It isnt a cming out story because Adam isnt gay. he isnt bi. he is [!@#$%^&*] a guy to make himf all for him so he can use him.

Im sorry, how is that a coming out storyline? And how has that been done on daytime before? I am all for bashing this story, but come on....

He's hiding a piece of his sexuality, something he is sexually willing to do, from others and from his own girlfriend.

Does Heather know he has bisexual tendencies, even if it is for personal gain and not for pleasure? I don't know too many women, metropolitan or otherwise, who would appreciate something like that being kept from them.

It IS a coming out story. Eventually someone will find out about Adam/Rafe and Adam, who is leading this double life, will have to admit that he slept with Rafe.

And how do we know he ISN'T bi? Lots of guys who have sex with men on a regular basis say they're not gay or bi that they are only straight, but does that make it so?

He's hiding a piece of his sexuality, something he is sexually willing to do, from others and from his own girlfriend.

Does Heather know he has bisexual tendencies, even if it is for personal gain and not for pleasure? I don't know too many women, metropolitan or otherwise, who would appreciate something like that being kept from them.

It IS a coming out story. Eventually someone will find out about Adam/Rafe and Adam, who is leading this double life, will have to admit that he slept with Rafe.

And how do we know he ISN'T bi? Lots of guys who have sex with men on a regular basis say they're not gay or bi that they are only straight, but does that make it so?

I guess we just see it differently.

He isnt hookinh up with adam for fun or because he is attracted to him. He is [!@#$%^&*] him to further his agenda. Doiesnt make him gay, doesnt make him bi, doesnt even make him curious. I know plent of gay men who have fucked women, doesnt make them str8. doesnt make them bi. doesnt make them curious.

I dont think admitting to [!@#$%^&*] someone is a coming out story.

I guess we dont know if he is or isnt bi, but it hasnt been showen that way. Its clear, to me anyways, that the nly reason he is doing it is to protect himself and further his agenda.

Sexuality isnt based on whom you [!@#$%^&*]; its who you are attracted too.

Okay, but it's not a conventional coming out story. Or at least yet. Who knows what will happen with this silly plot? Why all the hate? LoL.

Y&R's very first same sex story should have been between two gay people. They could have given Rafe a boyfriend for a few months, then they break up, and THEN Rafe is vulnerable to Adam. Making this story the first same sex story is in poor taste. The whole show in poor taste though so it's of a piece.

Sexuality isnt based on whom you [!@#$%^&*]; its who you are attracted too.

Yikes. Well isn't ***k a synonym for sex?

Okay, but it's not a conventional coming out story. Or at least yet. Who knows what will happen with this silly plot? Why all the hate? LoL.

I'm hating on this story because of Maria making promises to the press that she cannot deliver. And not only about this story, but about everything.

She wanted to take us out of the "wonky" directions of the stories from the previous regime(LML). Well, what do you call another go-round of Nick/Phyllis/Sharon/Jack? A loser character like Deacon Sharpe coming to Genoa City? This boring art story?

And the Adam/Rafe thing is just icing on the cake. Maria said she's bored of the "coming out story." Well what the hell do you call this? It's a new spin on it, but it's still the same washing machine.

I see both sides, but who we're in 2009 now. I don't care for Y&R to take the slow conservative approach even if its there first story. I would eventually like to see Rafe get a boyfriend, but I don't mind the way the story was introduced. At least right now it's miles better than GH's Lucas.

Yikes. Well isn't ***k a synonym for sex?

I'm hating on this story because of Maria making promises to the press that she cannot deliver. And not only about this story, but about everything.

She wanted to take us out of the "wonky" directions of the stories from the previous regime(LML). Well, what do you call another go-round of Nick/Phyllis/Sharon/Jack? A loser character like Deacon Sharpe coming to Genoa City? This boring art story?

And the Adam/Rafe thing is just icing on the cake. Maria said she's bored of the "coming out story." Well what the hell do you call this? It's a new spin on it, but it's still the same washing machine.

Yep, I've been saying this for a while now. This show is LML-lite, the only difference is the slower pace, better production, and better acting for the most part.

Edited June 25, 200916 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

Y&R's very first same sex story should have been between two gay people...

But that's not sensational enough! Two interesting gay people, secure in each other, in love and not just baking cookies, hugging each other in public and in private in lieu of a kiss, jumping up and down on the bed, and uttering crap like "I'm so glad we waited."

I'm hating on this story because of Maria making promises to the press that she cannot deliver. And not only about this story, but about everything.

And the Adam/Rafe thing is just icing on the cake. Maria said she's bored of the "coming out story." Well what the hell do you call this? It's a new spin on it, but it's still the same washing machine.

Not really. I loved the way MAB handled Rafe revealing he was gay. Everybody was speculating for weeks, and it happened in such a nonchalant and tasteful way like it should be. I don't think MAB is putting a spin on anything. When people hear "coming out" they think Luke/Noah, or Bianca from AMC, not what Adam is doing. The story is doomed anyway, cause I really don't see Y&R audience giving a damn about this no matter how it's introduced. Time will tell I guess.

But that's not sensational enough! Two interesting gay people, secure in each other, in love and not just baking cookies, hugging each other in public and in private in lieu of a kiss, jumping up and down on the bed, and uttering crap like "I'm so glad we waited."

This goes into the anti-Nuke barb hall of fame.

Y&R's very first same sex story should have been between two gay people. They could have given Rafe a boyfriend for a few months, then they break up, and THEN Rafe is vulnerable to Adam. Making this story the first same sex story is in poor taste. The whole show in poor taste though so it's of a piece.

I would have just settled for Rafe being someone we slowly got to know and care about, and who had some type of motivations and purpose. The way the story is now, I think in some way is more conservative than if we had known Rafe and seen him develop, because this way, viewers can just see being gay as something shocking, or wrong, or as something that makes you weak. The viewer can be so disconnected from the story that they can still feel comfortable with a negative view of homosexuality.

I just love the hell out of Yani Gellman, and I cna't wait to see more of him! He's the most gorgeous thing this show has seen in YEARS!

I dunno. Honestly, Y&R is still miles above other soaps, and its current problems are like picking nits in comparison with, say, ATWT or GH (or Days, which is really frigging overrated these days, being no better than it was during the end of JER's final run, IMO). That doesn't mean it doesn't suck in a lot of ways, though. That being said, I don't think everyone would be happy with ANY gay story. At all. Why should it be completely well-told and non-exploitive when no other stories seem to be?

He's hiding a piece of his sexuality, something he is sexually willing to do, from others and from his own girlfriend.

Does Heather know he has bisexual tendencies, even if it is for personal gain and not for pleasure? I don't know too many women, metropolitan or otherwise, who would appreciate something like that being kept from them.

It IS a coming out story. Eventually someone will find out about Adam/Rafe and Adam, who is leading this double life, will have to admit that he slept with Rafe.

And how do we know he ISN'T bi? Lots of guys who have sex with men on a regular basis say they're not gay or bi that they are only straight, but does that make it so?

I suspect he's straight as an arrow. He's just f*cking to get away with something. Dudes do in prison all the time. They're not gay. They're holding their nose and using the most convenient receptacle.

In this case, it is not even a need for sexual release. It is about disarming a potential threat. This is NOT a gay story. Or a bi story. And I won't believe it is until I see that it is. I think this is another beautiful red herring. People are keeping their eyes on Adam for the "gay" story, but I'll bet the real gay story is around the corner, and has nothing to do with Adam.

The notion that Adam might f*ck Rafe just to shut him up...I'm loving that idea with everything!

I guess we just see it differently.

He isnt hookinh up with adam for fun or because he is attracted to him. He is [!@#$%^&*] him to further his agenda. Doiesnt make him gay, doesnt make him bi, doesnt even make him curious. I know plent of gay men who have fucked women, doesnt make them str8. doesnt make them bi. doesnt make them curious.

I dont think admitting to [!@#$%^&*] someone is a coming out story.

I guess we dont know if he is or isnt bi, but it hasnt been showen that way. Its clear, to me anyways, that the nly reason he is doing it is to protect himself and further his agenda.

Sexuality isnt based on whom you [!@#$%^&*]; its who you are attracted too.

To use a MUCH MUCH overused phrase around here, "Amen"!

Y&R's very first same sex story should have been between two gay people. They could have given Rafe a boyfriend for a few months, then they break up, and THEN Rafe is vulnerable to Adam. Making this story the first same sex story is in poor taste. The whole show in poor taste though so it's of a piece.

Why do people keep calling this Y&R's very first same sex story?

Katherine and Joanne, 1976-1977.

As a reminder, here is what Sara Bibel wrote:

It was 1977. There were only three television networks. The sexual revolution was migrating from its young, urban roots to the suburbs. (For a fictional representation of this era, check out episodes of Swingtown on this site.) In primetime, CBS featured "edgy" Norman Lear sitcoms such as All In The Family that frequently, and heavy handedly, tackled social issues. It was also the year Three's Company debuted on ABC, titillating audiences with its main character who pretended to be gay so he could share an apartment with two straight women. (Am I the only one who never understood this premise?) Homosexuality had been classified as a psychological disorder until 1973. Prejudice against gay people was the norm in many parts of the country.

In daytime, The Young & The Restless was popular but not yet the number one show. The series had already tackled social issues including rape and alcoholism. The show made the bold decision to have Katherine Chancellor, lonely after the death of her beloved Phillip, start to develop romantic feelings for her friend and roommate Joanne Curtis. I assumed that the intent of the story, in addition to exploring Katherine's emotional state, was to educate the audience. According to Alden, it was also about ratings. "The idea was to attract the avant garde viewers. Soap operas, at the time, had a very conservative Midwestern audience. I did a lot of research. Cosmopolitan magazine had a lot of articles about lesbianism at the time." (While today Cosmo is not well respected, in the 1970s, Helen Gurley Brown's version of magazine was influential. It encouraged young women to enjoy being single and explore their sexuality. Lesbianism was presented as another lifestyle choice, along with open relationships and one night stands.)

I wondered how Y&R convinced CBS that the time was right for the story. "We didn't tell the network in advance," explained Alden. "Back then we didn't have to get stories approved."

As one of the youngest members of the writing staff, Alden spearheaded the story. "This was not an idea Bill Bell would have thought of on his own." Alden, living in Southern Missouri at the time, was interested in fully telling Kay and Joanne's story but sensitive to how carefully the show had to tread with potentially controversial material.

According to Alden, the story was played very subtly. There was no overt dialogue or physicality. In fact, the show didn't expect viewers to have an inkling of where the plot was headed. Instead, the moment Kay touched Joanne's hand, "You could hear television sets clicking off all across America," recalled Alden. "The audience knew exactly what was going on. It was one of the most remarkable experiences of my career. At no other time can I remember an instant ratings drop because of a single storyline." The show quickly wrapped up the story, with Kay's son Brock confronting her about her feelings and Joann leaving town.

Y&R had miscalculated. Instead of drawing in new viewers, the show had alienated many of the viewers it already had. Eventually, the show's ratings rebounded. But it would be years before another soap would dare to tackle a gay storyline and decades before a gay character would be allowed to have a love interest.

THAT's the first gay story.

Not really. I loved the way MAB handled Rafe revealing he was gay. Everybody was speculating for weeks, and it happened in such a nonchalant and tasteful way like it should be. I don't think MAB is putting a spin on anything. When people hear "coming out" they think Luke/Noah, or Bianca from AMC, not what Adam is doing. The story is doomed anyway, cause I really don't see Y&R audience giving a damn about this no matter how it's introduced. Time will tell I guess.

I agree about Rafe. I honestly think that part of this story is the initial victimization of Rafe.

Through that, if he plays truly hurt, we'll start to care about him. And from that, we'll be ready for genuine love to enter his life. And THAT, I think, with the "genuine love" being a member of a core family, will be the real story.

Edited June 25, 200916 yr by MarkH

Yeah, and that "first" gay story is accused of tanking the show's ratings, who is to say that won't happen now, especially when some gays already do not like this storyline as well?

As for Rafe shutting up because of Adam f.ucking him? Blech. He's shutting up while his aunt, who he says is practically like a mother to him, is rotting away in prison? How heartless and ungrateful can he be in this situation? He's apparently known Estella all his life and they're obviously very close, and Rafe has been nothing but an upstanding and ethical guy so far. I hate this total 180 and I find it hard to believe that anyone would do that to their family, not even for a crush or for great sex.

That's the big problem with Y&R these days, they dumb a whole bunch of characters down to fit a storyline.

Edited June 25, 200916 yr by Y&RWorldTurner