Days: Will & Chad

[bellcurve]

Wow. Call it a kneejerk reaction, but how the hell is exploring a character's sexuality or writing them as gay "devaluing" them?

People have acknowledged the chemistry between the two actors. If this were a male and female couple that had "off the charts" chemistry, people wouldn't hesitate to say, "Pair them, pair them, pair them." I think the idea that making a character gay on a soap devalues them is rather quick and dare I say cheap and tacky assessment.

[juniorz1]

+10

[Eric83]

+1.

And this show has like what? 2 or 3 years left? Who cares about Will being needed for the future, the show is going to die in a few years anyway. I think they have chemistry, and while making both gay may be a little far-fetched I see no reason why Will couldn't be made gay. The way he has been written since he returned last year could certainly line up with it, if need be. If Erica [!@#$%^&*] Kane can have a gay child then why can't Sami Brady?

Making a character gay doesn't "devalue" them, I am not saying you are homophobic ZendallFan, but that just doesn't make any kind of sense at all. Has Bianca and/or Luke from ATWT been devalued in any way? Doesn't seem that way to me, TPTB just have to show a commitment to them.

[All My Shadows]

Wow...okay, I consider myself pretty open-minded in every way, so I can entertain this notion that Will needs to be straight so that he can keep the show populated self-righteous Bradys (granted, I think it's rubbish, but I can at least get the line of thought there without thinking it's homophobic). But WTF, "devalue" him? I'm not even completely sure what that means.

I...don't want to jump to conclusions here, but... Okay, if a soap character is "devalued" because he/she can't have kids and keep the family lines going, then would you say that a real, living, breathing person is also "devalued" for the same reason?

ETA: And besides, DAYS is overdue for a LGBT angle. Will and/or Stephanie have always been my preference. But please, NOT Carly.

[Bright Eyes]

Plus, there's always adoption. Which can lead to even more diversity on the show if the characters were to eventully adopt from Africa, Asia, South America etc ...

[Eric83]

On DAYS???

[Bright Eyes]

Wanting Will and Chad to happen on Days is just, if not more, ignorant. But we all have our things.

[Eric83]

I want it to happen, but I know it won't. I was just kidding in that other post, no biggie.

[dragonflies]

How is it exploring their sexuality when there's been no hint of it, at least with Chad?

If they're reduced to being the token gay charcters on the show and being gay just for the sake of being so, it devalues them. Just like if GH or any ABC soaps hires a minority just so they say their soap is diverse, it devalues that character. That's a big complaint on this very board by certain posters in this very thread that soaps hire mintorities just as the token black character, or token latino character., and whatnot. Why suddenly the double standard?

Seriously some just want these two be gay just because they have chemistry. So what. Lots of females have chemistry with each other, as do males. You don't make them gay for the hell of it.

[YRBB]

+1

plus

+1

for a total of 2 pluses.

[All My Shadows]

Okay, I think I understand your point a bit more, and it does make sense. Yes, if Will (or anyone else) were to go through the usual "OMG I'm gay!?!?!?!?!" storyline, he would most likely be backburnered immediately after the publicity dies down. But, IMO, there'll never be an improvement over being just a token if there isn't a character out there who's gonna rise above token status.

I don't think anyone wants it to be that way, we all wish it wasn't, so when we play around with the idea that a character could be gay, it's in the mindset that the story would be different and better than most of what we've seen in that arena in the past. But like it's already been said in this thread, it's silly, almost ignorant, to think that DAYS would even go there, much less go there and do it some real justice.

Chemistry comes from somewhere, and if it's not just "Gee, you're just such a great friend!" chemistry, then I see no reason why TPTB shouldn't pursue it. Even if it's just an acknowledgment of how "close" the two are without going any further than that.

Of course, for me, the bigger picture is that I just wish society as a whole would allow itself to get rid of this silly idea that sexual and romantic attraction are these rigid, set in stone concepts that can never be changed or transformed over time. It's learned behavior just like everything else people do.

Early 70s DAYS would have tackled this psychosexual sh!t like a linebacker.

[Jane1978]

I think it devalues them because it isolates them into a different character pool forever. Gay Will cannot just simply have an affair with his brother fiance because that brother would have to be gay as well. And he cannot get involved with some established character with history on the show either, because again, that character would have to be a gay as well and in that case the show would soon have to be turn into "Gays of Our Lives". From writers/producers standpoint it´s just extremely unpracticall and limiting.

For example look at Phillip´s history. Ok, Chloe was created just to be paired with him, so if he was gay there could be some new gay character to replace her as well. But what about the triangle with Brady? You see, we are aleady getting into a trouble, because either Brady would have to be gay too, or the show would have create some gay newbie to replace him in the triangle but we all know how the viewers tend to dislike newbie characters with no strong roots to the main Salem families. And next Phillip also fell madly in love and was in a triangle with Belle, another key family descendant, who was also his best friend´s girlfriend and soulmate. In order to make this story work for gay Phillip, we would already have to turn all important characters around him into gays as well. Even poor Morgan was first created as a temporarily love interest for Max and rival for Steph before she got involved with Phillip. And of course, Stephanie was already three years on the show and had two serious love interest before Phillip even laid her eyes on her.

Now try to imagine how little the show could do if Phillip was introduced as gay. Even if he had absolutely wonderfull chemistry with his gay Chloe replacement, as soon as that initial story would be over he would have very little to do. Even now hetero Phillip can still get involved with almost anyone, from Mel to Nicol. But gay Phillip would be forever limited to its token gay loveinterest or (most likely) written out years ago.

It´s all about the shows logistic and writing 101. As writer you want to keep open as much possibilities as possible and making the character gay is just the exact opposite. Heck, the show is even trying to forget Phillip lost one of its leg, another example of daring decision which seemed smart and inovative at one time, but is just a source of troubles and has to be constantly written around now.

[J.W.S]

Why Cant Will & Chad Be attracted To Each Other & also women which would make them BI-SEXUAL & Bi-sexuals exist and Id Love to see some on Daytime

[bellcurve]

But that's not a gay or black character on a soap being devalued, that's the show and their ignorant fans devaluing THEM and the contributions THEY could make to the canvas.

Maybe there's a different way you could have worded this, but I find a big problem with someone saying that a "gay/bi/whatever" person has "less-value" because they've come out as such or happens to have a gay experience. If the story is there and so is the chemistry, then why not go for it?

Yeah, and AS I WAS SAYING in the earlier post, plenty of males and females have chemistry with each other...doesn't mean they should be paired for the sake of being paired. Including your precious namesake.

Days sucks so bad right now that it's not as if Chad and Will are 100% defined. Hell, if a man in real life decides that they like men early on in their life or later in life does that devalue them as a person?

I don't think you realize just how completely ignorant and out of touch that sounded. I'm far from being a champion for the gay mafia, but to say that making two ill-defined male characters who clearly have chemistry and an interesting backstory gay or bi devalues them is the most blatant passive-aggressive homophobia I've seen on this board in quite a bit.

Again, typical eye-rolling, embarrassing homophobia.

Why would Will coming out as gay or bi separate him and put him in a different character pool? You're acting as if the only stories that can ever be told on a TV show have to be ridiculous love triangles, paternity scandals, etc. Why can't Will be in a triangle where the endgame is Chad or being alone and driven by revenge? Alone Will can scheme after feeling jilted(like his mother felt all throughout the 90's with Austin/Carrie and later Franco) and make Chad's life a living hell as well as his mother and EJ's lives.

It's interesting that some people's shock value reply to making a character gay is, "Oh man, f*ggots and d*kes are gonna be everywhere! EEEEEEEK! Don't let them ruin our DAYS!" Well, NewsFlash, the show sucks with or without exploring the chemistry these two actors share. And as I said before, if this were a guy and a girl, you'd be chanting for the both of them to be together.

Bottom line is that going in for the "Chill" wouldn't be that jarring because it's not like either one of these guys has been in a viable supercouple pairing.

And as far as the whole, "They're straight, they're straight. They've had girlfriends. There's no way they could ever be gay!," HA, I guess because he says it that means that it's gospel? It's non-progressive attitudes like the ones mentioned in this thread and the ones had by other fans and the executives that share such ridiculous views that have caused gay characters(and other minorities) to be devalued. Revealing that a character has come out or exploring chemistry between two people of the same sex does not "devalue" them. Close-minded people do.

"Writing 101"(how cliché BTW) teaches you to explore every single facet and area of a character's life. If it's plausible that Chad and Will could be gay, have a gay experience, or even have a deep connection that isn't physical or sexual but is an attraction that goes beyond friendship, why not explore that? "Writing 101" has taught me that if the elements of the story are there, if the chemistry between the actors is there, and if it's plausible and realistic enough, then go for it. Based on my own experiences and what I know, I say it's quite plausible that "Chill" would happen.

The only thing I read from that little "example" you scripted Professor Jane is the typical asinine bullsh!t DAYS has been churning out for years now. And that is not "Writing 101." That's a class called "How to write the typical asinine nonsense with the same asinine straight characters and using those asinine examples as to why two teenaged boys would never take it to the next level because, let's face it, no two teenaged boys have ever done that before because if they say they're straight then they totally, totally are."

[All My Shadows]

What I don't get...is a soap family can be loaded down with murderers, adulterers, criminals, and all-around shady people, and nobody thinks "Oh, there's gonna be too many murderers on the show," but if there's just one gay character, either male or female, in every major family on a soap, then oh, tha-that's just too much, it's, it's, it's implausible.

Damn right it's a stretch and just a little preposterous, but so is having all of these soapy happenings happen to the same people over and over and over again. I don't personally ask for every soap to focus predominantly on gay relationships, but I would at least like a little thing called variety in the stories so that they reflect different realities just a little bit.

And besides, even if they did have to keep creating new characters for a gay character to have romances with, what's the problem with that? In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, when soaps usually focused on just one or two families, characters mainly had romances with new characters who were written in. If the writers could do their jobs and write some good story and create interesting characters, it wouldn't matter one lick if they were so-and-so's son or nephew or grandson or cousin.

But it's <DeeeDee>WITCHCRAFT</DeeeDee>, I know. Young, handsome non-effeminate soap stud has to fall for gorgeous soap babe. Again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. All media is like that really. Soaps, primetime dramas, sitcoms, movies, reality shows, even commercials. And it's just sad that we're at the point where a just a mention of it not happening that way is automatically dismissed as wishful thinking because "nah, they won't go there." It f'n sucks, and it's part of the reason why LGBT teens kill themselves.

Just thinking about it gets me hot.