GLAAD expresses measured enthusiasm for new fall TV season

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation on Monday released its annual analysis of the network television season and its inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered characters, and while noting that "broadcast networks have a long way to go to reflect the full diversity of the LGBT community," GLAAD sees the depiction of gay couples in long-term relationships in It's All Relative (ABC) and A Minute With Stan Hooper (Fox) as a step in the right direction. "For the first time on a broadcast network, the real-life experience of thousands of gay and lesbian families will be mirrored on television," said GLAAD executive director Joan Garry in the report. "My partner of 22 years and I can finally look at our three children and tell them there is a family on television that looks like us." The GLAAD report also cites the new series Coupling (NBC) and Two and a Half Men (CBS) for including a bisexual character and a lesbian character, respectively.