Another sort of sex, another sort of city

Showtime unveils 'Queer as Folk'

Showtime's "Queer As Folk" follows the story of five gay men and a lesbian couple living in Pittsburgh

By Jodi Ross
CNN Showbiz Today Correspondent

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Do you think "Sex and the City" is graphic? The folks at Showtime have something coming that may alter your perceptions.

On Sunday, the channel debuts "Queer as Folk," a ground-breaking, no-holds barred series based on the controversial, award-winning British show of the same name.

This series leaves nothing in the closet. "Queer as Folk" takes an unflinching look at the contemporary gay lifestyle through the eyes of five gay men and a lesbian couple living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The show deals with all aspects of gay life -- work, family and friends -- but what's really raising eyebrows is the unblinking portrayal of sex.

VIDEO Watch a clip from Showtime's 'Queer as Folk' Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

"It (the sex scenes) was not for shock value. I think it was to tell the truth," co-producer Ron Cowen says. "I think a lot of what we see on TV portrays gay people as eunuchs or clowns, or as victims of AIDS, or being punished for being sexual or tortured teens. We're not doing any of that."

Another first for "Queer as Folk" is that it airs on American TV the first explicit sex scene between a 29-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy.

The scene was no problem for its stars.

"I felt they (scenes) were justified by the text, and I had done sex scenes before in theater. No, I wasn't (uncomfortable)," says Randy Harrison, who plays 17-year-old Justin.

	MEET THE 'FOLKS'
Michael (Hal Sparks). He's Brian's best friend, the boy next door -- with an emphasis on 'boy.' He loves comic books and, though he won't admit it, Brian.

"It's only racy because people are seeing something they don't normally have the opportunity to see," says Gale Harrold, who plays the older Brian. "But I think what's really more the point is that it's a chance for people who've never been able to see themselves and be proud of themselves, because we're not sad and we're not suffering.

Most of the cast members are openly gay, but the ones who are straight make it known.

"I make a really strong point of that only because maybe it'll help the straight audience warm up to this easier, " confesses Hal Sparks, former star of E!'s Talk Soup. "Plus, I don't want to lead anybody on. I don't want to be coy and go, 'Oh, I might be gay,' and then have an audience look for that and go, 'He was bull-----ing us.'"

Gay issues, characters, join prime time
October 16, 2000

Queer as Folk

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