Exclusive: Stephen Dunn on why Queer as Folk had to ‘deal with the reality of America’
Queer as Folk creator Stephen Dunn explained why the show’s title is an “incredibly powerful” reclamation of what was once a homophobic slur and why the series “dealt with the real issues of what it is to be queer” so boldly.
Last year, the NBC-owned streaming platform Peacock revealed that it would be creating a new version of the British drama. It served as a revival of the series created by Russell T Davies, which revolved around three gay men living in Manchester.
The success of the original show spawned an American reboot that was set in Pittsburgh and aired on Showtime in the early 2000s.
Two decades later, Dunn’s creation has pushed the series in a new direction while staying true to what fans originally loved about it. “Well, Queer as Folk has really always historically dealt with the real issues of what it is to be queer,” he told GAY TIMES. “I mean, we actually are almost picking up where the American version left off in a way because it ends with an attack on Babylon. “I hate that the show is as relevant as it is, but I think it’s still an incredibly important story to tell because we are living in this time right now.
