Watching ‘Queer as Folk’ but Craving ‘Heartstopper’
nytimes.comI’ve been watching gay television since Steven Carrington was a ’mo on “Dynasty.” I cried when a gay son died of AIDS in “An Early Frost,” rejoiced when Jack slipped Ethan the tongue on “Dawson’s Creek” and melted as Patrick married David on that other “Creek” — Schitt’s.
Then there was “Queer as Folk.” I came of age as a gay man watching two versions: The 10-episode original that first aired in Britain in 1999 and the five-season American remake that premiered a year later on Showtime.
I’d never seen anything like it. Some of the actors were gay and others were not, and people debated whether that was good or bad. (They still do.) The American version was on a major cable outlet.
Both versions had ensembles of gay characters who were in their late 20s like me. We were gay and urban and went on wonderful dates with terrible guys and had robust sex lives.
