"The Truth About Television..."

I was thinking about the television show, "Will & Grace" just the other day, and I remembered how important it was to me.  That I watched the program every week was a secret about my own secret.  I never talked to anyone about it and I always watched it alone.  The next day, I never shared those "did you see? moments with friends and coworkers.  But I never missed an episode, I still have the videotapes of episodes I couldn't watch because of work conflicts or other reasons.

Although the program was filled with flawed stereotypes (and what show isn't?) that were even protested by gays at the time, I was mesmerized by it.  It offered a still "self-denying me" a glimpse into a world where gay people weren't afraid to be "gay."  More importantly, "Will & Grace" shattered the stereotype that had helped to keep me in the closet (even to myself) - If you were gay, you could never know "real love."

On a Sunday, just a few months ago, Vice President Joe Biden had this to say, when he made his now famous declaration that he was "absolutely comfortable" with same-sex marriage:

“I think ‘Will and Grace’ probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody’s ever done so far,” Biden said. “And I think — people fear that which is different. Now they’re beginning to understand.”

For me, watching Will Truman navigate the risky waters of being a proud and openly gay man while seeking "love" was something that opened up a world of new possibilities to my own mind... It helped me to think and believe that the precious desires of my own heart - my longing to find and know love, were good and natural and indeed, possible - something that I hadn't believed until then...  That a television program could have such a remarkable effect on anyone is astonishing, but in a very real way, "Will & Grace" helped me to open the closet door that had held me a prisoner for my entire life.

"Fear Eats the Soul"