SOAP ENDS GAY STORYLINE

There’s been disappointment at news that a groundbreaking gay storyline in the US soap opera One Life to Live will come to an end.

This was revealed shortly before the show won a Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) award on the weekend for its positive representation of gay characters.

Producers announced last week: “We are concluding the story that we set out to tell with Kyle and Fish. We are very proud to have broken new ground with a same sex couple on daytime.”

While they said that the move was consistent with the natural ending of storylines on the show, there has been speculation that the gay romance between the characters played by Scott Evans and Brett Claywell was seen as causing a slide in the ratings.

GLAAD called for the continuation of the storyline and spoke out on the importance of presenting fair and accurate media images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

“While we understand that the close of storylines is a frequent occurrence on daytime dramas, canceling this story just as it gains momentum is a step backward in ABC Daytime’s representation of the lives of gay Americans”, said Jarrett Barrios, President of GLAAD.

GLAAD said that it had spoken to ABC Daytime to voice its concerns over the issue.

“We remain disappointed that ABC Daytime has chosen to stop sharing this powerful story with viewers of One Life to Live. GLAAD will continue to advocate that in the near future producers and writers at ABC Daytime incorporate gay and transgender characters in their programming.”