Subtle Support Speaks Volumes

A half dozen years or so ago I moved. Not far, just a few miles, but far enough I had to switch cable companies. The new company was not only far more expensive, but in a word their service sucked. So, I got rid of them and went to online viewing or watching a show when the DVDs were available.

This led to me discovering, or in a few cases, rediscovering some great television. There were shows I’d started watching and then lost track of, so I went back and started my viewing from the show’s start.

One gem I rediscovered was an original show produced and aired on the SyFy Channel—one of my favorite viewing places—by the name of Warehouse 13 . This show appeals to me on multiple levels. One of the characters hails from my part of the world (mid-western USA) and there are references to Ohio in general and Cleveland in particular which simply tickle me.

The mix of characters is fun and they interact well with one another and the premise, while a treasure hunt, has an interesting and unique twist. Each episode is based around a hunt for what is called an artifact. These artifacts are imbued with some special power and connected to some historical figure or event. Once bagged in special purple containers the artifacts are safely stored in The Warehouse.

The manner in which these artifacts are created, used and tracked down is creative, interesting and entertaining. Warehouse 13 is one of those shows that is plain, good fun.

Those facts alone were enough to keep me watching episode after episode. Warehouse 13’s creators and writers do something else I rarely see on the big or little screen, or in print for that matter. They address some of today’s social issues, offering support and in such a lovely way it’s inspirational.

Using some entertainment medium is hardly a new and innovative means of commenting on the social issues of the day. That’s been going on since cave drawings. What makes Warehouse 13 unique, and in my opinion far more effective, is their presentation.

Some of the story lines revolve around a famous person or persons who were or are homosexual. In the most recent season, three, there was a gay man added to the regular cast as one of the federal agents working in The Warehouse. Often some part of the background includes things such as a banner for a GLBT convention.

Warehouse 13 supports, among other things, the GLBT community by making the fact some people in this world are born homosexual uneventful, commonplace and a matter of fact part of life.

I won’t go into the storyline of the added character that is a gay man, so no spoilers. What I want to focus more on is how the other characters perceived him. There was none of the nonsense of him having to prove even though he is gay he’s like everyone else. There are no gasps of horror from the others, there is almost no lip service given to the fact he’s gay beyond his announcement. The other characters are more concerned with the fact he can do the job, is dependable and skilled.

This guy is a member of The Warehouse team, he’s the new guy, a former police officer, and oh yeah, he’s gay. His being gay is treated no differently than aspects of the other characters’ lives. That is the most wonderful thing about this show, one character happens to be gay, another had mental issues, another is slow to trust, in short regular things about regular people.

That sort of mentality is something that appeals to me and inspires me. Why, in the various forms of entertainment does a homosexual person have to struggle and why does their homosexuality have to be the story?

Well, it doesn’t.

There are many gifted writers who tell wonderful, meaningful stories about what it’s like to be a boy or girl growing up homosexual and what it’s like to struggle with their sexuality. Many authors take readers inside the worlds of people coming to grips with the fact they are gay, how their families react, how their friends react, how their bosses react.

I’m not one of them.

My favorite types of stories, be they in print or on film, are those with action, or a good alien invasion, car chases and explosions. I like a plot that includes humor as well as angst.

I’d also like to see a world where the color of one’s skin or their sexual orientation or any number of other things people discriminate against no longer exists. This is the type of world Warehouse 13 tries to present.

While writing my first M/M book I made a conscious choice to create worlds and scenarios for my characters where the fact they’re homosexual isn’t the issue. There are other issues of course, but struggling to live lives together as a gay couple isn’t one of them. Being gay in my books is nothing more noteworthy than having brown hair; it’s who these men are.

The men in my books fight the forces of evil, go exploring and fight in wars, oh yeah and they happen to be gay. I feel that as a writer, that is something I should promote, a world where equality is reality.

I’d love to know your opinion, especially on Warehouse 13 and its version of subtle support and activism. If you haven’t seen the show, I hope you check it out. As for my books, well I hope you check those out too. Mention in your comments if you’d like to be entered in a drawing to win any one of my eBooks.

This way to my list of books and links to excerpts and reviews.

This post is part of YAM's wonderful week long Blog-a-thon!