Shameless Gay Teen the Anti-Kurt

By Advocate.com Editors

As gay teen Ian Gallagher on the new Showtime series Shameless, 17-year-old Cameron Monaghan says his character is the anti–Kurt Hummel. His character smokes pot, is obsessed with porn, and occasionally screws his married, Muslim boss.

“He’s the anti-stereotype,” Gallagher says. “He never does anything that’s stereotypically perceived as 'gay.' He’s tough, he’s street smart, and he’s pretty much unlike any gay teenager on television right now.”

The show, about a lower-income family including William H. Macy as the alcoholic father and Emmy Rossum as the smart, slutty sister, is raising eyebrows before premiering for its provocative content. But Monaghan says as an actor — even one who’s not yet legal — he had no qualms about taking on such an in-your-face role.

“I’m always happy to support the gay community. Ian’s a really fantastic part. A non-stereotypical part. And I think a lot of teens — and a lot of gay teens, especially — will really relate to the role.”

Shameless premieres January 9 on Showtime.

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Mark Indelicato Wishes Kurt Hummel Was Less a Victim

Posted by Dennis Ayers, Managing Editor on December 23, 2010

Hard to believe, but actor Mark Indelicato, who played the much-beloved gay teen character Justin Suarez on Ugly Betty (2006-2010) is still only sixteen years old. But despite his youth, the actor is very well spoken when it comes to the need for positive representations of gay teens on television.

Indelicato recently spoke with Latina.com about the similarities and differences between his role on Ugly Betty and that of Glee's Kurt Hummel. Though he praises actor Chris Colfer's performance, he has concerns over how Kurt (and other gay TV teen characters) can be "portrayed as the weakling or the person that can't stand up for themselves."

While I can see Indelicato's larger point, I'm not sure I agree exactly with it as applied to Kurt Hummel. Sure, Kurt might be physically weaker than the other male Glee teens. But most of them are football players after all. To me, he seems like one of the most powerful characters on the show.

Anyway, check out Mark Indelicato's comments in the video below. What do you think of what he has to say?




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