Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay

Set in West Hollywood, the series depicted two straight men—a 22-year-old student from Florida and a 28-year-old salesman from Massachusetts—in competition for a reward of $50,000.[1][2] In order to win the reward, the men were required to pass themselves off as gay men for a week and immerse themselves in "the gay lifestyle."[3][2] The men were required to move into separate lofts with gay roommates, come out to their best friends, and socialize at gay nightclubs.[1] The competitors also competed in daily challenges, such as modeling swimsuits for a group of gay men, having to tell a former teammate that they wrestled due to enjoying "close contact with sweaty boys," fork-feeding dinner to a blind date and convincing the date to spank him, making a "gay face," and naming a favorite male porn star.[4] Each competitor received three coaches (referred to as "mantors") that guided them in experiencing "life as a gay man."[2][5] At the end of the week, the two men were judged by a diverse panel of gay men who had previously been told that only one of the competitors were actually gay.[6] Whichever competitor the panel chose as the more convincing "gay" man would receive the reward.[3] Irish television presenter Amanda Byram was set to host the series.[6]

On May 13, 2004, Fox sent out a press release for Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay. The release described the show's premise as "a heterosexual male’s worst nightmare: turning gay overnight."[7] The release also specified that the winner of the show would be selected by a "jury of their queers."[3] Four hours after the release went out, Fox distributed another press release that removed both of these lines.[7] The network also issued an apology, referring to the content of the initial release as a "failed attempt at humor."[6]

Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay drew sharp criticism from GLAAD after Fox provided the organization with an advance copy of the series script for review. Upon review of the script, GLAAD condemned the series as "an exercise in systematic humiliation," citing dialogue in which the competitors described their experiences as "their worst nightmare" and being "trapped in gay hell."[8] The organization further criticized the series' general premise, believing that it was offensive and could potentially put gay people "in harm's way."[2] GLAAD's entertainment media director, Stephen Macias, claimed that the series embodied "ludicrously sophomoric notions of what it is to be gay."[4] In addition to the program's content, the organization also criticized the methods Fox used for promotion of the series. The organization specifically cited the language used in the press release that described the series' panel of gay men as a "jury of their queers."[3]

In response to GLAAD's comments about the series, several producers and actors—many of whom were gay themselves—voiced their own criticism toward the organization. Creative consultant Christian McLaughlin criticized GLAAD for attempting to censor the series, further commenting: "Our primary purpose was to be funny, but if people actually got to see the show, they would probably be more tolerant of gay people in the future."[2] Executive producer Ray Giuliani described the series as a "joke," further stating that it was "absurd" for GLAAD to believe the series would cause any harm to gay people.[2] Believing the two competitors to be homophobic, Giuliani stated that the producers intended for the competitors to have "walked away learning something about what it feels like to be a gay man in the middle of a straight world."[2] Larry Anderson, one of the two competitors, claimed that the series helped him conquer his own homophobia, adding that he had many meaningful interactions amongst himself and the coaches.[2] Jackie Beat, a drag performer and one of the coaches, criticized GLAAD's stance on the show, believing that "gay people do not come across negatively in any way [in the series]."[2] Byram similarly expressed her disappointment with the negative reception the series garnered, claiming that "TV and the FCC [are] very sensitive right now."[9]

On May 26, 2004, Fox announced that it was shelving the series "for creative reasons."[10] In the announcement, a Fox spokesman stated: "[The network] looked at it, and creatively it was not where we felt like it should be."[11] This announcement came only hours after a meeting was scheduled between GLAAD and Fox's entertainment president Gail Berman, in which the organization planned to voice their concerns about the series' portrayal of gay men.[2] The Advocate reported that the cancellation of the series was additionally a result of Fox executives "believ[ing] the gay reality phenomenon was on the wane," due to the underperformance of Playing It Straight and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.[2] Following its cancellation, Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay was replaced on the Fox schedule with a telecasting of American Pie 2.[10] In response to the cancellation, GLAAD commended Fox for "doing the right thing" and being responsive to the organization's concerns.[12] One of the competitors, Larry Anderson, subsequently did a photo spread for The Advocate; the magazine interviewed Anderson, several of the series' producers, and a representative from GLAAD.[2]

The cancellation of Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay before its intended broadcast prompted other networks to consult GLAAD for review of their own LGBT-related reality television series. In 2004, the executive producers of the TBS series He's a Lady, in which eleven men received feminine makeovers and competed in weekly gender-specific challenges, reached out to GLAAD to receive feedback on the series' concept.[13] Executive producers Douglas Ross and Tommy Campbell wanted to be proactive in order to not offend transgender people, with Campbell commenting that GLAAD helped the producers to "become more aware of transgender issues and the double standards of beauty."[13] The series' cancellation also resulted in Fox organizing a meeting with GLAAD to discuss and improve the network's on-air representations of the LGBT community.[14]

On August 30, 2005, Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay was one of several television programs cited in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America. Filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the suit targeted the series' network and producer, Fox and Rocket Science Laboratories, respectively.[15] The suit alleged violations of the California labor law, particularly that of lost wages.[16] The plaintiffs in the suit were employees of the network and producer, who alleged that they were forced to falsify time cards to allow Fox and Rocket Science Laboratories to pay them a flat weekly rate, despite them working in excess of 40 hours per week.[15] In 2009, the suit was settled for $2.57 million.[5]

• List of television series canceled before airing an episode