I have been a devoted fan of the Young and the
Restless since 1994. In these fourteen years, I have
had a number of ideas and strong opinions about
where certain storylines should go, who should hook
up with who, what stories should be fleshed out, and
what stories should end. As a writer professionally,
I write plays and screenplays, but I have never felt
compelled to write to the producers, or start any
sort of fan-movement… until now.
Like a lot of die-hard fans, I have always
anticipated the return of Victor Newman JR, who I am
delighted they've re-named "Adam". 'Cause really:
Victor, Victoria, Nicholas, Nikki – let's diversify
on the first names! I have always imagined how the
dynamics of the Newman family would change with
Adam's introduction and I must commend the writers
for doing a great job thus far.
Now here's my suggestion. I recognize some people
may not be onboard with this idea, but I think it's
a fantastic one:
Make Adam gay.
As a gay man, I believe this storyline needs to be
introduced. There has not been a single significant
gay character I can remember. We've seen homosexual
characters introduced on other soaps, Bianca on All
My Children, and I believe As the World Turns
introduced a very successful gay storyline not too
long ago. Why not Y&R?
There are a number of reasons I believe Adam being
gay would be a huge success. First, it's a way to
both continue and re-invent Hope's storyline. Hope
was a farm girl, who moved to the big city, and
couldn't handle how her lifestyle with Victor
contradicted the values she was raised with. She
felt out of place, and chose to raise her son, Adam,
in Kansas.
Adam is a city-boy at heart destined for great
things. We can see he struggles balancing these
sides of his personality. As a result he
over-compensates and comes off arrogant. But what if
they went deeper into it? What if there was another
aspect of his personality that always made him feel
out of place throughout his childhood in Kansas?
What if he was gay?
I propose that Adam is currently struggling with his
sexual orientation. I suggest while he was working
in business school, he fell in love with a man.
Their relationship continued (perhaps in secret)
while he was working in New York, and ended abruptly
before Hope's death. Perhaps his boyfriend wanted to
come out, but he wasn't ready. What if this man is
the individual Adam was speaking to on the phone
when he first arrived on the scene. Thus, part of
him coming to Genoa City was to leave that
relationship, and that part of himself, in New York.
Now, I understand that the show is looking at Adam
and Phyllis having an attraction to each other.
Please don't go there! Regardless if Adam is gay or
not, its just too incestuous. First, Phyllis and
Nick are great together. Secondly, there was already
too much incestuous couple swapping with Sharon and
Jack getting paired up. However, even if Adam does
sleep with Phyllis, they can still introduce the gay
storyline, because who wouldn't want to sleep with
Phyllis? She is the sexiest woman ever, and I could
so see a man struggling with his sexual orientation
being drawn to her. What I would love to see is
their friendship blossoming, and Phyllis being the
first person he comes out to.
I believe a lot can be explored with this storyline.
Perhaps Brad, who is being set-up as the new
villain, could find out Adam is in the closet, and
blackmail him to sabotage a Newman venture. Phyllis
could find out, and take revenge against Brad for
revealing her blackmail against Sharon. Or, perhaps
the feud between Victoria and Adam will escalate and
Victoria will find out Adam's secret and use it
against him. The point is this doesn't have to be a
standard coming out storyline.
I think its silly to think a gay storyline would be
too much for viewers to handle. Genoa City is a town
where it's perfectly normal for mothers and
daughters to sleep with the same men, and even marry
them! You can redeem yourself after trying to burn
someone alive, or bashing someone to death with a
coffee pot, but apparently you can't be gay! This is
baffling to me, and I believe it speaks to the both
the overt and covert homophobia in American society
that needs to be addressed.
Adam could be dealing with the same struggle as
millions of gay Americans, especially those raised
in Kansas, or the "Bible-belt". Adam would be asking
himself the same questions these American do: Can I
still be a Christian? Will my family embrace me? If
its written intelligently, I believe seeing him face
these questions will prove for excellent daytime
drama.
And of course, the answer is yes. Having a key
member of the Newman family - no less Victor
Newman's son - be gay would be huge. Some may not
like it, but gay people are real, and they watch the
Young and the Restless too.
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