“Heroes” to Have a Gay Character

NBC is no stranger to gay characters on their network (Helloooo. “Will and Grace” anyone?) so it’s no surprise that according to some sources, “Heroes” has its own gay character — in this case, invulnerable Claire’s high school male friend. This from SyFy Portal:

In the pilot for “Heroes,” a popular high school cheerleader confides in a male friend about her superhero-like ability. While it’s not spelled out in so many words, the male character is gay.

Says “Heroes” creator/showrunner/producer Tim Kring about the possibility of gay characters in “Heroes”:

“I am intrigued by a gay character front and center, and we are openly discussing it in the studio and in the writers’ room now. It doesn’t scare me at all (despite his run-in with a network executive), and it’s always been a battle with networks on that sort of thing. there’s a subversiveness that you’re forced to think about these things with. You try to come in through a side door.”

This is 2006. Who cares if a character is gay? More power to “Heroes” for recognizing the real world.