Network television officially gets another gay teen tonight when Kenny (Rami Malek) comes out to his friend Larry on Fox's "The War at Home," according to Advocate.com.
“I think it’s great that we're doing this on this show, which reaches so many people around the country, the way The Laramie Project did,� says Malek, 24 and straight, referring to the HBO adaptation of the acclaimed play about Matthew Shepard. “The fear of being ostracized and shunned by friends and family, that’s something young gay men and women will always have to deal with.�
I've never seen this show but it's always great to see a kid coming out on TV because, the truth is, kids are coming out every day and it's a real big step. On "War," Larry encourages Kenny to come out to his parents who don’t take the news well and kick him out of the house. Of course, we know this happens and each time, it is appalling that a parent would ever do this to their child whether gay or pregnant. It's called unconditional love for a reason.
But on tonight's "War," there is a wonderful thing that happens: the loving but cranky Gold family steps to the plate and takes Kenny in.
"The War at Home," which airs at 8:30 PM. tonight, was created by out writer Rob Lotterstein, a former writer for "Will & Grace" and "Ellen," "The War at Home" has mined queer situations for laughs before—the middle Gold son is a straight kid who adores musical theater.
Eventually Kenny's dad manages to persuade Kenny’s family to accept him for who he is.
“Several episodes from now Dave’s going to figure out a way to get this family reunited and get them to put away their prejudices and to accept their kid because it’s their kid,� Lotterstein says. “I don't know how he’s going to do it, because I haven't written it yet, but he will!�
I hope a lot of kids who are struggling with their identity will watch the show over the course of this storytline.