Carter On Spin City Was A Breakthrough Black Gay Male Character

Prior to the emergence of Noah’s Arc there was a paucity of positive representations of black gay men on mainstream television. The only images of Black gay men on television were snap queens, sex objects, or freaky drag queens. Carter Heywood on ABC’s Spin City shattered the negativity about black gay men in pop culture.

The character Carter was also important in relation to race because finally an openly gay man was a main character on television. Far too often whenever a character is gay on television its always a white person. In North America gayness equals whiteness and gay black men are displaced due to race, gender, and sexual orientation. Finally, the writers and producers of Spin City got it right. Carter was a well adjusted young black man he wasn’t on the down low, he also wasn’t confused or conflicted about his homosexuality.

I am currently on the hunt for Spin City on DVD ASAP! I have to have my Carter fix! I remember when I was struggling with my sexual orientation in the 1990s I was lost and confused. In the 1990s the vast majority of the gay male characters on television were not black I simply couldn’t relate. One evening I was watching a new television show in 1997 Spin City on ABC. I recall Michael J. Fox from the 1980s sitcom Family Ties he was the star of the show.

The character I was most fascinated by was Michael Boatman’s character the openly gay black man Carter Heywood. Carter was a revelation because he wasn’t confused about his homosexuality, he also was comfortable with his blackness. I love Carter! The writers also allowed Carter to have romantic relationships with other men. Carter’s love life was an important part of the storyline.

I felt so connected to the Carter character because he was negotiating being a black man and also dealing with his sexual orientation. Sometimes Spin City focused on the politics that gay black men endure in our lives. Spin City wasn’t afraid to deal with polemical topics such as race, sexual orientation, and homophobia.

Carter also wasn’t just an asexual sidekick like Jack on Will & Grace on NBC. Carter was a confident openly gay black man a rarity on North American television. I never liked Will and Grace because I felt there was a reticence to dealing with male homosexuality in an honest manner. Will and Jack I believe were neutered they were asexual while Grace got all the men.Jack and Will were just effeminate caricatures.

I also was impressed that Carter wasn’t effeminate, he didn’t dress like a bizarre drag queen, or some other offensive gay male stereotype. Carter liked sports he loved basketball, baseball, football he was masculine and sensitive at the same time.

One aspect of Spin City I loved was that Carter’s best friend was a white heterosexual ladies man Stuart. Stuart didn’t care that Carter was gay in fact Stuart and Carter eventually move in together but were platonic friends. I love the fact that the writers of Spin City explored the fact that gay men and heterosexual men can be friends. The straight man doesn’t have to worry that the gay man might hit on him. In fact, Stuart genuinely cared for Carter very much he was Carter’s best friend. It was so hilarious because Stuart hated Carter’s suicidal dog Rags. Another joke on Spin City was that Stuart and Carter were a couple even though Stuart was straight. In fact, there was one episode that explored the possibility that Stuart had romantic feelings for Carter. Carter was accepted by his male peers he was one of the guys. Carter emerged as one of the breakthrough characters on Spin City.

Unfortunately, Michael J Fox had to leave Spin City due to a diagnosis of Parkinson disease in the year 2000. ABC hired has beens actors Charlie Sheen and Heather Locklear to help the show. However, ABC also fired some of my favorite actors on the show such as Victoria Dillard, Connie Britton, and Alexander Chaplin. The chemistry and magic was gone. The spark that made Spin City so witty and exciting was gone the show just wasn’t the same and I tuned out. The former 1980s TV stars Sheen and Locklear ruined Spin City and the series was canceled in 2002.

I was disappointed that the producers fired some prominent characters from the show and the writers didn’t make the characters Carter and Stewart have more prominent roles on the program. Stuart and Carter were shoved to the background. Spin City shifted to Charlie Sheen and Heather Locklear’s characters storylines and it just made me want to vomit. I felt Sheen and Locklear had bad comic timing both actors ultimately destroyed the credibility of the series. I still have fond memories of Spin City but I refuse to watch episodes with Sheen and Locklear. I just feel Sheen and Locklear are not funny. I miss Carter but he will always live in my memories of Spin City.