Another shocking revelation?

The much trumpeted declaration of homosexuality by Ellen DeGeneres and the character she plays on her weekly ABC sitcom has been the talk of the nation. Magazines have given her cover stories; news shows have profiled her; debates have raged over whether the program should be boycotted.

All of that, of course, plays into the hands of Ms. DeGeneres and ABC. Publicity is good, especially for a program that has been falling in the ratings. When the first title character on a network show announces that she and the actress who plays her are lesbians, the result is attention, which is craved by people in show business. Attention is their lifeblood.

And that leads me to hope another TV star will break another taboo by announcing that he is -- gasp! -- a practicing Catholic (or Jew or Methodist) and intends to make the character he plays a religious person, too.

Freedom at last

"For too long," he could tell "Entertainment Tonight," "I have been going to Mass and praying in private, afraid to let people know about that side of me. As for my character, I dared not let him show any spiritual side. The network wondered if viewers would accept such a personal, private revelation. Now I don't care if they do. It's marvelous to be free and open!"

A news magazine like Time could plaster his picture on the cover with a headline that blares: "Catholic -- and proud of it." Pundits could begin debating if it's right for a character on a popular show to be religious.

Currently, there are far more homosexual characters on TV than religious ones. About two dozen characters on prime time have declared themselves to be gay. How many can you name -- aside from the cast of "Touched by an Angel" -- who openly believe in God?

Does that ratio seem to be a little out of whack? Somewhere between three and ten percent of the U.S. population is homosexual, but about 90 percent of Americans believe in God. How is it that on television, 99 percent of the characters never speak of God or pray or go to religious services?

'I pray, too'

That's why religious people need an Ellen DeGeneres, someone who will stand up and announce: "I pray all the time, and it's about time my character did, too."

Maybe it could be Kelsey Grammer of "Frasier," whose public life far seems to consist only of drugs, charges of child molestation and failed relationships with strippers. Wouldn't it be great if he said: "Now I'm going to reject sin and turn to God"? Wouldn't it be interesting for his show if Frasier told his family that he was going to become a practicing Catholic?

Or how about Molly Shannon of "Saturday Night Live"? Imagine her telling the press: "I'm tired of playing in sketches that ridicule nuns and stereotype Catholic schools. As for smelling my underarms, how funny is that, really? From now on, my comedy is going to be uplifting because it's going to reflect my religious beliefs."

What if the producers of "Melrose Place" decided that a religious fervor was going to sweep through their plots because the cast had all undergone spiritual conversions?

Far-out?

Do those scenarios sound too far-fetched? If so, then answer these two questions:

1. Would you have believed me five years ago if I said a major primetime star was a lesbian and intended on making her character be the same?

2. If it's outlandish to think of a TV star being overtly religious and making his or her character the same, what does that say about television, America and you?

(05-01-97)

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