Greg Berlanti paid a glowing personal and professional tribute to his husband, former MLS and U.S. international soccer pro Robbie Rogers, as the producer, director and screenwriter accepted the Governors Award at Sunday night’s Emmys.
At L.A.’s Peacock Theater, Berlanti was recognized for significantly improving the representation of LGBTQ people on screen in a film and television career that began in the late 1990s.
From “Dawson’s Creek” to “All American”, via “The Broken Hearts Club” and “Love, Simon”, scripts and scenes themed around being gay in sports are scattered throughout Berlanti’s many credits.
But the greatest connection he ever made was with Rogers, whom he married in 2017 and whose coming out story from over a decade ago continues to resonate with other gay athletes of all ages today.
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Welcoming Berlanti onto the stage Sunday were actors Matt Bomer and Joshua Jackson. Bomer starred in last year’s much-feted and triple Emmy-nominated “Fellow Travelers,” on which Rogers was an executive producer, while Jackson shot to fame on “Dawson’s Creek.” Berlanti started as one of the teen drama’s writers before rising to exec producer.
In his introduction, Jackson referenced the groundbreaking gay kiss between football-playing Jack McPhee and his crush Ethan, which aired almost a quarter of a century ago.
“TV history was made on ‘Dawson’s Creek’… Greg was the first writer-producer to show a gay kiss on primetime between two teenagers… back in 2000, I remember being so proud,” said Jackson.
Later that same year, “The Broken Hearts Club” — about a West Hollywood softball team of gay friends, written and directed by Berlanti — was released. It went on to become a classic.
Now 52, Berlanti described in his speech the effect of growing up without seeing positive gay representation on TV, quipping: “Back then, the only way to tell if another kid might be gay was if he also watched “Dynasty” and “Dallas” and could name all four of the Golden Girls.”
He went on to thank colleagues, friends and family, concluding with “my soulmate, my husband, Robbie Rogers… who is not just here for me but because he produced ‘Fellow Travelers,’ which everyone should watch, it’s amazing!”
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The telecast cut to the auditorium showing a proud Rogers. It was recently announced that the couple’s forthcoming projects include an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic “The Picture of Dorian Gray” for Netflix.
Berlanti ended his speech by sharing a memory of his late mother, Barbara, and how her faith in the capacity for change in the world continues to inspire his work and attitude to life.
“That’s how powerful belief is, and her belief travels through me and out to all of the kids out there who today may feel alone or ‘other’ or scared to share their truth with the world.
“If my mom were here, she would want you to know that you are loved and you are worthy and you have a story to tell, and we need those stories now more than ever.
“She believes in you, and I do too, so hurry up to get here.”
His closing comments deserve to hit a chord with some in elite men’s sports, where the pace of storytelling from gay and bi men has seemed to slow in recent times.
In September 2021, each of America’s big five sports had an out gay man in the pros. Three years later, two of them — hockey’s Luke Prokop and soccer’s Collin Martin — are still playing. Still, there are currently no publicly out athletes in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL or MLS (Prokop is signed by an NHL team, the Nashville Predators, but currently plays in a lower level).
For a generation of TV viewers who saw themselves reflected in Jack McPhee — the All-American “boy next door” in “Dawson’s Creek” who was wide receiver for the Capeside Minutemen and who broke free of the closet — visible representation in men’s sports continues to lag.
When Jackson walked on stage to present Berlanti with his award, the show’s familiar theme song by Paula Cole started playing, to Jackson’s surprise and amusement.
“I Don’t Wait to Wait” is a sentiment that many more Jack McPhees will continue to have.
If Berlanti’s wise and powerful words inspire even one gay sportsman to see what lies on the other side of coming out — love, pride, success, happiness — that would be worthy of an award in itself.
