Empire's Gay Black Son to 'Blow Lid Off Homophobia'

I remember David’s black boyfriend, Keith, in Six Feet Under. And of course gahmotherfuckingbless Omar Little, the baddest dude up in The Wire. Oh and Deadline says that HBO is developing a series called Bros about a group of brothers, one of whom is gay. Other than them though, we all gotta be real honest with ourselves and admit that there is a serious dearth of black male gay characters on television.

Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler) obviously has that same thought. And that’s why there’s a new black gay character in town. Daniels’ new show Empire (already renewed for a second season) centers around a family, the Lyons. The father, a music mogul, is outwardly hostile to his gay son, Jamal.

According to the Associated Press, Daniels, who is an out gay black man says he hopes to “blow the lid off homophobia” in the African-American community with this show.