One of the best parts of the show Heroes is the friendship between unbreakable cheerleader Claire and her gay best friend Zach (Thomas Dekker). He's helped her get in touch with her mutant super-healer side and figure out that it's OK to be different. To prove that different=cool, Zach lobbies the freaks and geeks of their school to elect Claire homecoming queen. Awwww. Then when the Evil Bitch Cheerleader calls Zach a "gay boy," Claire punches her – just making Claire even awesomer. Show creator Tim Kring has said he conceived the character as gay, and though Zach never overtly says anything about his sexuality it's obvious from his "being different is good" pep talks that his gayness allows him to sympathize with Claire's hero-ness. So far, so excellent.
Now, however, Defamer reports that Heroes reps are denying that Zach was ever intended to be gay. Apparently this wasn't Kring and Co.'s decision – Thomas Dekker's handlers have been trying to get the "so not gay" vibe out there in preparation for Dekker's new leading role in a Terminator TV series. I'm not sure why it should matter that Dekker once played an ambiguously gay character in another TV series. It shows his range as an actor, and he did a great job. Whatevs. I'm just sad that we've lost the one character who could prove to the world that there is a clear correlation between being queer and being a superhero. I guess now I'll just have to read the new Batwoman comic book for my fix instead.
