Chad Harris was a tough dude from the hood. In 1999, he came to the town of Harmony in search of his birth parents, who had abandoned him years earlier. In 2006, much to his shock, he found that he was an illegitimate, mixed-race child. His father was the recently deceased, evil billionaire Alistair Crane. His mother, local bar-owner Liz Sanborne.
Chad has since adopted the Crane name and assumed his rightful place in the Crane empire. He's happily married to Whitney (Brooke Kerr), with whom he's raising a child. But Chad has a secret. For months, he's been having liaisons with an unseen lover in a seedy motel room. So far, he's managed to cover his tracks well.
On Feb. 2, Passions viewers got their first glimpse of Chad's partner-in-crime. Though the "other guy" was seen only from the neck down, it was quite clear that the allegedly straight Chad has been sleeping with a man!
On Feb 27, the other man's identity will be revealed. Though not a clue has been dropped, Passions' publicity promises it will be someone the audience already knows.
Chad Harris Crane is poised to be outed as daytime TV's first gay, or bi, man of color. Actor Charles Divins, who plays Chad, promises that the show will not shy away from depictions of "male intimacy." Passions fans shouldn't expect a Falcon video, but we can expect to see Chad and his boy-pal in bed together, kissing.
Since its 1999 debut, Passions has been the quirkiest, most diverse soap on the air. Many of its storylines played out like a cross between Dark Shadows and Bewitched. Recently, the show even mined The DaVinci Code for a complex story set in Rome. But Passions has always prided itself on having an even mix of white, black, and Latin characters, without making an issue out of race. On a show where demons have sucked people into hell, evil mermaids have seduced handsome young men, and dolls have come to life, Passions has not lost sight of a primary objective: to present an almost utopian picture of racial harmony in the town of Harmony.
In 2005, Passions had the courage not only to present daytime TV's first black lesbian (Cathy Doe as Simone), but to show her in bed with her Latin girlfriend (Jossara Jinaro's Rae). This was one of the few storylines that James Reilly, the show's writer/creator, treated with seriousness. Reilly built his reputation on bizarre, campy stories, but he knows when it's time to step back. Viewers can expect Chad's outing to be treated with the same respect.
Learning curve
Charles Divins admits he was surprised by the changes in his character. "It came from far out of left field," Divins said in a phone interview. "But it's Passions, where the storytelling style lends itself to dramatic changes."
Divins, who is straight, admits that the scenes were at first difficult for him to do. "A lot goes into it," he said. "I was uncomfortable, but I want to grow as an actor. You don't grow and learn unless you do things that are uncomfortable. I confronted what was uncomfortable in me, and faced it."
Divins realizes that his character is poised to become a role model to young, gay black men. "I hope to do justice to the community this story will represent," he says. "These things happen. I'd love to see the writers delve into Chad's denial at being gay."
Unfortunately for the show's two-million-plus fans, Chad's outing may be Passions' last hurrah. In mid-January, NBC announced they were canceling the soap to make room for a fourth hour of the Today show. The last airdate will be September 7.
But all may not be lost. The protests from the fan base have been loud, and there is now talk of moving Passions to another network.
"We don't yet know if the show will continue," said Divins. "Whatever happens, we're all looking forward, not back."
Passions airs weekdays at 2 p.m. on most NBC stations, including the Bay Area's NBC 11. Tune in Tues., Feb. 27 to learn the identity of Chad's boyfriend.
Correction
From last week's Lavender Tube column: "Then, over at General Hospital, Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough), the only character living with HIV on daytime, is facing the prospect of having possibly transmitted the disease to her lover, Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson)."
A reader writes: "This information is incorrect. Patrick Drake was performing surgery on patients with end-stage AIDS and pricked himself with a needle. If he is HIV-positive, it is not because of Robin, it is because of the operation." We regret the error.