Among the many (MANY) retrospectives over the last month or so, one in particular has taken the geek world by storm.  AfterElton.com, a website dedicated to "news, reviews & commentary on gay and bisexual men in entertainment and media" offered up its selection of possible candidates for "Gay or Bisexual Male Celebrity of the 2000s."  Unlike many other retrospectives, AfterElton.com decided to have its readers vote for their choice.

Among the possible selections, two celebrities soon appeared to be in a neck and neck race for the first place: Neil Patrick Harris and John Barrowman.  At one point, AfterElton.com announced that they were only 20 votes apart.

The race promptly spilled over to Twitter over the weekend, with various Twitter celebrities urging their followers to Get Out the Vote, so to speak.  Nathan Fillion, Alyson Hannigan, and Felicia Day backed Neil Patrick Harris.  Jonathan Ross and Neil Gaiman (Twitter's kindly and intelligent 500 pound gorilla) backed John Barrowman.  (Note: Gaiman later demurred by pointing out that he voted for Barrowman because Barrowman asked first.)  Other parties, like the ACLU (yes, for reals), simply urged people to vote without stumping for a specific candidate.

Soon, Barrowman and Harris were trading good-natured quips and trash talking on their own Twitter streams, and the rest of the internet took notice.  A Wall Street Journal blog kicked off its article using the hash tag Neil Gaiman invented (#biggaybattle).  The Onion's A.V. Club carried the breaking story on their Newswire service.  It is starting to feel like the entire internet has ground to a stop in order to debate the merits of both parties.

The response to this silly little internet poll serves, if nothing else, as a reminder that what may once have been a marginalized fandom is moving rapidly towards the mainstream.  (On the internet, at least!)  And even as engaged as I am with the sci fi fandom world, I was genuinely surprised and gladdened to see how many people had an opinion on the subject.  

I myself spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide who to vote for.  Even if we only limit the discussion to the world of science fiction, their credentials are equally impressive:

 Neil Patrick Harris: Although John Barrowman can sing (and sing well), Harris' talents were showcased to perfection in Joss Whedon's web drama Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog.  Harris played the titular Dr. Horrible, riding a fine dramatic balance between "frustrated nobody" and "evil guy who thinks he's on the right side" all while singing his guts out.  This is not an accomplishment to take lightly!

Furthermore, a lot of people seem to have overlooked Harris' role in Starship Troopers, which was far more than a simple cameo.  Starship Troopers was the first time I saw Harris post-Doogie Howser, and I literally sat up and took notice when I saw it in the theater.

John Barrowman: You may have noticed I'm kind of a fan.  Barrowman's work on Torchwood has been solid, and the second season and "Children of Earth" mini-season really gave him a chance to extend his range.  (I never would have thought Captain Jack could edge into Bad Guy territory, but there you have it.)

At this time, voting has closed, but the results have not yet been announced.  Oh, the suspense! UPDATE Neil Patrick Harris won by a ridiculously large margin.