Gay Alien on American Dad

Gay Alien on American Dad

What does Roger say about the gay community?

It was probably only a few months ago when I started watching "American Dad!". I was looking for something funny to watch on Netflix Streaming. American Dad! was all that and more and reminded me of one of my favorite shows, Family Guy. Just replace the dog with a fish and the baby with an alien and there you have it - the same show (which I really do not mind). What strikes me about the character change in this one is the choice of the "token gay guy",for whom they have picked an effeminate, balding, alcoholic, man boobed, alien who likes to dress in drag.

Don't get me wrong, it is not like I have a big problem with it - I think the character is fantastic BUT what message is this character sending to the world out there about the Gay community? Are we laughing with Roger - or at him? I can say that personally I know a lot of humans who have the same characteristics of Roger - even down to the man boobs and gray skin - but these people are not people I would laugh at in person. The gay community (yes, I am going to generalize) is, contrary to what we would like to think, one of the HARDEST PLACES TO BE DIFFERENT. If you are the balding alcoholic who dresses in drag the chances of having a booming social life are pretty slim - perhaps this is why the character of Roger is kept safely hidden from the world in the attic.

My question - what is the character of Roger really saying about the gay community - and if we look deep into the answer - would it be funny?