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Paramedic Comes Out on Trauma

Fittingly enough for an episode that dealt with paramedics responding to Halloween emergencies in San Francisco, first responder Tyler Briggs (Kevin Rankin), of NBC’s Trauma, came out to his partner, Cameron Boone (Derek Luke), in the climax of the show that aired October 26.


KEVIN RANKIN TRAUMA X390 (NBC) | ADVOCATE.COM

Fittingly enough for an episode that dealt with paramedics responding to Halloween emergencies in San Francisco, first responder Tyler Briggs (Kevin Rankin), of NBC’s Trauma, came out to his partner, Cameron Boone (Derek Luke), in the climax of the show that aired October 26.

Briggs and Boone are given the “plum” assignment of monitoring the Castro for the night (Boone finds out later that Briggs requested it), where, predictably, a Halloween drag party goes terribly wrong, with an electrical fire causing a stampede of partygoers, many of whom get injured in their attempt to flee the venue. After tending to the more seriously injured, the judgmental Boone remarks to Briggs that the city is a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah. Briggs responds by explaining how San Francisco is for many gays the only place they can be themselves, adding that that’s also the reason he moved to the city.

Future episodes will explore how well Boone deals with Briggs's revelation.

Rankin tells GregInHollywood.com that he has no qualms about playing gay. “I’ve played a gay character twice,” Rankin says. “I’ve played transgender. I was excited to take on the responsibility of not playing a stereotype, not making it a deviant thing. I am excited to shoulder that responsibility — very excited.

“My character, Tyler, is more of a peripheral character right now. He’s going to be a mystery for a little while. It could be awhile before we go home with him. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

Rankin has also had a recurring role in Friday Night Lights as well as parts in Six Feet Under and Grey’s Anatomy.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Mark
    Date posted: 10/27/2009 11:23:15 PM
    Hometown: Santa Fe, NM

    Comment:

    One final thought - kids do admire and role model after television actors, athletes and all sorts who are in the public eye. If this gentleman can present a positive role model in this role, then at this point in time, that's great! Again, kids in small town USA don't often have a gay role model out in their community to emulate.

  • Name: Mark
    Date posted: 10/27/2009 11:20:10 PM
    Hometown: Santa Fe NM

    Comment:

    Timothy, good on ya for coming out 20 years ago - that took a lot of courage in the face of a much more judgmental society. That said, in many parts of the country, rural, isolated, people do not often run across a gay person much less have one in the population in a position such as yours. Real or not, television is the means by which many people learn about others and how they live their lives. My own family is in a very rural part of the country and would have no idea of a gay paramedic or police officer, doctor, et. Thus, this does offer them a chance to see someone in that role, even though it is one created by a group of writers and acted out on the screen - big or small. I'm not begrudging anyone in real life telling their story and having it written or done as a documentary, but right now, this is a way of getting the point across and in a non-threatening manner to those who might otherwise not take the time to read such a story or watch a documentary

  • Name: David
    Date posted: 10/27/2009 10:37:36 PM
    Hometown: Canton

    Comment:

    Timothy, a lot of people care. Goody for you that you didn't have any issues coming out twenty years ago. Most of us aren't that fortunate. If you had done more,sooner, maybe we would have all our rights today, instead of being second class citizens in the 21st century.

  • Name: timothy joy
    Date posted: 10/27/2009 7:42:50 PM
    Hometown: ORLANDO

    Comment:

    What?? who cares? why would anyone give a damn about a fictional coming out on a tv show? I mean ...REALLY?? This isn't real life , however our society it seems more and more bent on buying into this fiction as reality. I'm a Firefighter Paramedic , out since the day I started working 20 years ago. Big deal. Lets see the advocate spend more time talking about real people, so that young people have someone real to identify with.



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