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.

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.