And then of course there were those characters that actually challenged and altered people's perceptions and ways of thinking for the better. Some characters were meant to unnerve and push the envelope, while others were meant to make us laugh or lighten the mood a little. Just once I would like to see someone who is not sick, hasn't been laid in about three months and is behind on his student loans.' While Howie's statement stands the test of time fourteen years after the fact, there's no denying that there have been plenty of memorable and wonderful representations of gay/bi men in movies in spite of the obvious stereotypes and tropes they were meant to embody. noble, suffering AIDS victims, the friends of noble, suffering AIDS victims, sex addicts, common street hustlers and the newest addition to the lot, stylish confidantes to lovelorn women. In the 2000 gay-oriented romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Club, Matt McGrath's character Howie perfectly sums up the representation of gay/bisexual men in film: 'There isn't a movie in the cinema canon that depicts a gay character that we would aspire to be.
