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* ArmouredClosetGay: Justin's most fervently bullying classmate.
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* ManlyGay: David.
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* AgeInappropriateAngst: I understand gay men prefer little boys, but old man jokes don't fit a well-preserved fortysomething like David.
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* AgeInappropriateAngst: I understand gay men prefer little boys, but old AgeIsRelative: Old man jokes don't fit a about the well-preserved fortysomething like David.
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* AgeInappropriateAngst: I understand gay men prefer little boys, but old man jokes don't fit a well-preserved fortysomething like David.
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* HurtComfortFic: Ted and Blake, mutually.
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* HoYay: Lots of it, which is unsurprising considering what this show's premise is.
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* TheReliableOne: Ted.
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* DevotedToYou: Michael to Brian, Ted to [[spoiler: Michael]].
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* StalkerShrine: Ted has a mild one about Michael.
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** According to WordOfGod, the working title of the UK show was in fact ''Queer As Fuck''.
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** According to WordOfGod, the working title of the UK show was ''was'', in fact fact, ''Queer As Fuck''.
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* DontYouDarePityMe: Brian is too proud to ask or accept help.
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* TheDiseaseThatShallNotBeNamed: Averted. Hard. It is no secret that Ben and Hunter have HIV. And although Brian initially does not want to admit it, it soon becomes common knowledge that he has [[spoiler: cancer]].
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* [[spoiler:DeconfirmedBachelor: Brian. Although Brian and Justin call off the wedding, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, Justin changed him. Even if he continues to have sex with every gay man in Pittsburg, he'll never be the same Brian.]]
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* [[spoiler:DeconfirmedBachelor: Inverted with Brian. Although Brian and Justin call off the wedding, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, Justin changed him. Even if he continues to have sex with every gay man in Pittsburg, he'll never be the same Brian.]]
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* [[spoiler:DeconfirmedBachelor: Brian. Although the viewer doesn't see him and Justin get married, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, that's how firmly he wants to spend the rest of his life with Justin by the end of the series.]]
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* [[spoiler:DeconfirmedBachelor: Brian. Although the viewer doesn't see him Brian and Justin get married, call off the wedding, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, that's how firmly he wants to spend the rest of his life with Justin by changed him. Even if he continues to have sex with every gay man in Pittsburg, he'll never be the end of the series.same Brian.]]
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[[spoiler:* DeconfirmedBachelor:]][[spoiler: Brian. Although the viewer doesn't see him and Justin get married, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, that's how firmly he wants to spend the rest of his life with Justin by the end of the series.]]
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[[spoiler: * DeconfirmedBachelor: Brian. Although the viewer doesn't see him and Justin get married, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, that's how firmly he wants to spend the rest of his life with Justin by the end of the series.]]
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[[spoiler: DeconfirmedBachelor: Brian. Although the viewer doesn't see him and Justin get married, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, that's how firmly he wants to spend the rest of his life with Justin by the end of the series.]]
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[[spoiler: * DeconfirmedBachelor: Brian. Although the viewer doesn't see him and Justin get married, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, that's how firmly he wants to spend the rest of his life with Justin by the end of the series.]]
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* DateRape: This almost happens to Justin when he goes to a party his boss from Babylon throws
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* DateRape: This almost happens to Justin when he goes to a party his boss from Babylon throwsthrows.
[[spoiler: DeconfirmedBachelor: Brian. Although the viewer doesn't see him and Justin get married, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, that's how firmly he wants to spend the rest of his life with Justin by the end of the series.]]
[[spoiler: DeconfirmedBachelor: Brian. Although the viewer doesn't see him and Justin get married, it's obvious during Brian's second proposal to Justin that as firmly as he was against marriage before, that's how firmly he wants to spend the rest of his life with Justin by the end of the series.]]
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* SleepsWithEveryoneButYou: Brian with Michael.
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* SleepsWithEveryoneButYou: Brian with Michael. In a rare variation, it's because Brian actually respects and loves Michael, just not in ''that'' way.
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* SleepsWithEveryoneButYou: Brian with Michael.
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* NotGoodWithRejection: A mild version in the case of Brian and Brandon. Brian is used to getting whomever he wants, whenever he wants. When Brandon rejects him in the backroom of Babylon, Brian has issues letting it go.
* NotWithThemForTheMoney: Emmett genuinely falls in love with a wealthy older man who dies and leaves his fortune to Emmett, but includes the clause that he not be publicly outed as a gay man. Emmett struggles with the idea of being rich or being honest, and eventually decides it's more important to tell the world who George was and that they loved each other than to have money.
* NotWithThemForTheMoney: Emmett genuinely falls in love with a wealthy older man who dies and leaves his fortune to Emmett, but includes the clause that he not be publicly outed as a gay man. Emmett struggles with the idea of being rich or being honest, and eventually decides it's more important to tell the world who George was and that they loved each other than to have money.
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* NotWithThemForTheMoney: Emmett genuinely falls in love with a wealthy older man who dies and leaves his fortune to Emmett, but includes the clause that he not be publicly outed as a gay man. Emmett struggles with the idea of being rich or being honest, and eventually decides it's more important to tell the world who George was and that they loved each other than to have money.
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* IncompatibleOrientation: Debbie and Loretta. Debbie eventually has to sit Loretta down and explain to her that a relationship between then can never happen because Debbie is straight and in love with Carl.
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* IncompatibleOrientation: Debbie and Loretta. Debbie eventually has to sit Loretta down and explain to her that a relationship between then them can never happen because 1) Debbie is straight and 2) Debbie is in love with Carl.
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* IncompatibleOrientation: Debbie and Loretta. Debbie eventually has to sit Loretta down and explain to her that a relationship between then can never happen because Debbie is straight and in love with Carl.
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* HeartbrokenBadass: Brian. The first time, although he barely shows it, when Justin [[spoiler: leaves Brian for Ethan]]. The second time, Justin [[spoiler: leaves Brian because Justin wants to eventually settle down, get married and have children. Brian is a very vocal opponent of these desires and Justin decides that there is no point pursuing their relationship if it won't grow]]. Brian is much more rattled this time and even blames Michael for Justin's decision.
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* HeartbrokenBadass: Brian. The first time, although he barely shows it, when Justin [[spoiler: leaves Brian for Ethan]]. The second time, Justin [[spoiler: leaves Brian because Justin wants to eventually settle down, get married and have children. Brian is a very vocal opponent of these desires and Justin decides that there is no point pursuing their relationship if it won't grow]]. Brian is much more rattled visibly affected when this time happens and even blames Michael for Justin's decision.
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* TheCastShowOff: Michael singing Ben a romantic song to convince him that he is serious. Hal Sparks is the singer of his own Hard Rock band "Zero 1".
* TheGlassesGottaGo: Averted with Ben.
* TheGruntingOrgasm: This one's a given. The show's mainly about gays and their sex lives, what did you expect?
* TheGruntingOrgasm: This one's a given. The show's mainly about gays and their sex lives, what did you expect?
* HeartbrokenBadass: Brian. The first time, although he barely shows it, when Justin [[spoiler: leaves Brian for Ethan]]. The second time, Justin [[spoiler: leaves Brian because Justin wants to eventually settle down, get married and have children. Brian is a very vocal opponent of these desires and Justin decides that there is no point pursuing their relationship if it won't grow]]. Brian is much more rattled this time and even blames Michael for Justin's decision.
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* TeamMom: Debbie.
* TheCastShowOff: Michael singing Ben a romantic song to convince him that he is serious. Hal Sparks is the singer of his own Hard Rock band "Zero 1".
* TheGlassesGottaGo: Averted with Ben.
* TheGruntingOrgasm: This one's a given. The show's mainly about gays and their sex lives, what did you expect?
* TheCastShowOff: Michael singing Ben a romantic song to convince him that he is serious. Hal Sparks is the singer of his own Hard Rock band "Zero 1".
* TheGlassesGottaGo: Averted with Ben.
* TheGruntingOrgasm: This one's a given. The show's mainly about gays and their sex lives, what did you expect?
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* TeamMom: Debbie.
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** Unless you count the time when Prop 14 supporters knock on Michael and Ben's door while they're having sex, and Michael angrily yells, "I'm coming!" right before he and Ben finish.
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* MushroomSamba: Arguable. It's unclear whether Emmett was aware that the mushrooms he ate at the Fairy Retreat were hallucinogenic, and it isn't until after he accepts his fairy self and declares a fairy name, Clear Day, that he finds out that the man he spoke to who helped him come to this epiphany was not only [[spoiler: the creator of the Fairy Retreat]], but that [[spoiler: the same man died three years earlier]].
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* TheRunaway: Hunter. Justified with his mother, who was abusive and in and out of jail. He eventually runs away from his foster parents, Michael and Ben, after it's revealed to his entire school that he has HIV and received it from his days as a gay prostitute.
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* TheRunaway: Hunter. Justified with his mother, who was abusive and in and out of jail. He eventually runs away from his foster parents, Michael and Ben, after it's revealed to his entire school that he has HIV and received it from his days as a gay prostitute. [[spoiler: He comes back after Michael is hurt at the "No on Prop 14" benefit bombing.]]
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* TheBeard: Ted and Emmett at the wedding of Lindsay's sister.
** A unsuspecting Tracey when Michael wants to get a promotion in Season 1.
** A unsuspecting Tracey when Michael wants to get a promotion in Season 1.
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* RapeAsBackstory: You could argue this for Hunter, considering that his mother [[spoiler: forced him into being a child prostitute]].
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* RapeAsBackstory: You could argue this for Hunter, considering that his mother [[spoiler: forced him into being a child prostitute]].prostitute.
* TheRunaway: Hunter. Justified with his mother, who was abusive and in and out of jail. He eventually runs away from his foster parents, Michael and Ben, after it's revealed to his entire school that he has HIV and received it from his days as a gay prostitute.
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* TheBeard: Ted and Emmett at the wedding of Lindsay's sister.
** A unsuspecting Tracey when Michael wants to get a promotion in Season 1.
** A unsuspecting Tracey when Michael wants to get a promotion in Season 1.
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* TheBeard: Ted and Emmett at the wedding of Lindsay's sister.
** A unsuspecting Tracey when Michael wants to get a promotion in Season 1.ThreeWaySex: In this case, all guys.
** A unsuspecting Tracey when Michael wants to get a promotion in Season 1.
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* ThreeWaySex: In this case, all guys.
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* RapeAsABackStory: You could argue this for Hunter, considering that his mother [[spoiler: forced him into being a child prostitute]].
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* RapeAsABackStory: RapeAsBackstory: You could argue this for Hunter, considering that his mother [[spoiler: forced him into being a child prostitute]].
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[[quoteright:214:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/QAF_859.jpg]]
->"''Queer as Folk'' is a celebration of the lives and passions of a group of gay friends. It is not meant to reflect all of gay society"
->Show disclaimer.
''QueerAsFolk'' was originally conceived by RussellTDavies as a comedy drama set in Manchester's gay village. It followed the lives of three gay men: swaggering, self-assured Stuart Allen Jones, his less-self-assured best friend Vince Tyler who has an unrequited crush on him, and their new friend Nathan Maloney, a young man just finishing school and discovering the Scene.
It was eventually remade for the US. Now with a [[{{Characters/QueerAsFolk}} Character Sheet]]! Due to the series approaching LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters territory, any help is appreciated.
Like ''SexAndTheCity'', except with ''men'' in the stereotypical gay man roles. Also compare ''TheLWord'' (for lesbians), and ''NoahsArc'' (for gay men of color).
----
!!Both the UK and American shows contain:
* CastFullOfGay
* [[PunBasedTitle Pun-Based Title]]: The title is a Northern British phrase meaning roughly "there's nothing stranger than people." However, the title could even be misheard as "Queer as Fuck" or "Queer-Ass folk."
** According to WordOfGod, the working title of the UK show was in fact ''Queer As Fuck''.
!!The UK Show contains examples of:
* AgeAppropriateAngst: Nathan reacts rather emotionally after sleeping with and then getting rejected by Stuart. Understandable because he was 15 at the time.
* [[AllGaysArePedophiles All Gays Are Paedophiles]]: invoked by Stuart's blackmailing nephew, who threatens to tell Stuart's parents a few very nasty lies: "I'll tell them you touched me- you pervert!" Stuart of course counters this with a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. Stuart definitely fits this bill...but he's shown to have some deep-seated psychological insecurities. Vince also seems to fit this, but he's emulating Stuart and has the least amount of hookups (and one serious boyfriend). [[spoiler: They also both settle down together]]. Stuart's views seem lean this way, though. He accuses Vince of being a straight guy who has sex with men because he wants a relationship instead of casual sex.
* AllLesbiansWantKids: Romy and Lisa.
* AloneWithThePsycho: Dane and Alexander when they go to a stranger's house for a threesome. They have an OhCrap moment when they discover he lives in a RoomFullOfCrazy and knows a lot about preparing corpses for burial:
--> "He's [[SerialKiller Fred West]]." - '''Dane'''
* AttractiveBentGender: Hazel thinks Alexander looks rather good in drag:
-->"You're more of a gay man than ''I'' am!" - '''Vince Tyler'''
* AuthorFilibuster: A very noticeable one is delivered by Stuart over the senselessness and offensiveness of the all-too-frequent statement that an attractive person being gay is a "waste". The topic and resulting monologue are reasonable, but the entire scene is pretty obviously Davies parking the plot and preaching on a personal issue.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Vince and Stuart get a few of these, most notably at the end of the first season and during the finale.
* BadLiar: Vince, usually by faking phonecalls and BadBadActing:
-->'''Vince:'''"[[{{Catchphrase}} Oh my god]]... when did that happen? Gotta go- so, what did they do? It's my neighbour, someone's broken in downstairs, she thinks it's kids- yeah, I'm coming now, I'll have to check the flat..."
-->'''Stuart:''' [picking up his phone, which Vince has used to call his own] "[[{{Catchphrase}} Fuck off]], Vin..."
* {{Blackmail}}: One of Stuart's nephews finds images on his computer outing him. Previous to this, the nephew didn't know Stuart was gay. On finding out, he demands 25... 50... ''100'' quid a week or he'll tell Stuart's parents, who don't know. Instead of capitulating, Stuart outs himself to his parents and accuses his nephew (who's 8, mind you) of being the most disgusting individual in the family.
* BiggusDickus: Well it's about gay sex, so naturally the joke comes up from time to time.
** Stuart: "If that's what Big Bill calls 'big,' then I'm a ''co-loss-us''."
* BoomerangBigot: The self-loathing Bernard Thomas, from his first meeting with Nathan on Canal Street, to his advice about coming out to one's parents:
--> "They way they see it, it's not gay. It's not homosexual. It's ''cock''. You like ''cock''. [{{beat}}] Fair dos, it ''is'' revolting."
* CampGay: Dane, Dazz and of course Alexander:
-->"Saying Alex is a little bit camp is like saying Hitler was a little bit naughty." '''- Vince Tyler'''
* [[CarMeetsHouse Car Meets Dealership]]
* {{Catchphrase}}: "OH MY ''GOD''!"
** Stuart's catchphrase is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Vince: "As a friend of mine is fond of saying: FUCK OFF!"
* TheCharmer: Stuart
* ChildrenAreInnocent: Subverted with Stuart's nephew, who tries to blackmail him.
* CitizenshipMarriage: Romey and Lance. [[spoiler:Almost]].
* ComingOutStory: Nathan with his supportive mother, homophobic father and bullying classmates.
* CountryMatters: Vince tries to reassure Nathan over Stuart not wanting a proper relationship with him: "Nathan, he's a ''cunt''."
** ...not to mention Nathan's [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome]] comeback: "You're friends with a ''cunt''."
* DisproportionateRetribution: Oblivious salesman making general homophobic comments? Drive a car through his window![[spoiler: ten year old nephew blackmailing you? Dunk his head in the toilet!]] Your friend's mother is a complete bitch to him right after his father dies? Blow up her car in front of her!
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Stuart likes to make pedestrians dive out of his way.
* DrugsAreBad: The [[strike:MDMA]] worming tablets Stuart is sold, which lead him to drawing the Shag Map: [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "It's the pens! I need to get rid of the pens!"]]
** ...and of course [[spoiler:Phil Delaney's fatal cocaine overdose]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The odd voiceover segments featuring members of the main cast talking to the camera while seated in front of a neon screen, which were used to establish a few character traits and then promptly disappeared after the first episode.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Boy, does Vince ''earn'' his eventual ride into the sunset with Stuart. Poor guy had literally been waiting for that moment more than half of his life.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Stuart invites Nathan back to his place, leaving Vince to take care of his car. Possibly a Relationship Establishing moment- as Phil Delaney puts it:
--> "So, he brings the car, gives you the keys so you can't drink, then he buggers off. Nice system."
* EverybodySmokes
* FakeStatic: Vince pretends there is some on the line when telling Cameron: "It's breaking up...[[spoiler:''We're'' breaking up]]..."
* FagHag: Hazel, who regards her son's coming out as a turning point in her life, allowing her to get involved in the gay scene herself.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: At the hospital, Stuart threatens Alexander's mother with a FingerGun. [[spoiler:He gets to threaten someone with a real gun later on]].
* {{Gayborhood}}: Canal Street
* {{Gaydar}}: Nathan's mother claims to have honed hers through working as a teacher: "Sometimes there's a boy and it's just ''shining'' out of him".
* GeekyTurnOn: Inverted. Vince makes the choice to ''end'' an unhealthy relationship when he learns that his partner can't name all of the actors who played the Doctor. It's [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome.]]
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Complete averted. The resident lesbian couple never share more than a kiss on the cheek onscreen, while the gay male relationships are portrayed ''very'' frankly and graphically. Considering the [[RussellTDavies creator]], it's probably plain old {{Author Appeal}}.
* HasTwoMommies: Alfred
* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: Stuart [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome coming out to his parents]].
* ItsAllAboutMe: Nathan in the way he treats Donna. While exaggerating his problems with his actually very tolerant mother he completely fails to notice that Donna is going through some genuine family problems of her own. When he tries to tell Donna that she doesn't understand what it's like being in a sexual minority she has a great comeback:
--> "I'm black. ''And'' I'm a girl. Try that for a week."
** In a later episode he makes the arrogant assumption that a guy giving Donna some grief was actually staring at him, causing Donna to tell him "It's not all about you, you know".
** ...and when he sees his mother out on Canal Street with Hazel, who reminds him: "This place isn't just for you, you know!"
*** Alexander, at [[spoiler:Phil Delaney]]'s funeral: "This could be me! I could be dead! Mind you, I think I'd draw more of a crowd..."
*** ...and at Vince's 30th birthday, when Cameron gets him a more impressive present: "I have ''never'' been so upstaged!"
* JerkAss: Stuart, what with his constant sleeping around, blowing off and insulting his friends, and neglecting his son.
** ....or the fact that he intentionally shags men that Vince fancies, just to prove he can. Not to mention making a pass at Vince's boyfriend.
*** ...or hosting Vince's 30th birthday party, then inviting a work colleague who has a massive crush on him so she can discover that he is gay in the most humiliating manner possible...
* LandDownUnder: Alexander on meeting Vince's boyfriend Cameron, and seizing an opportunity to make many [[DoubleEntendre Double Entendres]]: "Australian? Very nice! Down Under, mammals with pouches... loads of material!"
* ManipulativeBastard: Stuart in the way he convinces Nathan to [[spoiler: send Romy and Lisa's love letters to the Home Office, exposing Romy and Lance's wedding as a CitizenshipMarriage]].
* MostImportantPerson: Vince and Stuart, so much. So much that the notoriously promiscuous (and insensitive {{Jerkass}}) Stuart eventually goes on record explaining to [[TeamMom Vince's mom]] why he's never slept with Vince: because the love between them is so intense and unique that a sexual relationship would seem almost trivial by comparison.
--> '''Stuart:''' You've gotta ''fancy'' 'em. Never mind love. Love can fuck off. If you fancy him, there's blood, there's a hard-on. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming If you just love him...]]
* MenAreUncultured: Vince appears to be this and proud of it when his boyfriend takes him to a gallery opening.
* NamesTheSame: RussellTDavies likes reusing names. Tyler is one of his favourites -- here it is Vince's surname, and later it was to be Rose's surname in ''Series/DoctorWho.'' There are also characters named Martha Jones and Donna, both of which were used as names of major characters in ''Doctor Who.''
* PetHomosexual: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Hazel:
-->'''Vince's father''': "Must be a wonderful life Hazel, all those boys. Never short of a joke, tremendous wit, all of them. Always smiling, always laughing..."
-->'''Hazel''': "....yes, and they make such good pets."
* ProudToBeAGeek: Vince with his ''Series/DoctorWho'' obsession.
** ...which possibly makes him an AuthorAvatar for RussellTDavies.
* RaceForYourLove: The final ten minutes of the series, in what probably cements Vince and Stuart as the official romance of the show. Their tempestuous relationship had finally convinced Stuart to split for London, and Vince being too delusional or too stubborn to make an effort to stop what would have undoubtedly spelled the end of their time together, the situation leads to Stuart actually packing up and on being the verge of leaving town. However, [[ShipperOnDeck Vince's mom]] pulls all the stops in an effort to get Vince to Stuart before he leaves, and they end up reuniting and reconciling moments before Stuart drives off (and [[spoiler:leaving town together, apparently for good.]])
* RefugeInAudacity
* ShipperOnDeck: [[TeamMom Hazel]] for Stuart and Vince, so much.
* SlowLoadingInternetImage: Stuart clicks on the online profile of a guy on a gay dating site. All we see is half of the guy's body (you can guess which half) and the picture hasn't even fully loaded before Stuart is out of the room, off to find the guy...
* StalkerWithACrush: Nathan for the first few episodes. He dogs Stuart all over town, and even uses Stuart's taxi tab to do it. According to Vince, this isn't the first time Stuart's had this effect on a guy.
* StraightGay: Most of the main cast (with the exception of Alex)
* TransparentCloset: Nathan's mum claims to have realised her son was gay when he was just ten.
* TheTwink: Nathan
* UnrequitedLoveLastsForever: Invoked by Vince after he [[spoiler:dumps Cameron]] (and spies an excuse to quote ''Series/DoctorWho''): "Unrequited love. It's fantastic, 'cause it never has to change, it never has to grow up and it never has to die!"
* [[spoiler: VictoriousChildhoodFriend: Vince. Eventually. After a great deal of heartache, he finally rides off into the sunset with Stuart.]]
* UnresolvedSexualTension: The UST between Vince and Stuart fuels the entire series. Vince has been hopelessly in love with Stuart for years, and Stuart, while sleeping with a different guy every night of the week, [[SleepsWithEveryoneButYou never gets around to Vince]]. Apparently, they had an (interrupted) tryst as boys, and at one point in the show they actually check into a hotel room with the intention of resolving everything... but somehow, it just doesn't happen and they simply end up sharing the bed. As of the finale, after much emotional-rollercoastering [[spoiler:the two of them have left everything else behind in favor of spending the rest of their lives together, but it is still uncertain whether their relationship will ever move beyond that of incredibly devoted friends.]]
** It's worth noting that in any other series, their romantic relationship would probably count as canon (they kiss multiple times, hold hands, seriously consider sleeping together, and are obviously in love in their own ways), but compared to the [[CastFullOfGay many explicit sexual relationships between men]] in ''Queer as Folk'', Stuart and Vince still fall into the UST category.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Alexander/[[spoiler:Alice Band]].
----
!!The US show contains examples of:
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Michael's relationships are the only completely monogamous ones on the show, and even he goes for random hook-ups when single. Notably Mel and Lindsay, in spite of occasional infidelities and one threesome, show much less inclination to promiscuity on the whole. The show's official philosophy seems not so much to be that gays are promiscuous, but that men are.
* AllLesbiansWantKids: Lindsay, Melanie, Dusty
** And the men too. Ben is particularly mopey on the subject
* AllLoveIsUnrequited
* {{Anti-Hero}}: Brian can be considered a Type III or IV, he did after all save Melanie and Lindsey's wedding
* AttractiveBentGender: Michael in the Pride episode. Hal Sparks looks ''amazing'' in drag.
* AbusiveParents: The biggest reason Brian grew up into the man he is today.
** And Ben and Michael's eventual adopted son Hunter, who was abused by his own mother and pimped out as a child prostitute. And when she found out Hunter got positive during the custody battle between the guys and his mother, his mother's reaction was so foul that the judge grants the custody to the gay couple.
* ArmouredClosetGay: Drew
** And most definitely a ManlyGay
* BigApplesauce: Averted. While the setting might be Pittsburgh InNameOnly, even that was a refreshing change of pace since most gay media is based in New York or California by default.
* BookEnds: The last shot of the series, which ended up deleted to cut down the episode's running time, showed a young {{twink}} stepping into Pittsburgh's [[{{Gayborhood}} gay nightlife]] for the first time, exactly how the series began with Justin.
* CampGay: Emmett.
* {{Casanova}}: Brian.
* CharacterDevelopment
* ClosetKey: Emmett for Drew.
* ComingOutStory: Justin has all three of the traditional dramatic points. Homophobic parent? Check. Supportive parent? Check. Hate crime? CHECK.
** Inverted with Hunter, the gay prostitute, who winds up coming out to Ben and Michael as straight.
* CoolOldLady: Debbie Novotny. Her shirts alone are worth the price of admission.
* CountryMatters: One of the few shows on American television to use the word "cunt".
* CulturalCrossReference: Inverted (?) - Justin wound up in private school because that's the only place in America you'll find the type of school uniforms the British teen characters wore.
* CureYourGays: Emmett trying to "See the Light".
* ADateWithRosiePalms: Ted. He's watched all the porno that there is in ye old Pittsburgh.
* DateRape: This almost happens to Justin when he goes to a party his boss from Babylon throws
* DeadpanSnarker: Brian in almost every episode, and Ted and Vic also have their moments.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Brian through ThePowerOfLove for Justin.
* DerailingLoveInterests: Happens when [[spoiler: Justin's dream guy Ethan]] goes seamlessly from a romantic dream to a sleazy cheater, with no foreshadowing.
* DrugsAreBad: Ben's use of steroids; Ted's season one hospitalization and season three addiction.
** Much drug use never has consequences, though. One position on drugs is stated by Brian: "Only do drugs with your friends, because they're the only ones who give a shit about you."
* DoubleEntendre: Played straight and occasionally subverted. The age old 'I'm coming' gag has never been played.
* DownerEnding : [[spoiler: The season one finale. Justin gets gay bashed and his fate is left ambiguous, Blake basically dumps Ted who reacts badly and Michael ends up not going to Portland with David. The music that plays during the last few scenes doesn't help.]]
* FagHag: Debbie, who probably qualifies as the Queen of the Fag Hags.
* FictionalCounterpart: ManlyGay[=/=]ArmoredClosetGay Drew played football for the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Steelers Pittsburgh Iron Men]]
* FunTShirt: Debbie is the queen of this trope! She wears at least one of these in every episode.
* GayConservative: Ted.
* {{Gayborhood}}: Liberty Avenue (though it is not this in RealLife); the suburb Michael and Ben move to in Season 5.
* HappilyAdopted: Hunter.
* HasTwoMommies: Gus and Jenny Rebecca. Also Hunter, for having two daddies.
* HeyItsThatGuy: Anyone who's seen the various "I Love the _____" shows might be surprised to see Hal Sparks as Michael. He's much better known for his comedic, musical, and martial-arts talents.
* HotDad: Michael, Brian, David and Ben.
* HotTeacher: Ben.
* HoYay: Lots of it, which is unsurprising considering what this show's premise is.
* IronyAsSheIsCast: Michael says in one episode, "I thought straight actors don't accept gay roles?" Hal Sparks is straight, as are Gale Harold (Brian) and Scott Lowell (Ted).
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Brian, in his own emotionally distant way, when Justin leaves him for Ethan.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Brian, so, ''so'' much.
* LadykillerInLove: Brian. It takes him oh, about five years to get around to admitting it, but from the very beginning, Justin was different.
* LipstickLesbian: Lindsay.
** Also Melanie, even through we are supposed to see her as butch.
* LoveDodecahedron: In the first few episodes: Ted wants Michael, Michael wants Brian, Justin wants Brian, and you see a hint of a spark between Lindsey and Brian. It doesn't go anywhere, but still we can tell there's a history.
* ManipulativeBastard: Brian.
* MayDecemberRomance: Played straight with Jennifer and Tucker. This is extremely difficult for Justin to accept, despite the fact that there is over a decade separating his and Brian's ages. Jennifer calls him out on this.
* MonochromeCasting: An egregious example since African-Americans make up over a quarter of Pittsburgh's population.
** Actually not that surprising. The gay community is often criticized to be pretty monochrome in real life.
*** But it's hard to excuse them on those grounds when they went to the trouble of placing a disclaimer at the start of every episode that they don't reflect gay society.
* MostImportantPerson: Michael and Brian, for each other. Through "adopt-a-tricks", gay-bashing, boyfriends, husbands, cancer, and Debbie, they're it for each other. While Brian and Michael are clearly in love with Justin and Ben (respectively), they have also been each others' anchor for years. That does not just go away.
* TheMountainsOfIllinois: Inverted. {{Pittsburgh}} lies within the Appalachian Mountains and is notorious for its hilly terrain, but the show was filmed in the rather flat {{Toronto}}.
* MyBelovedSmother: Debbie, so very much, and not just to Michael. She smothers Brian, Justin, and the rest too.
* TeamMom: Debbie.
* TheCastShowOff: Michael singing Ben a romantic song to convince him that he is serious. Hal Sparks is the singer of his own Hard Rock band "Zero 1".
* TheGlassesGottaGo: Averted with Ben.
* TheGruntingOrgasm: This one's a given. The show's mainly about gays and their sex lives, what did you expect?
* NoBisexuals: For all its messages of tolerance, bisexuality as an orientation is rarely mentioned; almost all of the characters are gay or straight.
** Especially weird in the case of Lindsay. She and Brian share a passionate kiss and reference a previous sexual relationship in the first episode. She also has an affair with a man in Season 4 and acknowledges an attraction to men when she breaks it off, saying that she has "many rooms" in her house but only occupies a few. Nevertheless insists "I'm a lesbian."
** When Ben and Michael discover that Hunter has a girlfriend, they just assume that he's straight, despite Hunter having an earlier crush on Brian.
* OutWithABang: [[spoiler: George.]]
* NotWithThemForTheMoney: Emmett genuinely falls in love with a wealthy older man who dies and leaves his fortune to Emmett, but includes the clause that he not be publicly outed as a gay man. Emmett struggles with the idea of being rich or being honest, and eventually decides it's more important to tell the world who George was and that they loved each other than to have money.
* PunnyName: Local DragQueen Shanda Leer.
* PutOnABus; David, Ethan, Leda.
* RapeAsABackStory: You could argue this for Hunter, considering that his mother [[spoiler: forced him into being a child prostitute]].
* ResetButton: Not done on an episode-by-episode basis, but the zanier plot lines usually have their effects reset eventually. Case in point: George's money.
* RuleOfDrama: Every. Single. Episode.
* SexSells: Brian's entire philosophy as an ad exec.
* {{Shirtless Scene}}: Brian likes walking around his loft half-naked.
* ShowWithinAShow: "Gay As Blazes"
** Also, the Comic Within The Show ''Rage,'' which itself could provide plenty of fodder for the tropers here. Notable for its flagrant disregard for ThouShaltNotKill.
* {{Smoking is Cool}}: Brian.
* StalkerWithACrush: At Daphne's suggestion, Justin tries a benign version of this as a tactic to try and get Brian back.
* StraightGay: Michael, Brian, Ben, and Ted.
* StrawManHasAPoint: Stockwell starts mainly going after things that are actually illegal like public sex and drugs. This changes when [[spoiler:it's revealed he covered up the murder of a young gay man.]]
* SexMontage
* {{Tall Dark And Handsome}}: Brian.
* TelevisionGeography: Residents of Pittsburgh get quite a kick out of the show's depiction of their city as a gay mecca, centered on the decadent and lively nightlife of Liberty Avenue (an actual, but fairly ordinary, major downtown thoroughfare). In fact, you might say that the fictional Liberty Avenue looks a lot like Church Street in Toronto, an actual gay neighborhood in a very gay-friendly city, and where the show is actually filmed.
** Coupled with the MonochromeCasting example above, it really makes one wonder why the show wasn't just based in Toronto to begin with.
** The original UK version is in a industrial city (Manchester) so the producers thought Pittsburgh would be the US analog.
** Lampshaded in Season 4 at the Liberty Ride when the gang gets to (real) Toronto and keeps pointing out how much it reminds them of Liberty Avenue.
* {{Token Lesbian}}s: Lindsay and Melanie.
* TheBeard: Ted and Emmett at the wedding of Lindsay's sister.
** A unsuspecting Tracey when Michael wants to get a promotion in Season 1.
* TheTwink: Justin.
* TheUnFavourite: Lindsay to her parents.
* ThreeWaySex: In this case, all guys.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Michael and Brian. They can fistfight, scream at each other, refuse to speak to each other, treat each other horribly (mostly on Brian's part), but if ''anyone'' but Brian insults Michael, Brian will unleash hell on them. Only he's allowed to call Michael "pathetic", thank you.
* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: This show perfected this trope.
* YourCheatingHeart: Practically everyone cheats on their significant other at least once throughout the series. Melanie and Lindsey each cheated on each other once, Melanie with another woman and Lindsey with a man. Emmett gets into a relationship with a football player who is cheating on his fiance with Emmett. Ted cheats on Emmett with a bunch of guys during his downward spiral into drugs. And then of course there is Ethan who cheats on Justin for no apparent reason at all.
** And Brian has sex with someone besides Justin practically every episode. Multiple times. Of course it's not really cheating since Brian does have Justin's blessing. Hurray for open relationships.
----
->"''Queer as Folk'' is a celebration of the lives and passions of a group of gay friends. It is not meant to reflect all of gay society"
->Show disclaimer.
''QueerAsFolk'' was originally conceived by RussellTDavies as a comedy drama set in Manchester's gay village. It followed the lives of three gay men: swaggering, self-assured Stuart Allen Jones, his less-self-assured best friend Vince Tyler who has an unrequited crush on him, and their new friend Nathan Maloney, a young man just finishing school and discovering the Scene.
It was eventually remade for the US. Now with a [[{{Characters/QueerAsFolk}} Character Sheet]]! Due to the series approaching LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters territory, any help is appreciated.
Like ''SexAndTheCity'', except with ''men'' in the stereotypical gay man roles. Also compare ''TheLWord'' (for lesbians), and ''NoahsArc'' (for gay men of color).
----
!!Both the UK and American shows contain:
* CastFullOfGay
* [[PunBasedTitle Pun-Based Title]]: The title is a Northern British phrase meaning roughly "there's nothing stranger than people." However, the title could even be misheard as "Queer as Fuck" or "Queer-Ass folk."
** According to WordOfGod, the working title of the UK show was in fact ''Queer As Fuck''.
!!The UK Show contains examples of:
* AgeAppropriateAngst: Nathan reacts rather emotionally after sleeping with and then getting rejected by Stuart. Understandable because he was 15 at the time.
* [[AllGaysArePedophiles All Gays Are Paedophiles]]: invoked by Stuart's blackmailing nephew, who threatens to tell Stuart's parents a few very nasty lies: "I'll tell them you touched me- you pervert!" Stuart of course counters this with a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. Stuart definitely fits this bill...but he's shown to have some deep-seated psychological insecurities. Vince also seems to fit this, but he's emulating Stuart and has the least amount of hookups (and one serious boyfriend). [[spoiler: They also both settle down together]]. Stuart's views seem lean this way, though. He accuses Vince of being a straight guy who has sex with men because he wants a relationship instead of casual sex.
* AllLesbiansWantKids: Romy and Lisa.
* AloneWithThePsycho: Dane and Alexander when they go to a stranger's house for a threesome. They have an OhCrap moment when they discover he lives in a RoomFullOfCrazy and knows a lot about preparing corpses for burial:
--> "He's [[SerialKiller Fred West]]." - '''Dane'''
* AttractiveBentGender: Hazel thinks Alexander looks rather good in drag:
-->"You're more of a gay man than ''I'' am!" - '''Vince Tyler'''
* AuthorFilibuster: A very noticeable one is delivered by Stuart over the senselessness and offensiveness of the all-too-frequent statement that an attractive person being gay is a "waste". The topic and resulting monologue are reasonable, but the entire scene is pretty obviously Davies parking the plot and preaching on a personal issue.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Vince and Stuart get a few of these, most notably at the end of the first season and during the finale.
* BadLiar: Vince, usually by faking phonecalls and BadBadActing:
-->'''Vince:'''"[[{{Catchphrase}} Oh my god]]... when did that happen? Gotta go- so, what did they do? It's my neighbour, someone's broken in downstairs, she thinks it's kids- yeah, I'm coming now, I'll have to check the flat..."
-->'''Stuart:''' [picking up his phone, which Vince has used to call his own] "[[{{Catchphrase}} Fuck off]], Vin..."
* {{Blackmail}}: One of Stuart's nephews finds images on his computer outing him. Previous to this, the nephew didn't know Stuart was gay. On finding out, he demands 25... 50... ''100'' quid a week or he'll tell Stuart's parents, who don't know. Instead of capitulating, Stuart outs himself to his parents and accuses his nephew (who's 8, mind you) of being the most disgusting individual in the family.
* BiggusDickus: Well it's about gay sex, so naturally the joke comes up from time to time.
** Stuart: "If that's what Big Bill calls 'big,' then I'm a ''co-loss-us''."
* BoomerangBigot: The self-loathing Bernard Thomas, from his first meeting with Nathan on Canal Street, to his advice about coming out to one's parents:
--> "They way they see it, it's not gay. It's not homosexual. It's ''cock''. You like ''cock''. [{{beat}}] Fair dos, it ''is'' revolting."
* CampGay: Dane, Dazz and of course Alexander:
-->"Saying Alex is a little bit camp is like saying Hitler was a little bit naughty." '''- Vince Tyler'''
* [[CarMeetsHouse Car Meets Dealership]]
* {{Catchphrase}}: "OH MY ''GOD''!"
** Stuart's catchphrase is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Vince: "As a friend of mine is fond of saying: FUCK OFF!"
* TheCharmer: Stuart
* ChildrenAreInnocent: Subverted with Stuart's nephew, who tries to blackmail him.
* CitizenshipMarriage: Romey and Lance. [[spoiler:Almost]].
* ComingOutStory: Nathan with his supportive mother, homophobic father and bullying classmates.
* CountryMatters: Vince tries to reassure Nathan over Stuart not wanting a proper relationship with him: "Nathan, he's a ''cunt''."
** ...not to mention Nathan's [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome]] comeback: "You're friends with a ''cunt''."
* DisproportionateRetribution: Oblivious salesman making general homophobic comments? Drive a car through his window![[spoiler: ten year old nephew blackmailing you? Dunk his head in the toilet!]] Your friend's mother is a complete bitch to him right after his father dies? Blow up her car in front of her!
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Stuart likes to make pedestrians dive out of his way.
* DrugsAreBad: The [[strike:MDMA]] worming tablets Stuart is sold, which lead him to drawing the Shag Map: [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "It's the pens! I need to get rid of the pens!"]]
** ...and of course [[spoiler:Phil Delaney's fatal cocaine overdose]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The odd voiceover segments featuring members of the main cast talking to the camera while seated in front of a neon screen, which were used to establish a few character traits and then promptly disappeared after the first episode.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Boy, does Vince ''earn'' his eventual ride into the sunset with Stuart. Poor guy had literally been waiting for that moment more than half of his life.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Stuart invites Nathan back to his place, leaving Vince to take care of his car. Possibly a Relationship Establishing moment- as Phil Delaney puts it:
--> "So, he brings the car, gives you the keys so you can't drink, then he buggers off. Nice system."
* EverybodySmokes
* FakeStatic: Vince pretends there is some on the line when telling Cameron: "It's breaking up...[[spoiler:''We're'' breaking up]]..."
* FagHag: Hazel, who regards her son's coming out as a turning point in her life, allowing her to get involved in the gay scene herself.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: At the hospital, Stuart threatens Alexander's mother with a FingerGun. [[spoiler:He gets to threaten someone with a real gun later on]].
* {{Gayborhood}}: Canal Street
* {{Gaydar}}: Nathan's mother claims to have honed hers through working as a teacher: "Sometimes there's a boy and it's just ''shining'' out of him".
* GeekyTurnOn: Inverted. Vince makes the choice to ''end'' an unhealthy relationship when he learns that his partner can't name all of the actors who played the Doctor. It's [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome.]]
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Complete averted. The resident lesbian couple never share more than a kiss on the cheek onscreen, while the gay male relationships are portrayed ''very'' frankly and graphically. Considering the [[RussellTDavies creator]], it's probably plain old {{Author Appeal}}.
* HasTwoMommies: Alfred
* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: Stuart [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome coming out to his parents]].
* ItsAllAboutMe: Nathan in the way he treats Donna. While exaggerating his problems with his actually very tolerant mother he completely fails to notice that Donna is going through some genuine family problems of her own. When he tries to tell Donna that she doesn't understand what it's like being in a sexual minority she has a great comeback:
--> "I'm black. ''And'' I'm a girl. Try that for a week."
** In a later episode he makes the arrogant assumption that a guy giving Donna some grief was actually staring at him, causing Donna to tell him "It's not all about you, you know".
** ...and when he sees his mother out on Canal Street with Hazel, who reminds him: "This place isn't just for you, you know!"
*** Alexander, at [[spoiler:Phil Delaney]]'s funeral: "This could be me! I could be dead! Mind you, I think I'd draw more of a crowd..."
*** ...and at Vince's 30th birthday, when Cameron gets him a more impressive present: "I have ''never'' been so upstaged!"
* JerkAss: Stuart, what with his constant sleeping around, blowing off and insulting his friends, and neglecting his son.
** ....or the fact that he intentionally shags men that Vince fancies, just to prove he can. Not to mention making a pass at Vince's boyfriend.
*** ...or hosting Vince's 30th birthday party, then inviting a work colleague who has a massive crush on him so she can discover that he is gay in the most humiliating manner possible...
* LandDownUnder: Alexander on meeting Vince's boyfriend Cameron, and seizing an opportunity to make many [[DoubleEntendre Double Entendres]]: "Australian? Very nice! Down Under, mammals with pouches... loads of material!"
* ManipulativeBastard: Stuart in the way he convinces Nathan to [[spoiler: send Romy and Lisa's love letters to the Home Office, exposing Romy and Lance's wedding as a CitizenshipMarriage]].
* MostImportantPerson: Vince and Stuart, so much. So much that the notoriously promiscuous (and insensitive {{Jerkass}}) Stuart eventually goes on record explaining to [[TeamMom Vince's mom]] why he's never slept with Vince: because the love between them is so intense and unique that a sexual relationship would seem almost trivial by comparison.
--> '''Stuart:''' You've gotta ''fancy'' 'em. Never mind love. Love can fuck off. If you fancy him, there's blood, there's a hard-on. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming If you just love him...]]
* MenAreUncultured: Vince appears to be this and proud of it when his boyfriend takes him to a gallery opening.
* NamesTheSame: RussellTDavies likes reusing names. Tyler is one of his favourites -- here it is Vince's surname, and later it was to be Rose's surname in ''Series/DoctorWho.'' There are also characters named Martha Jones and Donna, both of which were used as names of major characters in ''Doctor Who.''
* PetHomosexual: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Hazel:
-->'''Vince's father''': "Must be a wonderful life Hazel, all those boys. Never short of a joke, tremendous wit, all of them. Always smiling, always laughing..."
-->'''Hazel''': "....yes, and they make such good pets."
* ProudToBeAGeek: Vince with his ''Series/DoctorWho'' obsession.
** ...which possibly makes him an AuthorAvatar for RussellTDavies.
* RaceForYourLove: The final ten minutes of the series, in what probably cements Vince and Stuart as the official romance of the show. Their tempestuous relationship had finally convinced Stuart to split for London, and Vince being too delusional or too stubborn to make an effort to stop what would have undoubtedly spelled the end of their time together, the situation leads to Stuart actually packing up and on being the verge of leaving town. However, [[ShipperOnDeck Vince's mom]] pulls all the stops in an effort to get Vince to Stuart before he leaves, and they end up reuniting and reconciling moments before Stuart drives off (and [[spoiler:leaving town together, apparently for good.]])
* RefugeInAudacity
* ShipperOnDeck: [[TeamMom Hazel]] for Stuart and Vince, so much.
* SlowLoadingInternetImage: Stuart clicks on the online profile of a guy on a gay dating site. All we see is half of the guy's body (you can guess which half) and the picture hasn't even fully loaded before Stuart is out of the room, off to find the guy...
* StalkerWithACrush: Nathan for the first few episodes. He dogs Stuart all over town, and even uses Stuart's taxi tab to do it. According to Vince, this isn't the first time Stuart's had this effect on a guy.
* StraightGay: Most of the main cast (with the exception of Alex)
* TransparentCloset: Nathan's mum claims to have realised her son was gay when he was just ten.
* TheTwink: Nathan
* UnrequitedLoveLastsForever: Invoked by Vince after he [[spoiler:dumps Cameron]] (and spies an excuse to quote ''Series/DoctorWho''): "Unrequited love. It's fantastic, 'cause it never has to change, it never has to grow up and it never has to die!"
* [[spoiler: VictoriousChildhoodFriend: Vince. Eventually. After a great deal of heartache, he finally rides off into the sunset with Stuart.]]
* UnresolvedSexualTension: The UST between Vince and Stuart fuels the entire series. Vince has been hopelessly in love with Stuart for years, and Stuart, while sleeping with a different guy every night of the week, [[SleepsWithEveryoneButYou never gets around to Vince]]. Apparently, they had an (interrupted) tryst as boys, and at one point in the show they actually check into a hotel room with the intention of resolving everything... but somehow, it just doesn't happen and they simply end up sharing the bed. As of the finale, after much emotional-rollercoastering [[spoiler:the two of them have left everything else behind in favor of spending the rest of their lives together, but it is still uncertain whether their relationship will ever move beyond that of incredibly devoted friends.]]
** It's worth noting that in any other series, their romantic relationship would probably count as canon (they kiss multiple times, hold hands, seriously consider sleeping together, and are obviously in love in their own ways), but compared to the [[CastFullOfGay many explicit sexual relationships between men]] in ''Queer as Folk'', Stuart and Vince still fall into the UST category.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Alexander/[[spoiler:Alice Band]].
----
!!The US show contains examples of:
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Michael's relationships are the only completely monogamous ones on the show, and even he goes for random hook-ups when single. Notably Mel and Lindsay, in spite of occasional infidelities and one threesome, show much less inclination to promiscuity on the whole. The show's official philosophy seems not so much to be that gays are promiscuous, but that men are.
* AllLesbiansWantKids: Lindsay, Melanie, Dusty
** And the men too. Ben is particularly mopey on the subject
* AllLoveIsUnrequited
* {{Anti-Hero}}: Brian can be considered a Type III or IV, he did after all save Melanie and Lindsey's wedding
* AttractiveBentGender: Michael in the Pride episode. Hal Sparks looks ''amazing'' in drag.
* AbusiveParents: The biggest reason Brian grew up into the man he is today.
** And Ben and Michael's eventual adopted son Hunter, who was abused by his own mother and pimped out as a child prostitute. And when she found out Hunter got positive during the custody battle between the guys and his mother, his mother's reaction was so foul that the judge grants the custody to the gay couple.
* ArmouredClosetGay: Drew
** And most definitely a ManlyGay
* BigApplesauce: Averted. While the setting might be Pittsburgh InNameOnly, even that was a refreshing change of pace since most gay media is based in New York or California by default.
* BookEnds: The last shot of the series, which ended up deleted to cut down the episode's running time, showed a young {{twink}} stepping into Pittsburgh's [[{{Gayborhood}} gay nightlife]] for the first time, exactly how the series began with Justin.
* CampGay: Emmett.
* {{Casanova}}: Brian.
* CharacterDevelopment
* ClosetKey: Emmett for Drew.
* ComingOutStory: Justin has all three of the traditional dramatic points. Homophobic parent? Check. Supportive parent? Check. Hate crime? CHECK.
** Inverted with Hunter, the gay prostitute, who winds up coming out to Ben and Michael as straight.
* CoolOldLady: Debbie Novotny. Her shirts alone are worth the price of admission.
* CountryMatters: One of the few shows on American television to use the word "cunt".
* CulturalCrossReference: Inverted (?) - Justin wound up in private school because that's the only place in America you'll find the type of school uniforms the British teen characters wore.
* CureYourGays: Emmett trying to "See the Light".
* ADateWithRosiePalms: Ted. He's watched all the porno that there is in ye old Pittsburgh.
* DateRape: This almost happens to Justin when he goes to a party his boss from Babylon throws
* DeadpanSnarker: Brian in almost every episode, and Ted and Vic also have their moments.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Brian through ThePowerOfLove for Justin.
* DerailingLoveInterests: Happens when [[spoiler: Justin's dream guy Ethan]] goes seamlessly from a romantic dream to a sleazy cheater, with no foreshadowing.
* DrugsAreBad: Ben's use of steroids; Ted's season one hospitalization and season three addiction.
** Much drug use never has consequences, though. One position on drugs is stated by Brian: "Only do drugs with your friends, because they're the only ones who give a shit about you."
* DoubleEntendre: Played straight and occasionally subverted. The age old 'I'm coming' gag has never been played.
* DownerEnding : [[spoiler: The season one finale. Justin gets gay bashed and his fate is left ambiguous, Blake basically dumps Ted who reacts badly and Michael ends up not going to Portland with David. The music that plays during the last few scenes doesn't help.]]
* FagHag: Debbie, who probably qualifies as the Queen of the Fag Hags.
* FictionalCounterpart: ManlyGay[=/=]ArmoredClosetGay Drew played football for the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Steelers Pittsburgh Iron Men]]
* FunTShirt: Debbie is the queen of this trope! She wears at least one of these in every episode.
* GayConservative: Ted.
* {{Gayborhood}}: Liberty Avenue (though it is not this in RealLife); the suburb Michael and Ben move to in Season 5.
* HappilyAdopted: Hunter.
* HasTwoMommies: Gus and Jenny Rebecca. Also Hunter, for having two daddies.
* HeyItsThatGuy: Anyone who's seen the various "I Love the _____" shows might be surprised to see Hal Sparks as Michael. He's much better known for his comedic, musical, and martial-arts talents.
* HotDad: Michael, Brian, David and Ben.
* HotTeacher: Ben.
* HoYay: Lots of it, which is unsurprising considering what this show's premise is.
* IronyAsSheIsCast: Michael says in one episode, "I thought straight actors don't accept gay roles?" Hal Sparks is straight, as are Gale Harold (Brian) and Scott Lowell (Ted).
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Brian, in his own emotionally distant way, when Justin leaves him for Ethan.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Brian, so, ''so'' much.
* LadykillerInLove: Brian. It takes him oh, about five years to get around to admitting it, but from the very beginning, Justin was different.
* LipstickLesbian: Lindsay.
** Also Melanie, even through we are supposed to see her as butch.
* LoveDodecahedron: In the first few episodes: Ted wants Michael, Michael wants Brian, Justin wants Brian, and you see a hint of a spark between Lindsey and Brian. It doesn't go anywhere, but still we can tell there's a history.
* ManipulativeBastard: Brian.
* MayDecemberRomance: Played straight with Jennifer and Tucker. This is extremely difficult for Justin to accept, despite the fact that there is over a decade separating his and Brian's ages. Jennifer calls him out on this.
* MonochromeCasting: An egregious example since African-Americans make up over a quarter of Pittsburgh's population.
** Actually not that surprising. The gay community is often criticized to be pretty monochrome in real life.
*** But it's hard to excuse them on those grounds when they went to the trouble of placing a disclaimer at the start of every episode that they don't reflect gay society.
* MostImportantPerson: Michael and Brian, for each other. Through "adopt-a-tricks", gay-bashing, boyfriends, husbands, cancer, and Debbie, they're it for each other. While Brian and Michael are clearly in love with Justin and Ben (respectively), they have also been each others' anchor for years. That does not just go away.
* TheMountainsOfIllinois: Inverted. {{Pittsburgh}} lies within the Appalachian Mountains and is notorious for its hilly terrain, but the show was filmed in the rather flat {{Toronto}}.
* MyBelovedSmother: Debbie, so very much, and not just to Michael. She smothers Brian, Justin, and the rest too.
* TeamMom: Debbie.
* TheCastShowOff: Michael singing Ben a romantic song to convince him that he is serious. Hal Sparks is the singer of his own Hard Rock band "Zero 1".
* TheGlassesGottaGo: Averted with Ben.
* TheGruntingOrgasm: This one's a given. The show's mainly about gays and their sex lives, what did you expect?
* NoBisexuals: For all its messages of tolerance, bisexuality as an orientation is rarely mentioned; almost all of the characters are gay or straight.
** Especially weird in the case of Lindsay. She and Brian share a passionate kiss and reference a previous sexual relationship in the first episode. She also has an affair with a man in Season 4 and acknowledges an attraction to men when she breaks it off, saying that she has "many rooms" in her house but only occupies a few. Nevertheless insists "I'm a lesbian."
** When Ben and Michael discover that Hunter has a girlfriend, they just assume that he's straight, despite Hunter having an earlier crush on Brian.
* OutWithABang: [[spoiler: George.]]
* NotWithThemForTheMoney: Emmett genuinely falls in love with a wealthy older man who dies and leaves his fortune to Emmett, but includes the clause that he not be publicly outed as a gay man. Emmett struggles with the idea of being rich or being honest, and eventually decides it's more important to tell the world who George was and that they loved each other than to have money.
* PunnyName: Local DragQueen Shanda Leer.
* PutOnABus; David, Ethan, Leda.
* RapeAsABackStory: You could argue this for Hunter, considering that his mother [[spoiler: forced him into being a child prostitute]].
* ResetButton: Not done on an episode-by-episode basis, but the zanier plot lines usually have their effects reset eventually. Case in point: George's money.
* RuleOfDrama: Every. Single. Episode.
* SexSells: Brian's entire philosophy as an ad exec.
* {{Shirtless Scene}}: Brian likes walking around his loft half-naked.
* ShowWithinAShow: "Gay As Blazes"
** Also, the Comic Within The Show ''Rage,'' which itself could provide plenty of fodder for the tropers here. Notable for its flagrant disregard for ThouShaltNotKill.
* {{Smoking is Cool}}: Brian.
* StalkerWithACrush: At Daphne's suggestion, Justin tries a benign version of this as a tactic to try and get Brian back.
* StraightGay: Michael, Brian, Ben, and Ted.
* StrawManHasAPoint: Stockwell starts mainly going after things that are actually illegal like public sex and drugs. This changes when [[spoiler:it's revealed he covered up the murder of a young gay man.]]
* SexMontage
* {{Tall Dark And Handsome}}: Brian.
* TelevisionGeography: Residents of Pittsburgh get quite a kick out of the show's depiction of their city as a gay mecca, centered on the decadent and lively nightlife of Liberty Avenue (an actual, but fairly ordinary, major downtown thoroughfare). In fact, you might say that the fictional Liberty Avenue looks a lot like Church Street in Toronto, an actual gay neighborhood in a very gay-friendly city, and where the show is actually filmed.
** Coupled with the MonochromeCasting example above, it really makes one wonder why the show wasn't just based in Toronto to begin with.
** The original UK version is in a industrial city (Manchester) so the producers thought Pittsburgh would be the US analog.
** Lampshaded in Season 4 at the Liberty Ride when the gang gets to (real) Toronto and keeps pointing out how much it reminds them of Liberty Avenue.
* {{Token Lesbian}}s: Lindsay and Melanie.
* TheBeard: Ted and Emmett at the wedding of Lindsay's sister.
** A unsuspecting Tracey when Michael wants to get a promotion in Season 1.
* TheTwink: Justin.
* TheUnFavourite: Lindsay to her parents.
* ThreeWaySex: In this case, all guys.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Michael and Brian. They can fistfight, scream at each other, refuse to speak to each other, treat each other horribly (mostly on Brian's part), but if ''anyone'' but Brian insults Michael, Brian will unleash hell on them. Only he's allowed to call Michael "pathetic", thank you.
* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: This show perfected this trope.
* YourCheatingHeart: Practically everyone cheats on their significant other at least once throughout the series. Melanie and Lindsey each cheated on each other once, Melanie with another woman and Lindsey with a man. Emmett gets into a relationship with a football player who is cheating on his fiance with Emmett. Ted cheats on Emmett with a bunch of guys during his downward spiral into drugs. And then of course there is Ethan who cheats on Justin for no apparent reason at all.
** And Brian has sex with someone besides Justin practically every episode. Multiple times. Of course it's not really cheating since Brian does have Justin's blessing. Hurray for open relationships.
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