Favorite Fictional Characters --- Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand and Carlos Reyes

 

When I was growing up in the 1980s and early 1990s, I never dreamed there would be gay characters on scripted primetime TV who didn’t reflect dangerous or homophobic stereotypes. I certainly never imagined we would see characters living their lives like everyone else, without being burdened by shame or self-hatred.

And if you had told me when I was sixteen years old that a show about firefighters, paramedics, and police officers would feature two gay men who meet on the job, start dating, fall in love, and eventually get married, I would have done two things. First, I would have scoffed and called you a fool. Second — though I might not have said it out loud — I would have been praying for that show to exist in my present.

At sixteen, I desperately needed to know that my life wasn’t doomed simply because I was born gay. I needed to see myself reflected in society as someone who was not only accepted, but allowed to thrive. At sixteen, that was not the reality I was being shown.

It’s why characters like TK and Carlos matter so much. Our youth, and plenty of adults, need to see themselves reflected in media. They need to know there is hope, that their lives matter, and that they can become something more despite whatever bullying or abuse they may be facing now. Identity matters. Positive representation matters. TK and Carlos are perfect examples of what good representation looks like.

For those who have never seen 9-1-1: Lone Star, the show takes place in Austin, Texas. It follows the lives of firefighters and paramedics working out of Firehouse 126 after a devastating accident leaves only one firefighter alive.

TK Strand is the son of the new captain. Both of them move from Manhattan to Austin to help rebuild the 126 after the tragedy. He’s a little cocky, a little insecure — an odd combination, but one that somehow works — and he was probably my favorite character on the show. He has his demons, including a past addiction to drugs, but he loves fiercely and is deeply protective of his friends and family. I truly believe he met his soulmate in Carlos Reyes.

Carlos is a police officer and the son of a Texas Ranger. He has a strong sense of justice and one of the truest moral centers I’ve ever seen portrayed on TV. Like TK, he values family deeply and often puts the needs of his loved ones above his own. He also happens to have the patience of a saint — something I’ll likely never possess, no matter how hard I try.

Together, they are an unstoppable pair. They bring out each other’s strengths and compensate for each other’s weaknesses. Their relationship isn’t always smooth, but they work through their problems together and consistently emerge stronger and more unified than before. They have the kind of love that feels enduring — the kind you imagine lasting 161 years, like Lily and Herman Munster’s.