Justin Taylor
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Justin Taylor Kinney is a fictional character from the American/Canadian
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
television series ''
Queer as Folk ''Queer as Folk'' may refer to: * Queer as Folk (British TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000 * Queer as Folk (American TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of th ...
'', a drama about the lives of a group of
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
men and women living in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. The character was created by
Ron Cowen Ron Cowen is an American writer and producer. He is a partner with Daniel Lipman in the television production company Cowlip Productions. Filmography As a writer * ''Queer as Folk (U.S.), Queer as Folk'' (2000–2005) TV Series (developed by, ...
and
Daniel Lipman Daniel Lipman is a writer and producer from Baltimore, Maryland. His best-known work to date is writing for and producing the hit American television shows '' Queer as Folk'' and ''Sisters''. He is a partner with Ron Cowen in the television pro ...
, who developed, wrote and executive-produced the series, and was portrayed by American actor
Randy Harrison Randolph Clarke Harrison (born November 2, 1977) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Justin Taylor on the Showtime drama '' Queer as Folk''. Early life and college Harrison was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, where he starting ...
during the show's five-year run, and is based on Nathan Maloney of
Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...
' original
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
series of the same name. Known for his optimism and cheery disposition, Justin is a gay teenager who seeks out a
gay community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individua ...
in his hometown of Pittsburgh. After losing his
virginity Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereo ...
to
Brian Kinney Brian A. Kinney is a fictional character from the American/Canadian Showtime television series '' Queer as Folk'', a drama about the lives of a group of gay men and lesbians living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The character was created by Ron Cow ...
during his senior year of
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
, Justin falls in love with Brian, and their relationship becomes a central part of the series. Many of Justin's storylines revolve around his desire for a more committed relationship with Brian; in later seasons, the character's storylines begin to focus more on his developing career as an
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
. In 2007, the character was voted number 3 on the list of the top 25 gay television characters of all time by
AfterElton TheBacklot.com (TheBacklot), founded in January 2005 as AfterElton (AfterElton.com), was a culture website that focused on the portrayal of gay and bisexual men in the media, and was the companion site of the lesbian-focused AfterEllen (AfterElle ...
.


Background and personality

In the pilot episode, Justin Taylor is a high school student at St. James Academy, a private school in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. His father, Craig Taylor, owns an electronics business called Taylor Electronics, and his mother, Jennifer, is a
real estate agent Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...
. During the first season, Justin's parents struggle to come to terms with their son's homosexuality. His father kicks him out of the house, and Justin remains estranged from his father for the rest of the series. While his mother Jennifer needs a little time to understand her son, after several months she becomes supportive of Justin and becomes involved in
PFLAG Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is an LGBTQ advocacy organization founded and led by friends and family of LGBTQ people. PFLAG is a national organization presiding over decentralized local and regional chapters. PFLAG has nearly ...
. Justin is teased by many of the male students at his school who suspect he is gay, and he spends most of his time with his best friend Daphne Chanders. He excels at school and desires to be an
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
. After meeting
Brian Kinney Brian A. Kinney is a fictional character from the American/Canadian Showtime television series '' Queer as Folk'', a drama about the lives of a group of gay men and lesbians living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The character was created by Ron Cow ...
, Justin is brought into Brian's circle of friends, with
Michael Novotny This is a list of characters in the Showtime series '' Queer as Folk''. The characters are listed alphabetically by their last name or by the name which appears in the episode credits. Drew Boyd Drew Boyd is the quarterback of the fictional P ...
's mother,
Debbie Novotny This is a list of characters in the Showtime series '' Queer as Folk''. The characters are listed alphabetically by their last name or by the name which appears in the episode credits. Drew Boyd Drew Boyd is the quarterback of the fictional P ...
, soon treating Justin as another son. Justin appreciates romance and aspires to be
monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...
with Brian; in later seasons, he mentions wanting to get
married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
and have a family. Justin attends the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts and works on the ''
Rage Rage may refer to: * Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger Games * Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game * Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell * ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...
''
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
with Michael.


Overview

Brian meets Justin, a virgin, outside the
gay club A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term '' gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communities. Gay bars on ...
Babylon, and takes him home to have sex with him. Justin is responsible for naming Gus, the biological son of Brian and Lindsay. Justin falls in love with Brian after their encounter and eventually gets Brian to have sex with him again, breaking Brian's own rule of not having sex with the same person more than once. This causes Brian's best friend
Michael Novotny This is a list of characters in the Showtime series '' Queer as Folk''. The characters are listed alphabetically by their last name or by the name which appears in the episode credits. Drew Boyd Drew Boyd is the quarterback of the fictional P ...
to become jealous and hostile towards Justin. Justin frequently confides in his best friend Daphne Chanders. Late in Season 1, she asks him to be the boy to take her virginity, since he is experienced. He agrees, and she falls in love with him the same way Justin fell in love with Brian. However, Justin shoots down her advances, and although it leads to an altercation, they go back to being friends. Justin tries a number of things to get Brian to love him back, including competing in (and winning) the "King of Babylon" dance contest, stealing one of Brian's tricks, dancing with guys Brian is interested in, and asking Brian to the prom, among other things. Despite initially turning Justin down, Brian shows up at Justin's prom and dances with him, kissing him in front of everybody. Justin described it as "the best night of islife." After his prom, he is bashed by a fellow student, Chris Hobbs, resulting in a two-week coma, and brain damage that limits the use of his hand. This event impacts his life immensely and the effects are seen throughout the series. Justin is accepted to
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
but opts to go to the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts (PIFA) to pursue his dreams. With Justin's diminished use of his drawing hand, Brian gets a drawing computer for Justin to use. He continues his arts degree at PIFA and with Brian's friend Michael, creates a gay superhero comic called ''Rage'', with stories often based on their own lives. He experiences financial trouble when his father refuses to pay for his tuition. He resorts to becoming a
go-go dancer Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo, located in the town of Juan-les-Pins. The bar's ...
at Babylon, despite Brian's repeated offers to help him out financially. Justin's new job takes its toll on him, the night shift causing him to lack energy during the daytime. After a disastrous experience at a party, he is forced to accompany his boss to a location where a number of men try to rape him, he finally quits his job and accepts Brian's financial assistance. Justin starts a relationship with Ethan Gold, a fellow student and talented violinist, when he feels Brian isn't giving him the love and affection he wants. After Ethan cheats on him with a fan, Justin takes Daphne's advice and tries to win Brian back by getting a placement at Brian's advertisement agency. After a few tense days, Justin finally manages to seduce Brian once more in his office late one night. This sparks them to reconcile and continue their relationship. On more than one occasion, Justin saves Brian from legal problems. The first time, he blackmails Kip into dropping his sexual harassment lawsuit against Vanguard and Brian. The second time, while Justin is still with Ethan, he makes Brian's nephew tell the truth about whether or not he molested him. Justin drops out of college after a disagreement with the head of the internship program when it is discovered that he has been having sexual relations with his boss, Brian, and sabotaging Chief Jim Stockwell's ad campaign. During the fifth and final season, Brian and Justin's relationship becomes more unstable. Justin works on a movie version of ''Rage'' but the project is canceled. When Justin returns from
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and moves back in with Brian; he expects them to settle down, which Brian still doesn't want to. He leaves Brian, but after a bomb explodes at Babylon, Brian admits his love for Justin, asking him to marry him. They plan to get married, but as the date draws closer, Justin realizes that Brian is trying to become someone he isn't, just to make Justin happy. Similarly, Brian realizes that Justin is giving up his career as an artist to settle down with him. Brian tells him that he should go to
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to pursue his art career. They agree to call off the wedding, saying "we don't need rings or vows to prove that we love each other." Before leaving, Brian and Justin spend one final night together. Brian tells Justin that he has kept the rings, and Justin reassures Brian that they will continue to see each other frequently.


Recognition

In 2007, Justin was voted number 3 on the list of the top 25 gay television characters of all time by
AfterEllen ''AfterEllen'' is an American culture website founded in 2002, with a focus on entertainment, interviews, reviews, and news of interest to the lesbian and bisexual women's community. The site covers pop culture and lifestyle issues from a feminis ...
's brother site
AfterElton TheBacklot.com (TheBacklot), founded in January 2005 as AfterElton (AfterElton.com), was a culture website that focused on the portrayal of gay and bisexual men in the media, and was the companion site of the lesbian-focused AfterEllen (AfterElle ...
. The site called him "one of television’s most fully realized gay teenaged characters, Justin Taylor was 17 years old when Queer as Folk debuted. Over the five seasons the show ran, he started a Gay-Straight Alliance at his high school, was brutally gay-bashed at his prom, had to learn how to use his right hand again during his first year of art school, created a successful underground gay comic, fought the election of a homophobic mayor, opposed an anti-gay statewide ballot proposition, and achieved acclaim as an artist. Portrayed by out gay actor Randy Harrison, Justin was never one for agonizing over his sexual orientation or struggling with coming out. He may have made a couple of soapy detours through a brief career as a go-go boy and as a member of a gay vigilante group, but Justin Taylor was the first out, proud, and politically active gay teen on American series television."


References


External links


Justin Taylor
on
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
's official website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Justin Fictional artists Fictional gay men Fictional LGBTQ characters in television Queer as Folk (American TV series) characters Teenage characters in television Television characters introduced in 2000