Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Desperate Housewives/One Life to Live Actor Tuc Watkins recently got into it online over an accusation that the gay couple on Modern Family is "the equivalent of blackface." Local roommates Alejandro Morales and Michael Kelly weigh in on gay male representation on the boob tube.

AM: So! Gay guy characters on mainstream television. How do we like them?

MK: I personally like blondes, but in this case I think there could be a broader spectrum for the TV-viewing nation.

AM: Absolutely. While I'm sure that gay couples like "Cam" and "Mitch" from Modern Family exist, I'm ready to see the types of guys I encounter in my day-to-day on the small screen — excluding paid cable and Logo since they don't reach the widest audiences. So who do we want to see?

MK: Lets start with a character with whom we are both acquainted: "The Pot Dealer."

AM: HIGH FIVE. One thing that's irked me is how squeaky clean gay characters have become. It's like, yes, we can be doctors or lawyers, but we can also be —

MK: Stoned.

AM: I'd love to see a character like my pot guy in the mix. I mean, these are fascinating, complex characters who are part of the cultural underground. They have new stories to tell.

MK: I couldn't agree more. Imagine an ensemble cast-driven show with the gay, weed-dealer roommate, and all the wacky hi-jinx that come with smalltime drug dealing.

AM: Where there's smoke… there's almost no end to the possibilities that a character like this could bring. He could run up the electricity bill, or have a run-in with the law, or eat an important cheese plate. Someone who's navigating some light criminal activity as well as a gay romantic life could bring some unique chaos to a roommate dynamic.

MK: I think you just pitched gay 'Friends'.

AM: The only gay version of Friends I'd be into would be a filmed version of the slash fiction I used to read about Ross and Joey.

MK: I smell an EMMY!

AM: I smelly CAT… Sorry. Let's move on. You know what other outlaw gay character I'd like to see? "The Politician." Again, not like a super good guy politician. Like kind of a scamp.

MK: A gay politician would be an amazing character, especially one with questionable methods. Imagine the perfect gay political couple, but with Kennedy-esq skeletons in the closet rather than just "the closet" itself.

AM: I'm imagining something like "House of Cards" but with Kevin Spacey married to Chris Noth. Now that's a power couple.

MK: I'm going to imagine that in the shower.

AM: I could be wrong, but I don't think we've seen a gay political couple on television at all. A show like that has seven seasons in it at least. Think of all the backstabbing. And the suits.

MK: Speaking of couples, one big miss on TV's part is "The Open Couple." Open relationships are nothing new in our community and it's a topic that is rarely addressed – they're also great!

AM: They are! I think the gay community in general is squeamish about revealing to the rest of America just how many of us have one sort of "arrangement" or another with our partners. I think they're scared that if straight people know how much we tweak their formula, they won't give us our rights or whatever. But it's a thing! Most of the gay couples I've slept with — I mean, most of the gay couples I'm familiar with have their little… ways.

MK: Seriously. If I had a dollar … But one thing we're forgetting is that gay people aren't the only ones who have open relationships. ::GASP:: Plenty of heterosexual couples also practice the open door policy! This would make a great plot device, because you're able to easily introduce new characters, who are also easy.

AM: Sluts are people, too. And even going back to Cam and Mitch, I stopped watching Modern Family this last season because those two just annoy the crap out of me anymore. But if they attempted to bring in a third guy to spice things up? I can't imagine that not being the funniest thing on prime time.

MK: Honestly! Six seasons and they didn't have one threesome? Not one? If I added up the amount of threesomes I had in the last six years, you'd probably judge me – let's talk about something else.

AM: Judge Judy! We should have a gay Judge Judy! But daytime TV is a whole 'nother thing. Let's stay with prime time. One character that I've been encountering more and more in my daily life, but not on TV, is "The Activist". With marriage equality and anti-discrimination measures getting so much attention lately, I would love to see the nuts and bolts of how our equality sausage is made. Like an Aaron Sorkin kind of jawn, you know? Real cerebral.

MK: C'mon cerebral gay character! It would be nice to see a gay character passionate about more than a dinner party. We are still fighting to be treated as equal human beings in this country and that fight should not go unnoticed.

AM: What's going on at a grassroots level in America in the struggle for equal rights is history in the making, and as for the characters involved? The sorts of people who get involved in activism are engaging, bold, outspoken, and often difficult. They're not always easy to like. The activist opens up possibilities for some thrilling television. You know what? We should write this one.

MK: That's a great idea! I'll visit our first character and we'll knock that right out.