RIKA WRIGHT Staff Photographer Danny Roberts Real World cast member" SRC="http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper879/thumbs/t_3daa3f6e6f778-6-1.jpg" target=new> RIKA WRIGHT Staff Photographer Danny Roberts Real World cast member [Click to enlarge]

"All TV is trash. Except TLC. Gotta love me some TLC," Roberts, a former star of MTV's "The Real World" said about the station that produces reality shows such as "The Wedding Story," and "The Baby Story."

Roberts knows about impact of television. After appearing on "The Real World," Roberts became known as one of the few positive examples of gay men on television.

After being featured on the cover of the prominent gay magazine, The Advocate, Roberts is touring the country speaking to college students about sexuality and coming out.

Pitt's Gay-Straight Alliance members brought Roberts to David Lawrence Hall Thursday, an event they have been planning since March.

Tyler Morgan, the publicity chair of GSA, said Roberts represents what the GSA stands for because he helps to bridge the gap between the straight and gay communities.

"Danny appeals to both the gay and straight communities and his personality encompasses the best of both worlds," Morgan said.

During the discussion, a 19-year-old Pitt student stood up and said seeing Roberts on television gave him the confidence to tell his own parents that he is gay.

But Roberts said he never had positive gay role models when he was growing up.

"In high school, I barely knew what gay was. All I saw was this gay guy on a bad show called 'Melrose Place,'" he said.

According to Roberts, the main reason he came out had nothing to do with television. Instead, he realized it was important for him to be honest after he met older gay men who were unhappy because they married and had children because it was socially acceptable.

Roberts will quickly point out that it is still dangerous to choose role models from television.

"Television is so important today when it comes to role models. We don't think of politicians or sports figures as role models so much anymore. And it scares the hell out of me because there is so much that is bad on television," he said.

Roberts added his own criticisms about "The Real World," saying it has become "nothing but soft porn" and that MTV teaches teen-agers to be materialistic.

Roberts also criticized HBO's series "Queer as Folk," which is set in Pittsburgh. He said the show reinforces stereotypes that gay men do nothing other than use drugs and have sex.

Although Roberts admitted that he has never seen "Will and Grace," he said it sounds more positive because it features two very different gay characters. According to Roberts, one of the main problems is "people assume that all gays are the same."

Roberts explained that he does not feel pressure to change himself now that he is viewed as a role model for gay teen-agers.

He also said he does not feel ready to become an advocate for gay rights in the military. According to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, any openly gay members will be discharged. On "The Real World," Roberts was shown kissing a blurred figure because his boyfriend, who was in the military, needed to hide his identity

According to Roberts, "The military can't change until our society changes ... people are very naive to believe that change will happen quickly."

He mentioned a military member who was beaten to death in the barracks when his colleagues learned he was gay.

Roberts added that he has also been the target of homosexual discrimination. He said many members of his hometown ostracize him, referring to him as "Satan's helper." He was also booed when he spoke to a group of students at the University of Nebraska.

Although Roberts joked that his television career was over unless he was chosen to appear on his favorite TLC show, "Trading Spaces," he plans to continue speaking at universities. He believes it is important to discuss his experiences and college students tend to be the "most open-minded and easiest to influence."

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