Gates and Strays

Alex and John, an interracial couple with widely divergent lines of work (she’s in tech; he’s a small press literary editor), have recently moved to San Francisco from Pittsburgh. They are engaged to be married, but the series starts with Alex coming out of the closet, and the first season chronicles their progression from lovers to best friends.

Along the way, Alex learns that coming out is only a small part of finding your place in the queer community. While on the surface the community celebrates diversity, there is still ageism, classism, racism, and a whole other host of –isms, niches, heirarchies, and rules to navigate.

John, meanwhile, must find a new living situation and, through a series of circumstances, lands in an apartment share in the Mission, hipster ground zero, with Hunter (a trans man) and Lindsay (his lesbian-identified girlfriend).

John and Hunter develop an instant bromance while Lindsay, a militaristic vegan, eco-warrior, and champion of every possible LGBTIQ social justice cause, is less-than enthused with the introduction of a straight cis-male to her living space.

Gates and Strays explores the depth and, often, the shallowness of our differences through humor, and will introduce the audience to a host of under-represented minorities without focusing on their otherness as the butt of the jokes. While John and Alex are “fish out of water” in many ways to the worlds they now live in, they will both serve as the gateway into that world for a larger audience. Both are respectful, intelligent, and likeable protagonists.

Through this structure, we intend to tell an ongoing story that will be relatable and entertaining to both queer and straight viewers.