Diana Berrigan, an FBI agent on USA Network’s White Collar, is the latest lesbian mom to grace our television screens.
The character, played by Marsha Thomason, has been an out lesbian for several seasons now. The show has gotten much of its “gay cred,” however, from the presence of actor Matt Bomer, a real-life gay dad who plays the very straight ex-con Neal Caffrey.
In the October 17 episode, Berrigan revealed she was pregnant. Her boss, Peter Burke, was all acceptance — but the writers also had him go, awkwardly, right for the how-did-you-get-pregnant question. Berrigan replies that she went to a clinic and “His father is a world-class chef with one hell of an IQ.” Sigh. Does it really matter how we get pregnant as much as that we are pregnant? Still, given the characters’ close working relationship, I suppose it wasn’t as inappropriate for Burke to ask as it would have been for a lesser acquaintance to do so. His unquestioning support for Berrigan was also refreshing.
In the October 24 episode, Berrigan has her baby, whom she names “Theo.” While this subplot of the show might be seen as yet another example of television trying to fit all lesbians into the acceptable mother paradigm that Sarah Warn wrote about at After Ellen a decade ago, the fact is that Thomason is pregnant in real life, so it makes sense to have that be part of her character’s storyline. I also like that the show didn’t feel it necessary to give her a partner. (She was engaged in Season Three, but broke up with her fiancée in Season Four.) An intentional single mom of any orientation is a rarity on television, more so an intentional single mom of color and a lesbian. (Unintentional single moms of color are an unfortunate negative stereotype, however.)
Berrigan is a regular but supporting character on the show, so I’m not expecting a whole lot of storylines revolving around lesbian motherhood, especially if Thomason takes maternity leave. As I’ve always said, though, we need both shows that feature a variety of LGBT parents as well as shows that portray us simply as part of the fabric of everyday life in our society. We are neighbors, colleagues, and friends, and should appear so on TV as well as in real life. Good for White Collar in doing so — and here’s hoping Bomer uses his actual experience as a gay dad to help the writers and keep things authentic.