Bingowings said:

Putting my serious face on now when you look at the number of science fiction shows that have included homosexual characters without even making an issue of it and Trek can only do it obliquely in a 'special' cause story involving tri-sexual aliens or Trill symbionts getting back together with former spouses after a host gender swap the show does have a really crappy record for a fictional universe constantly waving a liberal flag.

On the other end of the daisy chain we have bloody Torchwood making out everything in the universe isn't just open to any form of sex but under some kind of contractual obligation to perform at the drop of a hat.

Star Trek leads can only be that wanton in mirror universes and only if they are female and dress in bondage gear.

So true. Maybe since it was such a high profile show they felt the need to tread lightly. Then again, that was back in the 90's, a lot has changed since then (of course, the later 90's also brought us Will & Grace, and plenty of other mainstream TV that wasn't afraid to portray openly gay characters who were proud to be openly gay). If I remember correctly, the tri-sexual alien episode (which felt really forced, Riker doesn't seem like the type that would be up for it with an androgynous alien, but it wasn't about telling a decent story, it was about proving Star Trek was still on the cutting edge), stirred up a bit of a fuss. Torchwood is just over the top ridiculous! Everybody in that show is bi and is dying for a ride on Capt. Jack.

The original premise for Jack was that in the future was that you have all these different genders and all these different aliens and it no longer mattered, whoever could hook up with whomever. In Doctor Who he would flirt with men, women, and aliens alike, in Torchwood he seems to have evolved into an exclusively homosexual character, completely ignoring the attractive women around him.