CBS News on LOGO - May 2006

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[00:00:00][music] >> On Monday, millions of soap opera fans will be glued to their screens to witness something rare, even for daytime dramas. The coming out of one of its beloved characters, who just happens to be the son of one of the soaps super couples. If you're a soap buff, you've heard the name Lily and Holden Snyder, and if you're not, you'll definitely want to remember this name, Van Hansis.

[00:00:26]Take a look.

[00:00:31]It's a world where amnesia is as common as a cold, and baby snatching and murders happen almost on a daily basis.

[00:00:39]I killed my baby. Jen, Jen, that's not true. This is the world of soaps, where everybody is beautiful and coming out is as rare as being happy. These days, the biggest cliffhanger isn't the return of a dead mother or even the discovery of an evil twin. It's, well, this.

[00:00:56]I'm gay.

[00:01:02]As the World [music] Turns is the second longest-running soap in America, 50 years.

[00:01:07]Be careful, Lisa. More than 12,000 episodes. Believe it or not, this is only the second time a resident of Oakdale has come out of the closet. The first, 16 years ago, was the first time ever on daytime television. The response that I've gotten has been surprisingly positive. Um I've gotten a lot of fan mail from people who are coming out or did come out. Lots of lots of older people saying that they wish they had this storyline when they were, you know, 17 years old.

[00:01:37]Van Hansis plays Luke, the son of soap opera royalty, Lily and Holden Snyder.

[00:01:42]His character was born on the show 10 years ago, but has managed to already turn 17. In the soap world, they call it sudden rapid aging syndrome. Now, it turns out Luke is gay.

[00:01:56]He's really important to me.

[00:01:58]And I think about him all the time and I don't know why. Martha Byrne plays Lily, Luke's mother. She's been on the show for 16 years. In a world where people get bumped off as often as The Sopranos, she knows a thing or two about soaps.

[00:02:14]This, she says, was one of her toughest scenes. Lily, his mother, has not had any dealings with the situation as of today. This is the first time Lily's hearing any of this um from her son. So, I kind of as an actress did the same thing. I kind of didn't really think about it too much until we actually shot the scenes to see what would happen. The question now, will this second coming out become a guiding light to many young and restless gay men? Stand by. Action.

[00:02:41]Etai Hod, CBS News on Logo, Oakdale.

[00:02:45]Luke's coming out episode of As the World Turns airs on Monday on CBS. Check your local listings for the time. From New York, I'm Jason Bellini, CBS News on Logo.