TV Soap With Gay Twist Situated in Orange County

WESTMINSTER —  “Secret Passions,” a racy TV soap opera with a homosexual twist, is being videotaped in the heart of conservative Orange County where residents in one city recently voted overwhelmingly to exclude gays from an anti-discrimination law.

The novel approach to daytime serials is the brainchild of an independent producer who hopes to market “Secret Passions” to cable TV stations next year.

And producer David Gadberry says the show will not skirt sensitive issues despite its production in traditionally conservative Orange County.

“It’s going to be a very realistic portrayal,” Gadberry said. “We’re going to show how it hurts when two gays break up. . . . We’ll have kissing and people in bed together, but we’re more suggestive than explicit.”

KYOU-TV in Santa Ana, which provides videotaping equipment and studio time to various community producers, has said it will broadcast the show if it contains no commercials and if it meets network decency standards.

The soap will have a local angle, set in the imaginary city of Orangethorpe, Orange County, and includes one character, the Rev. Arthur Dimsdale, a conservative minister who preaches that homosexuals are devils.

The story line will revolve around recent real-life Orange County events, including violent clashes over a gay pride festival in Santa Ana and Irvine voters’ removal of wording protecting gays from an anti-discrimination law.