My goal is less to prove Wilson is gay or bisexual, and more to show how House, MD could effortlessly go in that direction from the way Wilson has been characterized, and how the storyline could play out. While this is relevant to his relationship with House, the points do not center on it and deal with the relationship only peripherally.

I will be referring to Wilson as gay, although he could just as (or more) easily be bisexual. I don't care to argue where exactly he lies on the Kinsey Scale, as that point is irrelevant.

Clearly, Wilson's behavior is open to interpretation. From his actions in Season 3, he could very easily be codependent (covered already). He could also simply be in love with House, regardless of orientation (covered, covered, and covered). He could also be gay, which is the angle I decided to explore.

I also am not judging Wilson based on his “stereotypically gay” traits. Yes, he likes to cook and keep things tidy. He's concerned with his appearance, blow-dries his hair, and more than likely wears toe-nail polish. He has a bit of a feminine aura to him and knows a little too much about the Village People. As far as I am concerned, these are Wilson's personal quirks, nothing more.



Tip-Offs
Interaction with Women
Wilson and women go hand-in-hand on the show; his relationship with them is interesting. What's clear is that Wilson doesn't seem to flirt with women, despite House's claims that's he's a dirty whore. Wilson is seen speaking to women in “Cursed,” “Sex Kills,” “Failure To Communicate,” and “Fools For Love,” and every time, his intentions were totally innocent. In the first two episodes mentioned, he's seen carrying on a friendly conversation that doesn't even carry a suggestion of flirtation. In “Failure To Communicate,” he is only lending a friendly ear to a crying nurse. In “Fools For Love,” Wilson's conversation again is flirtation-free, and he himself says he's “Not even trying,” and does not know Wendy is Foreman's girlfriend at this point.

As explicitly stated in “Housetraining,” this is actually how Wilson ends up in a relationship. “I was coming off a bad relationship. [...] He said we could go out as friends. You know, just go see plays, go to a museum. He meant it. [...] It was very endearing. He really just wanted to be a friend. So I jumped him.” This pattern was also implied in previous episodes:

“Fidelity”
Wilson: I had lunch with one of the nurses. It's her first time in an oncology unit and she's having a tough time, emotionally.
House: Perfect.
Wilson: I wanted to be nice. That’s all. I mean it.
House: You always do. It's part of your charm.

“Fidelity”
Wilson: Look, I’m not having an affair. I had lunch, with someone I work with, at work. Once.
House: I believe you. What I don’t believe is that it’ll be just once.

“Fools For Love”
Wilson: It's amazing how you can not only know it's a relationship but that it's a bad relationship based on nothing but... nothing.
House: I know you.

Then in “Act Your Age,” Wilson seems to be honestly freaked for one scene when he thinks Cuddy is showing interest him after taking her out to a play, just as a friend. Interestingly, Wilson consistently seeks out friendship from women, and House seems to be his only male friend.

Wilson doesn't take note of women as much as House thinks. When bringing up Debbie from accounting, all Wilson can say about her is “She's nice.” In contrast, Chase described Cameron as a more specific “weird.” (And if I may mention another show, this reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which Riley described Buffy as “peculiar.”) Wilson does give House dating advice in “Love Hurts,” but it's talking about Dreams, Hopes, and Aspirations. But Wilson is naturally good with women, and he realizes that, and why – just as he's naturally good with patients, realizes it, and can give advice to Foreman in “Resignation.”

“Act Your Age” further suggests Wilson isn't terribly interested in women. House explains, “It's a play. Dudes only go to plays if they're dragged by women they're hoping to see naked.” Wilson's only response is a confused, “So why are you giving them to me?” House gives Wilson a questioning look and says, “Maybe there's someone you want to see naked?” Note that he said “someone” instead of “a woman,” combined with an expression similar to the one he wears in the Village People scene in “Top Secret,” showing House is confused at Wilson's confusion. Wilson ultimately ends up using the tickets to take Cuddy on a friend-date.

Failed Relationships with Women
Everyone's aware of Wilson's repeatedly failed relationships with women. (Seriously, even Cameron somehow knew in “Spin.”) Of course, this could mean all kinds of things – commitment problems, for one. But, specifically, Wilson seems to run into relationships quickly and they fall apart just as fast. Ignoring the show's admittedly screwed-up time line, the implication seems to have always been Wilson's marriages were short and in quick succession. House says as much in “Fools For Love”: “You sprinted through three bad marriages, into an affair with a dying patient...” This seems to suggest he's looking for a relationship with any woman, rather than a relationship with a specific woman.

We've seen this pattern on-screen, with Grace. Granted, it was a severe case; the relationship didn't last much longer than a week. But I think it serves as a good example. Grace was in an emotionally weak state. Wilson did his nice guy thing and drove her home and bought her some groceries. More than likely Grace made the first move – and Wilson moved in with her afterwards.

In “Spin,” Wilson said this very interesting line: “Who cares if he's what he says he is? Who the hell is? If love's based on lies, does that mean it's not a real feeling? Doesn't it bring the same pleasure?” It seems rather non sequitur in that scene. I don't think Wilson was saying he didn't love his wives; I believe he did, just not the way they loved him. And Wilson, ever the enabler, was willing to fulfill the role of “loving husband” for them as long as he could.

In “Family,” Wilson says, “It was a mistake every time,” in regard to his marriages, and possibly his relationships with women in general. Through out this episode, House makes several references to his conversation with Bonnie. So when he yells at Wilson for being a coward for seemingly no reason, he still has that conversation on his mind.

Sex
In “Housetraining,” Bonnie says, “Sex with James - fantastic. Nobody works harder to give a woman what she wants.” The line was worded in a way so that it could be interpreted that Wilson didn't derive pleasure from sex (with a woman) and/or he was overcompensating for something.

Sex also doesn't seem to be a motivating factor in his relationships. When speaking of an affair in “Spin,” it's clear the emotional connection was what caused him to stray. It's highly probable that all of his affairs were the same way, as, again, he seeks friendship from women first and foremost.

House tells Wilson to “go home and have sex with [his] wife” in “Sex Kills.” Most likely, it was just simple advice – stop spending time with House, and pay attention to your wife! The possibility is there, however, that Wilson had told House that he hadn't been having sex with Julie or that House figured it out himself.

Depression
Naturally, being closeted causes Wilson to be more prone to depression and suicide. “Resignation” took the time to introduce the fact Wilson is on antidepressants and gives a nod to suicide that the viewer is clearly supposed to relate back to him.

It's also interesting to look at Chase's words in “Resignation,” when referring to the reason Foreman is resigning: “The fact that you won't tell me means whatever the real reason is, you're ashamed of it.” When House asks Wilson why he kept the depression/anti-depressants a secret, Wilson insistently says, “It's personal,” repeatedly.

Self-Censorship
Trying to keep such a big secret, Wilson learned to reflexively speak in a way that won't reveal the gender of a specific person. In “Spin,” Wilson tells Cameron about his affair with a painfully obviously ungendered “someone,” allowing her to assume he is speaking about a woman. But the lack of gender suggests that he was speaking of a man.

Low Self-Esteem
Wilson seems to be lacking in the self-esteem department despite the appearance he puts forth. In “Housetraining,” he's quick to assume Bonnie told House he was bad in bed. In “Merry Little Christmas,” Wilson decides not to testify against House, and when Tritter tells him he'll go to prison, Wilson dejectedly replies, “Statistically better me than him.”

Defensiveness
There are two scenes in particular in which Wilson becomes oddly defensive. In “Hunting,” he's quick to correct Kalvin by saying he and House aren't together (but not that they're not gay, interestingly), even though Kalvin wasn't really talking to him or referring to him.

In “Top Secret,” after Wilson has rambled on about the Village People, House gives him a strange look but says nothing. Wilson yells, “You brought it up!” However, Wilson was the one who introduced the Village People into the conversation.

Stages of Grief
Getting to how a Big Gay Wilson storyline could play out, we may have already seen Wilson going through the stages leading to his coming out to himself.

Stage One – Denial
“I'm not really gay.” “I don't dislike women.” “I will feel straight if have sex with a woman.”
Wilson's been stuck here most of his life, up through about half-way through Season 2, perhaps. In “Damned If You Do,” after inviting himself to House's place, he and House trade looks and he says, “I don't want to talk about it.” “It” being ambiguous – his crappy marriage? His relationship with House? Being gay? Admittedly, the last one's unlikely, but it does illustrate Wilson's unwillingness to take a hard look at himself at this point in the series.

Stage Two – Anger
“I hate myself.” “I hate being gay.” “Jesus! Why can't I love her?” “I'm such a loser.”
Wilson may have gone through this stage between “Sex Kills” and “House vs God.” The end of his marriage to Julie had undertones of wanting to care, but not really caring. He was fully aware he wasn't spending enough time with her, and didn't seem that broken up about the marriage. If anything, he was going through some self-hate at not trying harder.

Stage Three – Bargaining
“I bet if I have sex with a woman, I'll find out I'm straight.” “If I don't tell anyone, it's not really real.”
This stage is hard to judge since we're not in Wilson's head, but he could have passed through it quickly during “House vs God.” He throws himself into another relationship with a woman very shortly after his marriage to Julie fell apart. By the end of the episode, he seems resigned and goes on to live in a hotel for the next year (and counting).

Stage Four – Depression
“I'm screwed.” “I hate myself.” “I'm not good at anything. I can't even make a baby.” “My future is empty and hopeless.” “I've ruined everyone's life around me, including my own.” “I want to die.”
Wilson quickly segued into this stage at the end of “House vs God.” Season 3 brought speculation from fans that Wilson might be suffering from depression, and “Resignation” confirms it when he's revealed to be on antidepressants, which he may have started on around “Half-Wit.”

Stage Five – Acceptance
“I'm gay, and that's fine. Now what?” “It's alright not to marry and have kids. I can contribute to society anyway – in other ways.” “It's time to find a boyfriend.” “It's time to get on with life.”
Hopefully, this stage is coming up for Wilson very soon. For his sake, of course.

Coming Out
The first step to coming out is coming out to oneself, which involves an epiphany or soul-searching - Wilson has been holed up in that hotel room for over a year; what the hell is he searching his soul about? His move into a hotel comes on the heels of another horribly botched relationship with a woman.

Stage One – Identity Question
Wilson asks himself if he's actually straight, more than likely when he was much younger. He possibly thought it was phase, and lived his life as heterosexual, not progressing beyond this stage until recently.

Stage Two – Internal Identity Acceptance
Wilson accepts that he is gay, but is not happy or proud of it. He probably entered this stage while living in the hotel. I think Wilson's problem with being gay is less rooted in thinking it's wrong or immoral, and more that it's incompatible with the image he's trying to project and the life he wants (or thinks he wants). At the end of House vs God, he says, “It is possible to believe in something and still fail to live up to it.”

Stage Three – Support
In my hopes of hopes, this is where Wilson is headed. From Wilson's reaction to House in “Resignation” (“You don't care.”), and his growing friendship with Cuddy, I believe he would end up coming out to her first rather than House (which will, of course, piss off House).

After this point, Wilson will still have four more stages to go through. Don't want to overwhelm the poor man.

In Closing
Robert Sean Leonard is pretty and everything he touches becomes gay. He is also a fantastic actor. Put two and two together, and you know it's meant to be.


Websites I Stole From
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p0410s11.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_out
http://www.emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=930
http://www.emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7
http://community.livejournal.com/clinic_duty/


( Original Discussion @ LJ )