Review by Michael Fargo

The history of the over-representation of LGBT Americans working as civil servants in the seat of power while publically being reviled. It's a story that deserves telling. "Fellow Traverlers" constantly veers it's focus to what homosexuals do sexually and not how they live their lives wthout exposing their sexual preference. The sexual acts depicted are so blunt and tinged with a dominance that appears predatory. The fear these individuals lived with seems like a passing throught rather than what must have been a crippling dread.

The integration of gay African Americans and their compounded challenges seems much more in line with how painful acceptance was, if only marginally achieved.

Yes, there is paranoia and fear, but in many sexual episodes portrayed no real fear infuses them. If someone's worried about their landlord hearing what's going on, what follows is anything but quiet. The San Francisco scenes seem like outakes from Al Pachino's "Cruising," and without any context seem like an excuse for the filmmaker to shock.

Midway through the series we need more of how these public servants managed to keep their jobs despite--what were at the time--criminal acts. Time would be better spent reading "Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington" by James Kirchick. So far, I find "Fellow Travelers" focus on depicting sex acts, well, a litle trashy.