It occurred to me recently that there are more gay and lesbian characters on TV right now than ever before. That's pretty cool.

And they run the gamut from The L Word 's edgy Shane (pictured) to Desperate Housewives' funny Bob to Entourage's loyal Lloyd, who takes more verbal abuse from Ari Gold than anyone should ever be allowed to take.

See if you agree with my list of top gay characters on TV right now, and feel free to add your own in the comments. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.