Buffy the Vampire Slayer - A solid, critical reading of the season finale of Buffy on Salon. The article references postings on message boards about Buffy creator Joss Whedon being homophobic. Whedon's summarized responses are collected at slayage.com.

Death has always played a big role on Buffy, especially during the past two seasons. Even though I miss Amber Benson as Tara, it's a foregone conclusion that no character on this show can ever be blissfully happy, because their pain and struggles drive the story arcs. By killing Tara off, Whedon made the one solid, loving, passionate relationship on the show end in an emotionally realistic way. I think we've also got to give him credit for the characters he created; Willow and Tara were perhaps the most natural, realistic, unstereotypical gay couple on television (Only David and Keith on Six Feet Under gave them a run for their money). Willow's sheer grief at Tara's death evidences the depth of the relationship between the two women. Believable emotion and character growth are two of Buffy's strongest suits, as the NY Daily News points out. Sure, viewers are hurt, losing one of the most sympathetic characters on the air, but it's not without precedent for Joss Whedon to hurt the characters we love most.