They had one gay character to play around with and in 6 or 7 seasons (if I remember correctly) they introduce one and of course he is the stereotypical evil, scheming, fearful person. They could have had a gay character who is a generally nice person who was looking for love under the circumstances during the decades in which Downton Abbey took place and maybe even find someone who he could love. These people did exist. Of course, they chose not to do this. That is one of the marks I had against that show.