"Alan Ball (creater, writer and EP of SFU) is gay himself; so are several of the other production staff. And yes, I think it was always inevitable that there would be a lead gay character in there.

However I don't think David is "very gay" - he's certainly not stereotypically gay, not in the way mainstream TV usually depicts it. He can be quite emotional and prissy, but neither of those traits are confined to gay men. And really, he's mostly like that when he's with Keith. and other gay men. With the professsional front he puts on at work, and even to his family to some extent, it's not immediately obvious that he's gay.

Back to the original queston, though. The definition of "icon" is:
2. An important and enduring symbol
3. One who is the object of great attention and devotion; an idol.

On that basis, I have to say Dexter. That character is certainly the more enduring symbol, especially since there's a fantastical superhero element to him. And he would have the bigger following, since he's undoubtedly the star of the show."

"i like dexter. "