`XENA' STAR: `LESBIANS USED TO HATE ME'

`XENA' STAR: `LESBIANS USED TO HATE ME'

LOS ANGELES (Wireless Flash) -- "Xena: Warrior Princess" star Lucy Lawless may have a cult following among lesbians -- but that doesn't extend to her male co-star Ted Raimi. Raimi, who plays the bumbling warrior "Joxer," says he took a licking from the show's lesbian fans when he first started because his character came off as a chauvinist pig. The actor thinks lesbian fans disliked him for interfering with the sexual tension between Xena and her female sidekick, Gabrielle. However, after a few shows proved Raimi's character is a real wimp who takes a backseat to Xena on the battlefield, he claims the tide started to turn. He says the lesbian fans like him just fine now, and some of the real hard-core fans occasionally invite him to "Xena nights" at lesbian bars. "Xena: Warrior Princess" makes its season debut this week (Sept. 27-Oct. 1).