How Michael Cashman changed the world: om EastEnrs' first gay kiss to Stonewall | LGBTQ+ rights | The Guardian

Contents:

• GROUNDBREAKG TV GAY CHARACTERS COL AND BARRY RNE  EASTENRS AFTER 33 YEARS
• GAY IRISH ACTOR AIDAN O’CALLAGHAN AT THE CENTRE OF NEW EASTENRS LGBTQ+ STORYLE
• HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL
• 'EASTENRS' ACTOR REVEALS HE IS GAY
• CORK ACTOR AIDAN O’CALLAGHAN JOS EASTENRS ROLE OF GAY BAR MANAGER
• GAY EASTENRS CHARACTER NFIRMED FOR ‘EXPLOSIVE’ EX OM SHOW
• LGBT REPRENTATN ON TV THROUGH THE AG – OM EASTENRS’ FIRST GAY KISS TO TRANSGENR SUPERHERO
• I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR MEN'S PRO SPORTS TO INTIFY AS GAY

GROUNDBREAKG TV GAY CHARACTERS COL AND BARRY RNE  EASTENRS AFTER 33 YEARS

O’Callaghan plays the role of Lewis, the new manager of the show’s gay bar ‘The Prce Albert’. Gay Irish actor Aidan O’Callaghan has been attractg attentn through his new role on the Brish soap EastEnrs.

GAY IRISH ACTOR AIDAN O’CALLAGHAN AT THE CENTRE OF NEW EASTENRS LGBTQ+ STORYLE

The Corkman plays newer Lewis Butler, the manager of the show’s gay bar ‘The Prce Albert’. While on the job the pub opened by Kathy Beale 2019, he beiends Ben Mchell and Callum Highway, a married gay uple whose relatnship has been challenged as a rult of a homophobic attack. Lewis himself has faced homophobia durg his scen this season, and his character has already ma an impact on the show’s voted viewers.

HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL

Lewis is gay – so he’s bound to have gone through a siar experience to Ben. He is an openly gay man and was volved mpaigng for Irish Marriage Equaly 2015. © 2022 GCN (Gay Communy News).

'EASTENRS' ACTOR REVEALS HE IS GAY

In 1985, he had been approached by the creators of EastEnrs, Julia Smh and Tony Holland, to play Col Rsell – the Brish soap’s first gay character. The News of the World ran a double-page spread, headled “Secret Gay Love of Aids Sre EastEnr”, which outed his partner and prted the uple’s photos and was even an attempt to orchtrate “sister” stori about him. Through his varied, high-profile reer and life-changg relatnship wh his hband, Pl Cottgham (an actor and mpaigner who died of ncer 2014), tells not jt the story of his life, but also the battle for LGBT equaly the the Sun vered the story of the EastEnrs gay kiss 1989When news broke that Cashman’s character would share the first gay kiss a Brish soap (a peck on the forehead), the backlash only tensified.

CORK ACTOR AIDAN O’CALLAGHAN JOS EASTENRS ROLE OF GAY BAR MANAGER

By parison, his next on-screen kiss – Brish soap’s first gay kiss on the lips – passed worth ? “Somebody said to me: ‘When you were on I ed to watch om behd the sofa bee I didn’t want my parents to know I was gay.

GAY EASTENRS CHARACTER NFIRMED FOR ‘EXPLOSIVE’ EX OM SHOW

In the 60s, gog to the police wasn’t really an optn for gay men, he says. “That this is what happened to gay men. In May 1988, the Thatcher ernment had brought the Lol Government Act and s notor sectn 28, which prohibed the tentnal promotn of homosexualy by lol thori and schools.

”Throughout the 80s and 90s, gay people were often portrayed as predators by media anisatns supportive of sectn 28. And he is ncerned that some lbian, gay and bisexual people are jog . “The fact that lbian and gay people are willg to sacrifice trans people …we’re rollg back the clock.

LGBT REPRENTATN ON TV THROUGH THE AG – OM EASTENRS’ FIRST GAY KISS TO TRANSGENR SUPERHERO

In 1999, he beme the untry’s first openly gay Labour MEP and went on to be print of the European Parliament’s tergroup on gay and lbian issu, while also helpg nvce Tony Blair’s ernment to troduce same-sex civil partnerships.

I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN

He was ma a Labour peer 2014 and has champned issu such as pulsory LGBT-clive sex and relatnships year, he rigned om the Labour party after endorsg the pro-rema Liberal a gay rights march 1988 wh Ian McKellen. EastEnrs actor Jake Maskall has revealed that he is gay and has a boyiend. Jake plays womanizg Danny Moon on the soap, currently havg an affair wh Sam Mchell (Kim Medlf), but he told Now magaze: "I'm gay and I've been wh my boyiend for 12 years.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

The 33-year-old will take up the role of Lewis Butler — the new manager of Kathry Beale's gay bar The Prce Innishannon native will arrive Albert Square next Monday, where he beiends Walford regular Ben Mchell, played by Max Bown.

Ben then go on a night out wh Lewis where the latter is heckled wh homophobic abe. It has been nfirmed that gay EastEnrs character Pl Coker will be exg the long-nng soap.

EastEnrs boss also recently rest gay character Johnny Carter – wh actor Ted Reilly takg over the popular role prevly played by Sam Strike.

JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR MEN'S PRO SPORTS TO INTIFY AS GAY

While we may now take for granted the prence of queer figureheads on TV, ls than 30 years ago the mere prence of someone intifyg as gay uld send viewers to a tailsp, pecially as beg gay – or gay marriage – was illegal. For ’s Pri Week, we’ve looked back through the years of LGBT relatnships on TV, celebratg landmark moments and trailblazg shownners who fied the odds to get the sential scen on air while startg to break down homophobia and transphobia the procs.

Here are jt some of the characters and shows that broke new ground brgg lbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer stori to our screens. 1989: Col Rsell and Guido Smh air first gay kiss on UK TV Eastenrs. Col Rsell and Guido Smh aired the first lip-to-lip kiss on Eastenrs (Picture: BBC)In 1989, the first lip-to-lip gay kiss aired on Brish TV urty of Eastenrs.