When was the first gay TV seri? A short history of LGBT+ reprentatn

Contents:

• LGBT REPRENTATN ON TV THROUGH THE AG – OM EASTENRS’ FIRST GAY KISS TO TRANSGENR SUPERHERO
• WHEN WAS THE FIRST GAY TV SERI? EXPLORG THE HISTORY OF LGBT+ REPRENTATN ON THE SMALL SCREEN
• FIRST GAY KISS ON BRISH TV TO BE SEEN FOR FIRST TIME 40 YEARS
• SIZZLG ! 20 YEARS AGO, THIS GAY KISS MA TV HISTORY: WATCH
• EASTENRS’ HISTORIC FIRST GAY KISS TO BE BROADST AS PART OF BBC FOUR’S PRI SEASON
• 25 UNFETTABLE GAY TV KISS
• 10 MILTONE MOMENTS GAY TV HISTORY

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

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. It happened between Col Rsell (Michael Cashman) and his romantic other half Guido Smh (Nicholas Donovan) – after years of character Col beg out and gay on the seri.

1994: Brooksi airs first pre-watershed gay kiss between Beth and Margaret. The first lbian kiss beme so inic aired as part of the 2012 Olympic ceremony (Picture: Channel 4)Brooksi’s 1994 lbian kiss between Beth (Anna Friel) and Margaret (Nila Stephenson) is often ced as the first UK gay kiss, but unfortunately they were five years late. It was also the first gay kiss between two women.

WHEN WAS THE FIRST GAY TV SERI? EXPLORG THE HISTORY OF LGBT+ REPRENTATN ON THE SMALL SCREEN

The moment was so inic, even managed to land a place a montage for the2012 London Olympic Openg Ceremony – airg across the world cludg untri where homosexualy was illegal.

Sean and Pedro held their first gay mment ceremony on TV1994: The Real World airs first gay weddg ceremony on TV, and stars HIV+ nttant. In 1994, realy TV show The Real World: San Francis broke some ser ground whout even meang to when gay uple Sean Sasser and Pedro Zamora held a mment ceremony to each other live on air. Exchangg vows and rgs, the pair effectively beme the first gay weddg to ever air on televisn.

But the show phed forward regardls, and even had gay rights activist Candace Ggrich officiate the weddg to drive the pot home. 1997: Ellen Degener out as gay on her s. It’s one of the most fg moments of the late 90s – Ellen Degener g out as gay, first as a character on her show, and then publicly shortly after.

FIRST GAY KISS ON BRISH TV TO BE SEEN FOR FIRST TIME 40 YEARS

Queer as Folk was a no-holds-barred look at life of three gay men Manchter (Picture: Channel 4)1999: Queer As Folk lnch the UK. Starrg Aidan Gillan, Charlie Hunnam and Craig Kelly – Queer As Folk beme groundbreakg telly part to s no-holds-barred look at life and sex on the Manchter gay scene.

Lnched by Rsell T Davi, Queer as Folk aired at a turng pot time for homosexualy and acceptance, wh the ernment that same year lowerg the age of nsent for gay sex down to 16, the same as heterosexual sex. While there was fely some problematic elements to the show, still showed beg gay a much more well-round, ls stereotypil light than before, and was one of the first major seri to lead off three gay characters. ‘Every show has a gay character now.

First havg a heterosexual relatnship wh Oz (Seth Green), Willow veloped feelgs and relatnship wh young wch Tara (Amber Benson), before g out as gay to her iends. 2009: Morn Fay troduce gay uple Cam and Mch adoptg a Vietname baby. Leadg gay rol, Cameron (Eric Stontreet) and Mchell (Jse Tyler Fergon) were troduced after adoptg a Vietname dghter, Lily.

SIZZLG ! 20 YEARS AGO, THIS GAY KISS MA TV HISTORY: WATCH

They later went on to get married and adopt a send child, but this was the first time on a major s that the ncept of adoptn, and raisg a fay a gay hoehold, was tly displayed at length. Ruby Rose’s Batwoman is TV’s first openly gay superhero (Picture: CW)2020: Ruby Rose’s Batwoman be first major gay superhero.

EASTENRS’ HISTORIC FIRST GAY KISS TO BE BROADST AS PART OF BBC FOUR’S PRI SEASON

Batwoman ught the attentn of fans everywhere when was nfirmed that actrs Ruby Rose will be playg the superhero – and she will be playg her as openly gay. 2019: Empire airs first gay black weddg.

In April 2019, rerd label drama Empire aired the first ever gay black weddg on work TV, wh Jamal Lyons (Jsie Smollett) tyg the knot to Kai Givens (Toby Onwumere). While reprentatn of gay characters TV seri has e a long way the last uple of s, has been a pafully slow procs to get to this pot.

When did the first gay character appear on TV? In 1971, the year after the first-ever Pri para the US and when homosexualy was still nsired a disorr, All the Fay beme the first Amerin s to show a gay character on TV, only s fifth episo.

25 UNFETTABLE GAY TV KISS

The episo subverted gay stereotyp, as Archie Bunker mocks a man who he nsirs effemate, but turns out to be straight. It is later revealed that his macho, football-lovg drkg buddy Steve is actually gay.

The gay character Peter Panama, played by Vcent Schiavelli, the US TV seri The Corner Bar. A year later, 1972, US s The Corner Bar clud the first-ever gay seri regular on Amerin TV.

Rich Wanl, then-print of the Gay Activists Alliance, lled Peter “the worst stereotype of a gay person I’ve ever seen”. While most early gay characters were siled, not given their own storyl or love terts, eventually same-sex upl began appearg on TV.

10 MILTONE MOMENTS GAY TV HISTORY

Durg the same year as The Corner Bar, Atralia also saw s first gay seri regular – Don Flayson portrayed Joe Hasham on the serial Number 96 between 1972 and 1977. In 1975 ABC’s Hot l Baltimore featured the first gay uple on US work televisn.

Gee and Gordon, played by Lee Bergere and Henry Calvert, were a middle-aged gay uple that appeared on the show, which was so ntroversial that was dropped by the work after six months on air. It wasn’t until 1981 that a TV show wh a gay lead character was shown on primetime US televisn, when NBC’s Love, Sidney aired.

However the show’s tular character Sidney Shorr, a sgle gay man, remas the closet for every one of the 40 episos.