Today Gay History: Billy Crystal Go Gay, Proudly

Contents:

• BILLY CRYSTAL PORTRAYED FIRST OPENLY GAY MA CHARACTER ON TV — SI THE 'SOAP' STORY
• 10 GAY, BISEXUAL & QUEER SOAP OPERA STARS WHO ARE OUT — & OUTSTANDG
• LBGTQ TV: A HISTORY OF GAY CHARACTERS, OM STONEWALL TO ‘BATWOMAN’
• WHO WAS THE GAY CHARACTER ON SOAP?

BILLY CRYSTAL PORTRAYED FIRST OPENLY GAY MA CHARACTER ON TV — SI THE 'SOAP' STORY

Dpe the shows dippg their to the water wh queer characters and storyl the 1990s — like Ryan Phillippe as groundbreakg gay teen Billy Douglas on “One Life to Live” om 1992 to 1993 — the show shied away om romance for s queer characters until the 21st century.

10 GAY, BISEXUAL & QUEER SOAP OPERA STARS WHO ARE OUT — & OUTSTANDG

On “General Hospal, ” Lus Jon (then played by Ben Hogtyn), the adopted son of Bobbie Spencer (Jackie Zeman) and Tony Jon (Brad Mle) me out as gay, but he didn’t get much romance before he was wrten off the show 2006; the character returned to the nvas played by Ryan Carn 2013. The son of superuple Lily and Holn Snyr (Martha Byrne and Jon Hensley), he got a uple of major romanc, first wh Noah Reid (Jake Silbermann), wh whom he shared daytime’s first gay male kiss, though their romance was portrayed as far more chaste than soap operas ually pict heterosexual love stori.

“Days of Our Liv” vted heavily Will Horton (Chandler Massey), who me out as gay, had many ont-burner storyl, and even had a proment love triangle wh Sonny Kiriakis (Freddie Smh) and Pl Nara (Christopher Sean), both of whom were also legacy characters om important fai on the show.

LBGTQ TV: A HISTORY OF GAY CHARACTERS, OM STONEWALL TO ‘BATWOMAN’

" At a time when homosexualy wasn't discsed, Jodie Dallas me out as would be nearly 20 years until Ellen DeGener' character on her s "Ellen" me out 1994 -- as did the edienne -- but Crystal's portrayal of the assured and openly gay Jodie paved the Crystal onstage at the 'The Comedians' panel discsn durg the Televisn Crics Associatn prs tou r 2015 Pasana, California | Source: Getty ImagMEET JODIE DALLASJodie Dallas was one of the characters of the hilar ABC s "Soap, " a farse based on the plex and outrageo plotl and dramatic twists and turns of the ever-popular daily soap gay Jodie was a televisn mercial director his twenti livg wh his mother, Mary Campbell. Jodie is love wh a pro footballer who is also gay, but ep the closet, and ends up turng his back on him out of fear of was only "Will & Grace" 1996 that another ma character a prime time TV program -- Eric McCormack's WIll -- is openly Crystal wh the st of "Soap" 1977 | Source: Wikimedia Commons/ ABC Televisn, Soap full st 1977, marked as public domaOut of speratn, Jodie has a one-night-stand wh a woman, and fathers a child.

WHO WAS THE GAY CHARACTER ON SOAP?

Crystal revealed that he and the productn of "Soap" worked to make Jodie more realistic, and his stggl reflected many of the homosexual muny's challeng and are still valid today, more than 40 years TODAYThanks to Jodie, characters s and drama seri slowly me out of the closet.

In the 80s "thirtysomethg" gay uple Rsell and Peter are shown layg chastely bed together -- but never seri like "Melrose Place" and "Friends" featured mor gay characters, but was only "Will & Grace" 1996 that another ma character a prime time TV program -- Eric McCormack's WIll -- is openly COMEDYCrystal, famo for his acute w and acerbic stand-up edy act went on to build an extremely succsful reer as an actor a seri of h edi, such as "Cy Slickers" alongsi Jack Palance who won the Osr for Bt Supportg Actor for his his many hs, Crystal unts "Analyze This, " wh the legendary Robert DeNiro, "Ameri's Sweethearts, " wh Julia Roberts, John Cack, and Cathere Zeta-Jon, and MIracle Max the cult fantasy, "The Prcs Bri.

"Crystal immortalized some of the most quoted l of all tim cludg "men and women n't be iends, " but even Harry Burns didn't equal the massive impact his Jodie Dallas had on attus the may jt be that funnyman Billy Crystal's most endurg legacy is the life and tim of a slightly geeky gay man livg wh his mother, tryg to live a world tolerant of his differenc, and dog wh humor. Some of the actors and actrs playg the inic rol were straight, some were out and gay at the time, and others me out later on.

The first Pri March New York Cy was held on June 28, 1970, one year after the Stonewall Uprisg, to honor the thoands of LGBTQ+ people who took to the streets to monstrate agast the discrimatn they faced hog and employment, the anti-homosexual laws agast gatherg bars or dance clubs, to even be out as a homosexual.

The ncept behd the ial march me om members of the Eastern Regnal Conference of Homophile Organizatns who had been anizg an annual July 4th monstratn known as the Remr Day Pickets, at Inpennce Hall Philalphia, between 1965 and 1969. The Amerin soap opera 'Soap' was the first to clu a gay character 1977 (the character Jodie Dallas), while the first openly gay character Great Bra's soaps was the show 'Brooksi' 1982 (the character Gordon Colls). Leaks about the show’s ank handlg of ntroversial subjects such as homosexualy, as well as li and misrmatn about the show beg “saturated wh sex, ” ed relig groups to mount a mpaign to keep  off the air.

The followg is a sortable listg of soap operas or serial dramas which clu central LGBT (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr) them or characters. Junr, son of a powerful ranch owner, stgglg to accept his homosexualy and agonizg over how to tell his fay and iends about . Horror/supernatural-themed soap opera which almost the entire st of characters is gay or lbian and many of whom are played by openly LGBT actors.

In 1996, three years after homosexualy was crimalised Ireland, two male characters moved for a clch - only to be terpted. Pippa and Christopher returned 2003 for Sally's weddg to Flynn Snrs; durg this appearance Pippa reveals that Christopher is gay. EastEnrs has ed var homosexual characters to highlight gay issu sce the 1980s, cludg homophobia, bisexualy, age of sexual nsent, and HIV/AIDS among others.

EastEnrs was the first UK soap to screen a gay kiss 1987, promptg outrage om viewers and the media who brand the programme "filth" and dubbed "EastBenrs". [21] There were even qutns Parliament about whether was appropriate to have gay men a fay show when AIDS was sweepg the untry.

[22] Dpe ial negativy, the characters had a powerful impact on public attus, and the show's handlg of Col and Barry's relatnship was emed by many gay activists as somethg of a breakthrough. [23][24] Actor turned polician, Michael Cashman (Col), believ the storyle started "the social change" opn towards homosexuals, which "happened alongsi the legal reform" the 1980s. Asi om Col givg Barry a chaste peck on the forehead 1987, EastEnrs screened the first mouth-to-mouth gay soap kiss the UK 1989 (Col and Guido), leadg some MPs to ll for the programme to be banned.

[27] This was followed by a "censored" kiss between Tony and Simon 1996, which furiated gay activists after the BBC cut the kiss om s origal two sends to a half-send, so they would not "startle" viewers. [28][29] In 2007, a lbian kiss between bisexual Sonia and lbian Naomi prompted 211 plats to the BBC, [30] and 2008, a kiss between gay characters Christian and Lee prompted 145 plats om viewers who were "appalled by the display of homosexual kissg before the watershed [...

The BBC released a statement sayg: "We approach our portrayal of homosexual relatnships the same way as we do heterosexual relatnships. "[31] As of November 2011 there are now multiple gay characters on the show leadg normal affectnate relatnships and also now gog to adoptn. Always groundbreakg, particularly the 1980s, Brooksi was the first Brish soap to have an out and proud gay character Gordon Colls.

By the 1991 rnn movie, however, Steven firmly clared himself as gay and was havg a relatnship wh polician's son Bart Fallmont.

On April 24, 2009, Rafe beme Y&R's first gay character when Lily Wters attempted to set him up wh Colleen Carlton, unaware that he is gay.