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

Contents:

• HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL
• EASTENRS AT 35 - COL AND BARRY AND THE FIRST GAY KISS SOAP
• LGBT REPRENTATN ON TV THROUGH THE AG – OM EASTENRS’ FIRST GAY KISS TO TRANSGENR SUPERHERO
• GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY
• 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
• WATCH: 10 GAY MEN KISS FOR THE FIRST TIME
• 25 UNFETTABLE GAY TV KISS

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

The arrival of two gay characters  EastEnrs  1987 (one played by Stonewall founr Michael Cashman) prompted the headle EastBenrs  The Sun. 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.

EASTENRS AT 35 - COL AND BARRY AND THE FIRST GAY KISS SOAP

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. 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.

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.

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.

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

Televison shows like How to Get Away wh Murr, Empire, Fakg It, and Morn Fay are workg diligently toward normalizg the display of gay affectn. Some ll gaybag, but isn't jt a ploy for ratgs or tillatn, remas a rebell and celebratory act for many around the globe.

Although this was not the first lbian kiss on the show, was the first not done to thwart creepy men htg on Warrr Prcs Durg the 1990s and 2000s, viewers excedly watched actrs Lucy Lawls (Xena) and Renee O'Connor (Gabrielle) lock lips on several ocsns, all while wonrg if the two were gay or not.

GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY

However, a recent episo ma headl for featurg TV's youngt gay kiss history: It occurred between teenage characters Ju and & Grace Classic edy Will & Grace had dienc cheerg durg a 2000 episo when Will and Jack locked lips.

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

Brothers & Sisters In the first season of ABC drama Brothers & Sisters, gay character Kev (Matthew Rhys) locked lips wh Stty (Le Macfarlane) 2006. Although this was not the first gay kiss on work televisn, Kev was one of the few major gay characters on TV at that time.

Wh that over wh, now there have been plenty of kiss sce and a same-sex weddg, of Our LivAlthough late to the party, NBC's Days of Our Liv aired s first gay kiss 2012, between Will (Chandler Massey) and Neil (Jse Kristofferson). Even though Days didn't lead the pack, still was appld for cludg a gay s six seasons, Ryan Murphy's Glee unabashedly embraced LGBT storyl. LookgAs the HBO dramedy centered on gay men, had no shortage of same-sex kissg, but the kiss between protagonist Patrick (Jonathan Groff) and Kev (Rsell Tovey) had the extra forbidn air -- Kev was not only partnered, he was Patrick's is the New BlackWe uldn't have this list and not feature the impet for !

There are many lovely lbian kiss on this show, but how about when Piper (Taylor Schillg) fally giv to her attractn to Alex, the no-good ex who helped land her ItThe entire MTV show may be foced on the fx lbian relatnship of Karma and Amy, but 's De and Shane who live out every gay teen's wet dream. Connor and Oliver are the clear power gay uple, but was revealed that Annalise Keatg is attracted to both sex and has a stunng ex-girliend (Famke Jansen) to To Get Away Wh MurrIt's an absolute necsy to clu law stunt, Connor (Jack Falahee), and his boyiend, Oliver (Conrad Rimora) on this list.

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

EmpireAlthough there isn't any vio footage available of the gay kiss between Jamal Lyon (Jsie Smollett), Empire's heir, and his boyiend Michael (Rafael la Fuente), the picture explas all. Memorable LGBTQ moments EastEnrs historyEastEnrs has been on our screens for more than 35 years – that time, the Walford-based soap has bee one of Bra’s most inic TV s but 1985, EastEnrs has never shied away om hard-htg storyl and has been at the foreont of LGBTQ reprentatn on Bize tak a look at some of the most memorable LGBTQ moments om the BBC One show’s gay kiss on a Brish soapCol Rsell was the first gay character on EastEnrs, appearg Albert Square jt over a year after the show’s first by Michael Cashman, there was ntroversy at the time when Col kissed boyiend Barry Clark (Gary Hail) 1987 – even though was jt a peck on the (Michael Cashman) and Barry (Gary Hall) were EastEnrs' first gay years later, Col and new character Guido Smh (Nicholas Donovan) shared the first mouth-to-mouth kiss on a Brish soap – an timated 17 ln people tuned to watch the uple’s beme one of the most ground-breakg scen soap history – but was emed so ntroversial that some MPs lled for the soap to be pulled om the air. Syed tells Christian he is gay and love wh him – but unr prsure om his fay, gets married to feelgs for Christian prove too strong – so Syed out.

Mick held his teenage son his arms to liver a tear-jerkg speech, tellg Johnny that he loved him and there was nothg bad about beg gay, supportg him to e out through both of their stifled Carter (played by Sam Strike, send om left) and dad Mick (Danny Dyer, centre) both ma their first appearanc the soap December ’s mother Lda (Kellie Bright) ially stggled wh his sexualy – but the pair eventually make up as she tak him to his first Pri event where he meets new boyiend Gianlu Cavallo (Gabriele Lombardo) transgenr character played by transgenr actorKyle Slater’s arrival Albert Square was a landmark moment for marked the first time Brish soap history that a transgenr character had been played by a transgenr actor, wh Riley Carter Millgton takg on the historic ’s first appearanc showed him followg Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) before he later reveals he is her long-lost half-brother and the pair ultimately sharg his story wh Stacey, Kyle reveals that his mother Alison (Denise Welch) has never seen him as a man.

Walford’s first Gay PriIn July 2019, Walford threw s first-ever Gay Pri event, wh an episo tacklg a number of LGBTQ ahead of London’s Gay Pri event, the episo was seen as celebratory, diverse and tnal, but also clud moments that remd the dience of the prejudice and discrimatn still faced by the LGBTQ muny to this the inic episo, Bernatte Taylor (Clair Norris) embrac her sexualy while celebratg her first Pri, havg e out as a lbian to her mother six months earlier, while Callum Highway (Tony Clay) stggl to e to terms wh his new, also known as Halfway, was engaged to Whney Dean (Shona McGarty) at the time of Pri and was helpg to get everythg anised for the big event. But he was mortified when brother Stuart (Ricky Champ) turned up and told him he saw him kissg Ben Mchell (Max Bown) the night 's been que the journey for Ben Mchell (Max Bown, pictured) and Callum Highway (Tony Clay), who recently got engaged the the urse of te love didn’t always n smoothly for Callum and Ben – Stuart beat up Ben later the Pri episo - the fan favoure duo went on to bee a uple, wh the pair eventually proposg to each other on the balny of lol gay bar The Prce Albert.

WATCH: 10 GAY MEN KISS FOR THE FIRST TIME

1/48CBS1971: All the FayAll the Fay ma LGBT history when troduced the first gay character primetime 1971, revealg that Archie Bunker's bar buddy Steve was gay. 4/48YouTube1975: Hot l BalmoreThe Norman Lear s starrg Jam Cromwell, Charlotte Rae and Conchata Ferrell had perhaps the first pictn of a gay uple on an Amerin TV seri. The character was divisive at the time—early plots had him wantg to bee a woman, he dated several women—but ultimately he was primetime TV's first gay dad.

10/481992: One Life to LiveIn 1992, the world met One Life to Live's Billy Douglas, played by a young Ryan Phillippe, the first gay teen character on daytime TV. 12/48ABC1994: My So-Called LifeWhile One Life to Live had s first gay teen 1992, primetime's first openly gay teen seri regular character me to My So-Called Life's Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, played by Wilson Cz.

15/481997: Ellen"The Puppy Episo" of Ellen featured Ellen Man (Ellen DeGener) g out as gay, the same time the star me out on the ver of Time magaze, makg Ellen the first show to feature an openly lbian actrs playg an openly lbian character.

25 UNFETTABLE GAY TV KISS

18/48WB1999: Dawson's CreekWhile lbian kiss beme a ratgs ploy for shows, TV's first "romantic" gay kiss didn't happen until 1999 on The WB.

22/48CBS2007: As the World TurnsMen were kissg primetime long before daytime fally got on board, but the soaps ught up 2007 when As the World Turns featured the first-ever gay kiss between two male characters, Le Snyr (Van Hansis) and Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann).