From Ellen to G Kenworthy: A history of gay kiss on TV

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
• HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL
• UK'S FIRST GAY KISS STAR LLS ON UK AND COMMONWEALTH TO BACK EQUALY
• GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY
• EASTENRS’ HISTORIC FIRST GAY KISS TO BE BROADST AS PART OF BBC FOUR’S PRI SEASON
• FROM ELLEN TO G KENWORTHY: A HISTORY OF GAY KISS ON TV

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.

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

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. 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. 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.

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

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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

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.

UK'S FIRST GAY KISS STAR LLS ON UK AND COMMONWEALTH TO BACK EQUALY

The UK trailed behd s LGBT+ TV reprentatn, and an openly gay character was not shown on TV until 1985, when the Liverpool-based soap Brooksi troduced Gordon Colls, played by Nigel Cowley. In the UK, Eastenrs broadst the first gay kiss between Col Rsell (Michael Cashman) and his partner Barry Clark (Gary Hail) first kiss between two women on a UK TV seri was aired 1994. Wrers Marty Feldman and Barry Took e gay slang Polari the nuendo-laced Julian and Sandy sketch Round the Horne, wh leral straight-man Kenh Horne.

GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY

Bona = good, dolly = pretty, eke (ef) = face, lalli = legs, naff = bbish/poor, nanty = no/nothg, ogle = look/eye, omi = man, omipalone = gay man, palone = woman, riah = hair, varda = seeRound the Horne, Sunday 7 March 1965, 14. The stud-based play is billed as ‘a smopolan London uple (Glenda Jackson and Aled Lynch) fd their outwardly charmed liv upend by a troubled homosexual iend (Nil Williamson)’. It do not ver the Merchant Navy or the Armed Forc, do not extend to Stland or Northern Ireland, and do not equalise the discrimatory age of nsent for gay men.

Man Alive broadsts two edns weeks ahead of the Act lookg at the liv of gay men and lbians Alive: Consentg Adults: 2: The Women, BBC Two, Wednday 14 June 1967, 1970s: Breakthrough.

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

Negative portrayals of the LGBT+ muny on televisn are wispread at this time, but radil for s day, toward the end of this episo of Steptoe and Son a gay police officer is troduced, whout all the ual stereotyped characterisatns. A play based around a rearcher's disvery of thker and early gay rights mpaigner Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) Other Si: Only Connect, Friday 18 May 1979, 21.

FROM ELLEN TO G KENWORTHY: A HISTORY OF GAY KISS ON TV

But Lewis is actually a life-long homosexual and when he rashly ntribut an article to a gay magaze, looks as though he may be forced to clare himself.