For most of TV history, gay characters have been absent or the butt of a joke, but there are a few posive exampl of early 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
- 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
* first gay kiss on tv uk *
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. 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.
WHEN WAS THE FIRST GAY TV SERI? EXPLORG THE HISTORY OF LGBT+ REPRENTATN ON THE SMALL SCREEN
MPs are llg for an advert showg two men kissg to be restated after was pulled followg plats. More than two s after the first gay kiss on teatime TV, a kiss is clearly not always jt a kiss. * first gay kiss on tv uk *
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 GAY KISS ON BRISH TV TO BE SEEN FOR FIRST TIME 40 YEARS
The Season 3 fale of Dawson's Creek aired 20 years ago on May 24, 2000. The episo featured TV's first gay kiss, between Kerr Smh's character Jack * first gay kiss on tv uk *
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. 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.
SIZZLG ! 20 YEARS AGO, THIS GAY KISS MA TV HISTORY: WATCH
From TV's first same-sex kiss ever to Disney's first gay kiss on "Star vs. the Forc of Evil," the are the moments that refed televisn and ma history. * first gay kiss on tv uk *
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.
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. 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.
HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL
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. 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)’.
UK'S FIRST GAY KISS STAR LLS ON UK AND COMMONWEALTH TO BACK EQUALY
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.
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.
GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY
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. 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.
EASTENRS’ HISTORIC FIRST GAY KISS TO BE BROADST AS PART OF BBC FOUR’S PRI SEASON
Meanwhile science strand Horizon broadsts Killer the Village, the first full-length -pth UK documentary on the health crisis emergg New York’s gay village known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Most LGBT+ performers om Freddie Mercury to Gee Michael keep their sexualy quiet as the mic dtry mands, but two new bands wh out-gay members and lyrics wh gay them break nventn wh their h but sgl Frankie Go to Hollywood’s ‘Relax’ and Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’. Trans activist Paris Le wrote ‘Kyle’s entrance to EastEnrs is a cultural landmark on a par wh the show’s first gay character the 80s.
50 years on om the first relaxg of anti-LGBT+ laws, the BBC’s major Gay Brannia season looks back at LGBT+ history and tells many new stori om different perspectiv about life for LGBT+ people 2017. Rearch by Simon Rooks, BBC, & Stephen Bourne, thor, Playg Gay the Goln Age of Brish TV, History Prs, 2019, and Playg Gay, BBC Rearch Blog, 2019.
FROM ELLEN TO G KENWORTHY: A HISTORY OF GAY KISS ON TV
The arrival of two gay characters EastEnrs 1987 (one played by Stonewall founr Michael Cashman) prompted the headle EastBenrs The Sun. Twenty-one years after Bra's first gay kiss on primetime TV prompted nmnatn om MPs, a show of timacy between two men clearly still has the pacy to shock televisn dienc. A spokwoman for the ASA says 's still asssg whether to vtigate, but add that "homosexualy self is not a breach of the " and plats the past about adverts showg same-sex kissg had not prompted any actn.
"We suggt you forward this to all your fay and iends lettg them know of the ph for homosexual marriage by Hez, " says the associatn on s webse.
But the whdrawal of the advert has prompted some MPs to sist be restated, while gay rights group Stonewall is leadg a mpaign to boytt Hez. Although more and more soap operas, cludg The Archers on Rad 4, began to clu gay storyl, the pacy to shock dienc wh the ntent of the relatnships did not dimish.