'Riverdale' star Kerr Smh on TV's first gay kiss: 'It was tense'

Contents:

• WHEN WAS THE FIRST GAY TV SERI? EXPLORG THE HISTORY OF LGBT+ REPRENTATN ON THE SMALL SCREEN
• GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY
• SIZZLG ! 20 YEARS AGO, THIS GAY KISS MA TV HISTORY: WATCH
• LGBT REPRENTATN ON TV THROUGH THE AG – OM EASTENRS’ FIRST GAY KISS TO TRANSGENR SUPERHERO
• ‘RIVERDALE’ STAR KERR SMH ON TV’S FIRST GAY KISS: ‘IT WAS TENSE’
• FROM ELLEN TO G KENWORTHY: A HISTORY OF GAY KISS ON TV

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

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.

The movie is noted for pictg homosexualy a sympathetic—read: normal—light. 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. 8/48FOX1991: RocOne of Fox's first shows, Roc, was the first to have a gay weddg on TV.

GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY

In a "very special episo, " Roc fds out his uncle is gay and has a partner. 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.

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

Pedro was openly gay and HIV-posive. 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.

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

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).

23/48CBS2008: Rachel MaddowThe MSNBC anchor beme the first openly gay anchor of a primetime program on a major news work.

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.

‘RIVERDALE’ STAR KERR SMH ON TV’S FIRST GAY KISS: ‘IT WAS TENSE’

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.

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

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.