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

Contents:

• GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY
• SIZZLG ! 20 YEARS AGO, THIS GAY KISS MA TV HISTORY: WATCH
• 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
• WHEN WAS THE FIRST GAY TV SERI? EXPLORG THE HISTORY OF LGBT+ REPRENTATN ON THE SMALL SCREEN
• 10 MILTONE MOMENTS GAY TV HISTORY
• TV’S HISTORIC GAY KISS: FROM ‘DAWSON’S CREEK’ TO ‘THE FOSTERS’
• ‘RIVERDALE’ STAR KERR SMH ON TV’S FIRST GAY KISS: ‘IT WAS TENSE’
• EXTRA: THE TV HISTORY OF GAY LIPLOCKS
• ‘I KISSED A BOY’: WHY THE U.K.’S FIRST GAY DATG SHOW IS A REALY GAMECHANGER

GROUNDBREAKG ON-SCREEN GAY KISS THROUGH HISTORY

The first same-sex Hallmark kiss ever was featured the 2020 holiday movie The Christmas Hoe, which starred Mean Girls alum Jonathan Bent and -star Brad Harr as a gay uple.

The episo featured TV's first gay kiss, between Kerr Smh's character Jack McPhee's and his prom date Ethan (Adam Kfman).

18), but he did sre a solid-gold moment when he gave his boyiend, Matt Wilkas, a quick kiss at the bottom of the embrace was ught live on TV by NBC as part of their Olympic footage, quickly went viral — and proved to be a tone for a young man who, as a youngster, never “dreamed of seeg a gay kiss on TV at the Olympics.

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

My childhood self would never have dreamed of seeg a gay kiss on TV at the Olympics but for the first time ever a kid watchg at home CAN!

— G Kenworthy (@gkenworthy) Febary 19, 2018Although perhaps the first gay kiss televised om the Olympics, Kenworthy and Wilkas’s smooch is not the only same-sex one that’s been showsed on TV. Roseanne, 1994Roseanne Barr never shied away om ntroversial topics her h seri, and addrsed gay issu several tim on the show over the years.

The work, ABC, noted that viewers by and large reacted favorably, fdg the episo Real World, 1994The late Sean Sasser and Pedro Zamora were one of TV’s landmark gay upl, wh their relatnship beg explored on MTV’s h realy seri. The closens between actors Alyson Hannigan and Amber Benson unfold gradually, wh a natural-feelg kiss occurrg durg an emotnal scene the fifth Vio Mic Awards, 2003Although neher Madonna nor Brney Spears intify as gay, their surprise, attentn-grabbg kiss at the 2003 VMAs stantly was hailed as a fantastilly outrageo moment, and beme one of the most inic imag awards show history.

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

Poor Christa Aguilera is largely left out of this entire scenar, but her part should not be Amerin Mic Awards, 2009Unlike Brney and Madonna, Amerin Idol alum Adam Lambert do 100% intify as gay, and he spiced up the 2009 AMAs by layg an open-mouthed kiss on a male dancer durg his performance of “For Your Entertament” at the AMAs. It was ed very entertag, but ed Good Morng Ameri to ncel his appearance on their show the followg Fosters, 2015ABC Fay’s The Fosters, a show focg on the story of a lbian uple and their fay of blogil and fostered children, ma TV history by showg two 13-year-old male characters the youngt-ever gay kiss on 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.

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. 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.

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

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.

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

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.

10 MILTONE MOMENTS GAY TV HISTORY

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. But the show phed forward regardls, and even had gay rights activist Candace Ggrich officiate the weddg to drive the pot home.

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. Queer as Folk was a no-holds-barred look at life of three gay men Manchter (Picture: Channel 4)1999: Queer As Folk lnch the UK. 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.

TV’S HISTORIC GAY KISS: FROM ‘DAWSON’S CREEK’ TO ‘THE FOSTERS’

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. Leadg gay rol, Cameron (Eric Stontreet) and Mchell (Jse Tyler Fergon) were troduced after adoptg a Vietname dghter, Lily. 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.

Ruby Rose’s Batwoman is TV’s first openly gay superhero (Picture: CW)2020: Ruby Rose’s Batwoman be first major gay superhero. 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.

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

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. The episo subverted gay stereotyp, as Archie Bunker mocks a man who he nsirs effemate, but turns out to be straight. 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. 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.

EXTRA: THE TV HISTORY OF GAY LIPLOCKS

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.

‘I KISSED A BOY’: WHY THE U.K.’S FIRST GAY DATG SHOW IS A REALY GAMECHANGER

It wasn’t until 1981 that a TV show wh a gay lead character was shown on primetime US televisn, when NBC’s Love, Sidney aired. However the show’s tular character Sidney Shorr, a sgle gay man, remas the closet for every one of the 40 episos. 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.

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.