The GMB prenter said was "offensive and wrong" to have ed gay slurs a story published The Sun 31 years ago.
Contents:
- HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL
- EASTENRS' TONE GAY KISS TO BE REPEATED FOR BBC FOUR'S PRI SEASON
- EASTENRS GAY KISS: HARRY REID 'UPSET' AT HOMOPHOBIC REACTN TO BEN MCHELL AND PL COKER SCENE
- LGBT REPRENTATN ON TV THROUGH THE AG – OM EASTENRS’ FIRST GAY KISS TO TRANSGENR SUPERHERO
HOW MICHAEL CASHMAN CHANGED THE WORLD: OM EASTENRS' FIRST GAY KISS TO STONEWALL
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. 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. By parison, his next on-screen kiss – Brish soap’s first gay kiss on the lips – passed worth ?
EASTENRS' TONE GAY KISS TO BE REPEATED FOR BBC FOUR'S PRI SEASON
“Somebody said to me: ‘When you were on I ed to watch om behd the sofa bee I didn’t want my parents to know I was gay. In the 60s, gog to the police wasn’t really an optn for gay men, he says. “That this is what happened to gay men.
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.
”Throughout the 80s and 90s, gay people were often portrayed as predators by media anisatns supportive of sectn 28. And he is ncerned that some lbian, gay and bisexual people are jog . “The fact that lbian and gay people are willg to sacrifice trans people …we’re rollg back the clock.
EASTENRS GAY KISS: HARRY REID 'UPSET' AT HOMOPHOBIC REACTN TO BEN MCHELL AND PL COKER SCENE
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. Episo featured a hallmark moment when Col Rsell (Lord Michael Cashman) had the first mouth-to-mouth gay kiss on Brish televisn wh his boyiend Guido (Nicholas Donovan).
BBCRelated: 50 groundbreakg soap characters Digal Spy magaze issue 12In the s sce this scene aired, EastEnrs has ntued to explore reprentatn Walford wh an episo takg place durg Pri and the openg of the Square's first gay bar, The Prce Michael Cashman was a part of many groundbreakg storyl on the soap as Col durg his three years as an EastEnrs st member. Harry Reid has shared his disappotment at viewers' negative reactns to his recent EastEnrs gay kiss wh -star Jonny 22-year-old actor's character Ben Mchell shared a smooch wh Pl Coker on Monday night, but revealed on Instagram afterwards that not everyone had been open to their relatnship.
LGBT REPRENTATN ON TV THROUGH THE AG – OM EASTENRS’ FIRST GAY KISS TO TRANSGENR SUPERHERO
"It's upsettg to read the negative tweets about the gay kiss last night's episo of Eastenrs, " he wrote alongsi a photo of notor bisexual gangster Ronnie Kray. "Reid, who joed the long-nng soap last September, add that he was "not bg, jt need potg out" had been openly gay before he killed Heather and began scribg his sexualy as a phase, even datg Abi a bid to prove . 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.