A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (2024)

Table of Contents
optional screen reader ‘The Corner Bar,’ 1972 ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ 1972 ‘That Certain Summer,’ 1972 ‘An American Family,’ 1973 ‘All In The Family,’ 1975 ‘Hot L Baltimore,’ 1975 ‘Soap,’ 1977 ‘The Jeffersons,’ 1977 ‘All My Children,’ 1983 ‘Dynasty,’ 1984 ‘An Early Frost,’ 1985 ‘Thirtysomething,’ 1985 ‘Golden Girls,’ 1991 ‘Roc,’ 1991 ‘L.A. Law,’ 1992 ‘One Life to Live,’ 1992 ‘Melrose Place,’ 1992 ‘Roseanne,’ 1992 ‘My So-Called Life,’ 1994 ‘Friends,’ 1996 ‘Ellen,’ 1997 ‘Relativity,’ 1997 ‘Will & Grace,’ 1998 ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ 1999 ‘The L Word,’ 2004 ‘Romy & Michele: In the Beginning,’ 2005 ‘As the World Turns,’ 2007 ‘All My Children,’ 2009 ‘Parks and Recreation,’ 2009 ‘Good Luck Charlie,’ 2014 ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ 2014 ‘Transparent,’ 2014 ‘How to Get Away with Murder,’ 2014 ‘Nashville,’ 2014 ‘Doubt,’ 2015 ‘Grace and Frankie,’ 2015 ‘Empire,’ 2016 ‘The Loud House,’ 2016 optional screen reader Leave a Comment Leave a Reply More Stories from Entertainment Jennifer Garner Spotted With a Sparkly Ring on Her Finger Amid John Miller WeddingRumors Why Meryl Streep Was Emotional About Having a Love Scene With Rumored Boyfriend MartinShort Dax Shepard Had the Most Relatable Reaction to Kristen Bell’s Steamy Kissing Scenes in Nobody WantsThis Riley Keough’s Response to the ‘Nepo Baby’ Debate Is Drastically Different Than Some of HerPeers

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A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (1)

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TV today boasts a great deal of diversity, but such hasn’t always been the case for the LGBTQ community. A look back over time reveals just how long it took network television to represent our entire society in a way that is realistic and authentic. And while some networks remain ahead of the curve (holla, ABC!), there’s still progress to be made. From early ’70s sitcoms to Shondaland, follow the history of LGBTQ characters on TV.

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  • ‘The Corner Bar,’ 1972

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (4)

    This short-livedsitcom featured Peter Panama, who’s believed to be TV’s first recurring gay character.

  • ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ 1972

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (5)

    Phyllis’ brother was refreshingly revealed as gay in a way that portrayed it as a nonissue.

  • ‘That Certain Summer,’ 1972

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (6)

    Martin Sheen and Hal Holbrook starred in this groundbreaking TV movie about finding love again.

  • ‘An American Family,’ 1973

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (7)

    In the first reality TV series, Lance Loud came out to the nation in this family documentary.

  • ‘All In The Family,’ 1975

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (8)

    Female impersonator Beverly LaSalle (Lori Shannon) was the first drag queen to debut on the small screen.

  • ‘Hot L Baltimore,’ 1975

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (9)

    This ABC comedy’s older gay couple, George and Gordon, earned the series a mature content disclaimer.

  • ‘Soap,’ 1977

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (10)

    In this spoof series, Billy Crystal played Jodie Dallas — the first gay main character on an American TV show.

  • ‘The Jeffersons,’ 1977

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (11)

    In a risque (for the time) arc, it’s revealed George’s old Navy buddy, Eddie, had gender confirmation surgery.

  • ‘Dynasty,’ 1984

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (13)

    This soapy series explored bisexuality with oil heir Stephen Carrington.

  • ‘An Early Frost,’ 1985

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (14)

    This poignant film about a gay attorney who is HIV-positive was the first film to address AIDS on screen.

  • ‘Thirtysomething,’ 1985

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (15)

    This ABC drama broke new ground and sparked major controversy for showing two men the morning after.

  • ‘Golden Girls,’ 1991

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (16)

    While we didn’t see the wedding, Blanche’s brother tells his sis he is marrying his “special” friend, Doug.

  • ‘Roc,’ 1991

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (17)

    When Roc found out his uncle was gay and had a partner, it led to TV’s first gay wedding.

  • ‘L.A. Law,’ 1992

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (18)

    L.A. Law laid claim to the first lesbian kiss on primetime when bisexual C.J. kissed straight Abby.

  • ‘One Life to Live,’ 1992

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (19)

    In one of his earlier roles, Ryan Phillippe starred as Billy Douglas, the first gay teen on daytime TV.

  • ‘Melrose Place,’ 1992

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (20)

    Although much was made of an openly gay character on this nighttime soap, Matt had few romantic scenes.

  • ‘Roseanne,’ 1992

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (21)

    Nancy, who dated Mariel Hemingway’s character, was one of the first openly lesbian TV characters.

  • ‘My So-Called Life,’ 1994

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (22)

    Enrique “Rickie” Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) was primetime’s first unambiguous queer teen depiction.

  • ‘Friends,’ 1996

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (23)

    Primetime’s first lesbian wedding came by way of Ross’ ex-wife Carol and her partner Susan.

  • ‘Ellen,’ 1997

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (24)

    Upon coming out, Ellen became the first openly lesbian actress playing an openly lesbian character on TV.

  • ‘Relativity,’ 1997

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (25)

    Lisa Edelstein’s Rhonda brought us the first romantic (read: open-mouth) kiss between women on primetime TV.

  • ‘Will & Grace,’ 1998

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (26)

    Will, Jack, Karen… all sexuality was embraced in this hit show (which is coming back, squeee!).

  • ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ 1999

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (27)

    TV’s first passionate gay kiss didn’t happen until Jack (Kerr Smith) hit the scene in ’99.

  • ‘The L Word,’ 2004

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (28)

    This popular Showtime drama didn’t just feature lesbian couples; it centered on their lives.

  • ‘Romy & Michele: In the Beginning,’ 2005

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (29)

    It may have bombed, but this prequel featured the first openly trans women playing a trans character on TV.

  • ‘As the World Turns,’ 2007

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (30)

    A bit late to the party, daytime TV featured its first gay kiss in 2007 between Luke and Noah.

  • ‘All My Children,’ 2009

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (31)

    Friends had the first lesbian wedding on primetime, but All My Children earned that honor for daytime.

  • ‘Parks and Recreation,’ 2009

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (32)

    Parks & Rec covered new territory with April’s bisexual boyfriend Ben and his boyfriend Derek.

  • ‘Good Luck Charlie,’ 2014

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (33)

    The first same-sex couple shown on a children’s network came during a playdate on Good Luck Charlie.

  • ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ 2014

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (34)

    For her role as Sophia Burset, Laverne Cox became the first openly trans person to be nominated for an Emmy.

  • ‘Transparent,’ 2014

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (35)

    Amazon continues to shine for its dramedy starring Jeffrey Tambor as a dad who comes out as transgender.

  • ‘How to Get Away with Murder,’ 2014

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (36)

    A rarity on primetime TV, HTGAWM‘s premiere featured a super-steamy sex scene between two men.

  • ‘Nashville,’ 2014

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (37)

    Nashville ventured into unchartered territory when country music singer Will came out as gay.

  • ‘Doubt,’ 2015

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (38)

    When Laverne Cox joined the Doubt cast, it heralded the portrayal of TV’s first transgender attorney.

  • ‘Grace and Frankie,’ 2015

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (39)

    Through longtime lovers Robert and Sol, this series poignantly (and hilariously) explores coming out later in life.

  • ‘Empire,’ 2016

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (40)

    Despite push-back, Empire charged forward with a racy sex scene between hip-hop star Jamal and his producer.

  • ‘The Loud House,’ 2016

    A History of LGBTQ Characters on TV (41)

    Clyde McBride’s parents, Harold and Howard, are the first same-sex married couple featured in a cartoon.

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