The 6 Most Influential Storylines In Queer TV History

Did you know that it’s been 52 years since the first depiction of a same-sex relationship on television? It happened in the 1972 TV movie That Certain Summer, in which Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen played committed partners who sought to hide their relationship from Holbrook’s character’s son. However, almost a decade would pass before TV’s next major depiction of a queer character – in the form of Billy Crystal, of all people, on the ABC show Soap. And yet, we now live in a world where it’s commonplace for series to have queer characters and storylines – even on shows that your grandma watches. So what happened? Well, a lot of gay and lesbian storylines in the ‘90s, basically. But there’s so much more to queerness than cis gay men and lesbians, so today we’re looking back on storylines that have affected every segment of the LGTBQ+ spectrum.

Jack & Ethan’s kiss on Dawson’s Creek

Trust me, no one in the ‘90s could have thought that Dawson’s Creek would be described as “historical” one day. Sure, there’s that James Van Der Beek crying meme, and yes, the show gave us Michelle Williams, but Dawson’s Creek is otherwise your average ‘90s primetime soap opera. Oh, well it also gave us Katie Holmes, but I’d bet $5 million that no one is throwing parties about that. However, Dawson’s Creek is actually historical, because in 2000 it featured the first-ever romantic same-sex kiss between two men on primetime TV – Jack and Ethan (Kerr Smith and Adam Kaufman, respectively). In fact, it beat the famously gay Will & Grace to the punch. But are they teaching Dawson’s Creek in history books? No! I blame Republicans.

Ellen comes out on Ellen

Say what you want about Ellen, but this woman broke ground for queer people. It was a big deal when she publicly came out in 1997, and it was an even bigger deal when she came out on her eponymous sitcom. The ensuing controversy and backlash was a lightning rod for country-wide discussion, and opened the floodgates for countless landmark shows such as The L Word, Queer as Folk, Will & Grace, and even the historically long-running Calzona romance on Grey’s Anatomy.

Sophia’s backstory on Orange is the New Black

Sophia Burset wasn’t the first trans character on TV, nor was Laverne Cox the first trans actress to play one. That would be Candis Cayne, who played a trans woman on Dirty Sexy Money in 2007. But Sophia’s backstory on OITNB in 2013, which depicted aspects of transitioning that most viewers had never witnessed, served as a landmark moment in trans representation. With all her flaws and strengths on screen, Sophia became the first trans person to be portrayed as a fully-developed, multidimensional character.

Gerald Tippett’s discovery on Shortland Street 

Though most people (meaning me, until one hour ago) think that Todd on Bojack Horseman was the first asexual character on TV, this is wrong. That honor would go to Gerald Tippett (Harry McNaughton), who appeared in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street of all places. Who knew those Kiwis were so groundbreaking? In addition to outing Tippett as asexual all the way back in 2007, the show allowed him to explore his orientation over multiple episodes and pursue a full and enriching life.

Darryl’s revelation on Crazy Ex Girlfriend

Bisexuality has been depicted on TV since at least the ‘80s, but positive bisexual representation didn’t reach a creative peak until 2016, when middle-aged Darryl literally broke out in a song-and-dance routine after realizing his own bisexuality on the criminally underseen Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. His proud revelation, subsequent announcement, and joyous ‘80s-inspired banger “Getting Bi” were all a breath of fresh air in a TV landscape that more commonly depicted bisexual men as confused liars.

Taylor’s introduction on Billions

This wasn’t so much a storyline as it was an introduction, but when Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) appeared on Billions with the lines, “Hello sir, my name is Taylor. My pronouns are ‘they, theirs and them,’” this was historic TV. In 2017, they became the first non-binary character to ever appear on TV. In fact, their appearance created a ripple effect, allowing countless non-binary viewers to feel empowered to introduce themselves with their own pronouns. And we all live in a better world for it.