USA TODAY International Edition
TELEVISION’S GAY CHARACTERS, BEFORE AND AFTER ELLEN
Ellen Morgan wasn’t the first gay character on TV, but her coming- out on the ABC sitcom ‘ Ellen,’ following star Ellen DeGeneres’ own declaration — “Yep, I’m gay” — on the cover of ‘ Time’ magazine, opened the door to portraying them more openly and more often. A list of some of TV’s more important gay characters, before and after Ellen:
BEWITCHED: Paul Lynde plays Uncle Arthur, who wasn’t gay then — but probably would be now. ( 1965) ALL IN THE FAMILY: Archie’s friend Steve ( Philip Carey) shocks him by telling him he’s gay. ( 1971) THE CORNER BAR: Vincent Schiavelli plays flamboyant set designer Peter Panama, considered TV’s first recurring gay character. ( 1972) SOAP: Jodie Dallas ( Billy Crystal) becomes TV’s first openly gay main character. ( 1977) LOVE, SIDNEY: Tony Randall as a confirmed bachelor who was gay in the TV movie ‘ Sidney Shorr: A Girl’s Best Friend’ but whose sexuality became ambiguous in the TV series. ( 1981) THIRTYSOMETHING: Lovers Russell ( David Marshall Grant) and Peter ( Peter Frechette) are shown in bed together — but don’t touch. ( 1989) MELROSE PLACE: Matt Fielding ( Doug Savant), who’s gay, is the only person on this sexy soap opera who never seemed to have sex. ( 1992) FRIENDS: Susan ( Jessica Hecht) and Carol ( Jane Sibbett) wed in ‘ The One with the Lesbian Wedding.’ ( 1996) WILL & GRACE: Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes are gay friends in this landmark sitcom — the first big hit with a gay title character. ( 1996) BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: Willow and Tara ( Alyson Hannigan and Amber Benson) become an open, sympathetically drawn lesbian couple, a first for a teen- targeted series. ( 1999) QUEER AS FOLK: Gale Harold’s Brian and Randy Harrison’s Justin are among the more prominent characters in this Showtime series about gay men in Pittsburgh, adapted from a ( much better) British series. ( 2000) SIX FEET UNDER: Michael C. Hall co- stars as David, the gay brother who eventually finds love and happiness. ( 2001) THE WIRE: Michael Kenneth Williams plays Omar, a tough street criminal who breaks many of TV’s gay stereotypes. ( 2002) THE L WORD: Bette Porter ( Jennifer Beals) is among the L- people in Showtime’s female answer to ‘ Queer as Folk.’ ( 2004) TORCHWOOD: John Barrowman is the dashing Captain Jack Harkness in this ‘ Doctor Who’ spinoff. ( 2006) BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Not only are Kevin and Scotty ( Matthew Rhys and Luke Macfarlane) a couple, but they may have been this ABC family drama’s most functional one. ( 2006) GREY’S ANATOMY: Callie Torres ( Sarah Ramirez), one of TV’s rare bisexuals, begins a longterm relationship with Arizona ( Jessica Capshaw). ( 2009) GLEE: Chris Colfer is Kurt, one of TV’s first well- adjusted, openly gay teens. ( 2009) MODERN FAMILY: With Mitch and Cam ( Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet), no show has done more to fully incorporate a gay couple into a family story and normalize their relationship and, later, marriage. ( 2009) ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK: At one time, lesbians in prison would have been used for horror and shock. Not anymore. ( 2013) SCANDAL: VP- elect Cyrus Beene ( Jeff Perry) is as crazed, corrupt and sexually active as everyone else in this melodrama, which counts as progress. ( 2013) BROOKLYN NINE- NINE: Andre Braugher is the justifiably beloved commanding officer Ray Holt on Fox’s cop sitcom. ( 2013) HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER: Gay law student Connor Walsh ( Jack Falahee) has gotten away with murder and then some on this mystery. ( 2014) LONDON SPY: Danny’s ( Ben Whishaw) faith in Alex’s ( Edward Holcroft) love saves him in this British spy drama. ( 2015)