1. How the Media has not given gays and lesbians fair
representation

2. Gay characters on TV
1971 All in the Family becomes the
1st Television show to depict an gay
character
(The Gay character was not a
regular character on the show )

3. Soap: 1977-1981
Billy Crystal’s Character Jodie Dallas was an
openly gay character who was a regular on the
program. Dallas wanted a sex change but later on
in the series the character had a fling with a
woman and had a child

4. Soap
Soap discussed homosexuality many times using comedy to lighten
the mood and to clear up misconceptions in a humorous way.

5. AIDS Epidemic and View of
Homosexuals
 Starting in the early 1980’s with the AIDS
epidemic, there was a stigma around gay men.
 News reports warned that Gay men were more likely to
have the disease and it was often considered a “Gay
Disease”

6. Network TV takes a pass
Brothers Premieres on Showtime in 1984
after major networks ABC and NBC turned
it down because the show focused on
homosexuality. The show dealt with
AIDS, coming out, and other issues focused
on the gay community
The show was a hit on Showtime and lasted 5 season
and 115 episodes

7. Thirtysomething (ABC)
 In 1989 an episode showed two gay men in bed
together
 After it aired the show lost over $1 million in
advertising and the rerun was not shown again that
summer with the rest of the reruns
After these losses, showing any sort of
gay affection was not seen on shows
because the stakes were so high

8. Philadelphia (1993)
 The movie was about a gay AIDS victim who sues his
former employer for wrongful termination after his
diagnosis of AIDS
 One of the first mainstream movies about
homosexuality, homophobia, and HIV/AIDS
 Tom Hanks won the Academy Award for best actor for
his role

9. Gays on TV in the 90’s
 In the 90’s more gay characters appeared on TV and in
movies.
 Most TV characters didn’t last long on television shows
 When Gay characters had recurring roles on shows
they were seen as stereotypical and flamboyant
 Reality TV shows starting using gay cast members
regularly.

10. 2000-Present
 The 2000’s was a decade in which gay and lesbian
characters were portrayed in a more normal way.
 More shows dealt with serious issues in the gay
community but most of these shows were on premium
cable channels
 More shows now are dealing with the gay community
in some way. Glee and Skins deals with gay teens on a
regular basis
 Gays still struggle to see a true interpretation and a
true percentage of gays in movies and in TV