The Rainbow Campaign

[Perry]

That is SO Awesome

[emmasi]

I was watching Ellen today, and apparently Ryan Phillipe played the first gay teenager on an American soap. I forget what it was called, but it was aired in the early 90s. It's amazing to see that we haven't really come so far in 18 or so years... It was great to hear him talking about it. Ellen asked him if his people told him to stay away from playing a gay role. He said he was only 17 and it was his first real acting job, "I didn't have people." Ellen then said "If you had people, they would have told you not to do it. They would have told you that it would hurt your career. But you did do it, and it helped your career, and I bet it helped a lot of young people out there too." Ryan then added that it was so great getting fanmail, first of all because, "people outside of my family knew who I was," and second because the letters he was receiving, some of them were from kids on the verge of suicide, but when they saw him representing them on national TV, they felt more normal and accepted for who they were. He also said he got letters from parents of kids like that saying the same thing. How, in 18 (or so) years, have people not learned to recognise that universally as a good thing ?

[Alexei]

... apparently Ryan Phillipe played the first gay teenager on an American soap. I forget what it was called ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7jHkx6000c

[Luc]

Back in the '80's, A Country Practce had a gay couple, they weren't regular characters, appearing in only one story-arch of 2 episodes, but it dealt with the issues the men were going through, and the issue of of homophobia in a small town, ACP recieved high ratings, which, i think someone should remind seven of, because, isn't that what 7 and 9 are all about, beating each other in the ratings war (they did this back in the 80's too with Molly's death in ACP)

[Alexei]

We can back even further than A Country Practice - Number 96, television series (Australia, 1972-1977) – Australia's first supersoap, and the first to feature a gay character (Don Finlayson played by Joe Hasham).

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/30/1080544469746.html

[emmasi]

Thanks for the links. Proof that it's not that hard

[Luc]

It can be traced back further, I can't find a link, but in the Australian Nighttime drama The Box (Which had the first LGBT Chracters on Australian television), the characters of Lee Whiteman and Vicki Stafford (Paul Karo and Judy Nunn respectivley) were openly gay.

I've also found a list of soap-operas that have or have had LGBT characters

Click here

[Alexei]

... the Australian Nighttime drama The Box (Which had the first LGBT Chracters on Australian television), the characters of Lee Whiteman and Vicki Stafford (Paul Karo and Judy Nunn respectivley) were openly gay.

I don't think I ever watched The Box which premiered in 1974:

http://www.classicaustraliantv.com/Chronology.htm

[Perry]

The Box had the first Lesbian kiss on Australian Television.

[Luc]

More recently (and popularly) As The World Turns, the second longest running scripted program in history, finally came of age by including the first regular gay couple, Luke and Noah.

Couple History