Gay and Lesbian TV History Trivia Quiz

Answer: All In the Family

"All In the Family" was an American sitcom about the squabbles of a working-class bigot and his family. The episode was "Judging Books by Covers" and Archie Bunker was making unfair assumptions about the sexuality of one of Mike's friends, but then later discovered that his friend Steve was gay. Steve was played by actor Philip Carey.

Answer: L.A. Law

"L.A. Law" was an American legal drama series frequently focusing on hot-button topics. This kiss occurred in the episode "He's a Crowd" when C.J. Lamb (Amanda Donohue), a character who calls her sexuality "flexible" kisses Abby Perkins (Michele Green), a heterosexual character.

A relationship never developed (it will take quite a few more years for that to happen on TV - stay tuned for a later question).

Answer: Roseanne

"Roseanne" was an American sitcom about a Midwestern family dealing with everyday problems and featuring actors who look like ordinary people. It was ground-breaking in many ways. "Roseanne" featured many recurring male gay characters, but the first female gay character came in 1992 in the episode "Ladies' Choice".

Answer: My So-Called Life

"My So-Called Life" was an American drama about the trials and tribulations of being a high school student. Claire Danes played the lead character Angela Chase. Actor Wilson Cruz played Enrique "Rickie" Velasquez who is considered to be the first openly gay teenage character on primetime TV.

He was a regular cast member and character of the show, first appearing in the "Pilot" episode in 1994. Cruz was also openly gay and has advocated for LGBT rights.

Answer: "Roseanne" and "Friends"

"Roseanne" marked yet another milestone in LGBT TV history in the "December Bride" episode when Roseanne meets Leon's fiance Scott and agrees to help plan their wedding. Leon was played by Martin Mull and Scott was played by Fred Willard.
"Friends" was an American sitcom revolving around the personal and professional lives of six New Yorkers. In the episode "The One with the Lesbian Wedding", Ross's ex-wife Carol marries Susan. Carol was played by Jane Sibbert and Susan was played by Jessica Hecht.
Interestingly, at the time of both weddings, same-sex marriage wasn't legal anywhere in the world.

Answer: Ellen DeGeneres

"Ellen" was an American sitcom which starred Ellen DeGeneres as the title character Ellen Morgan, who was a neurotic bookstore owner and constantly had to deal with her friends and family. Starting in 1996, DeGeneres negotiated with ABC to have Morgan come out, and when those negotiations were leaked, DeGeneres and the show was at the forefront of "coming out of the closet" media coverage.

They toyed on the idea for months on the show, culminating in "The Puppy Episode". Ellen DeGeneres came out two weeks earlier in Time Magazine.

Answer: Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes

"Will & Grace" was an American sit-com about the relationship between best friends Will (who was gay) and Grace (who was straight) and their friends Jack (also gay) and Karen (straight). Will was played by Eric McCormack a Canadian-American actor who readily identified with Will despite not being gay himself. Jack was played by Sean Hayes an American actor-comedian, who did not discuss his sexual orientation while the show was on the air, but he did marry his long-time partner Scott Icenogle in 2014.

The show was the break-out show for both McCormack and Hayes and both received many awards for their portrayal.

Answer: Queer as Folk

The UK "Queer as Folk" was short-lived but followed the lives of three gay men in Manchester's gay village.
The American-Canadian co-production also titled "Queer as Folk" and based on its British counterpart lasted five seasons and followed the lives of multiple gay men and women living in Pittsburgh, PA.
The American version was highly successful on Showtime and broke major ground for gay characters, and particularly gay sex scenes, on TV.

Answer: Dawson's Creek

"Dawson's Creek" was an American teen drama about the lives of friends in a small town. Jack (played by Kerr Smith) was added as a main character in season 2, briefly dated Katie Holmes' Joey, but then came out as gay. Jack met Ethan (played by Adam Kaufman) and they end up kissing in the episode "True Love".

It is considered the first passionate gay kiss on TV and the first kiss between gay male characters on network TV in the US.

Answer: Willow and Tara

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was an American fantasy/supernatural drama. Main character Willow (Hannigan) wasn't initially gay and her sexuality was slowly revealed in season 4 when she falls for Tara. Willow and Tara's relationship is considered ground-breaking with how natural it was made to feel. Both characters fell in love with many aspects of who they were and their romantic relationship progressed gradually. Willow and Tara's relationship lasted for multiple seasons and was considered the strongest relationship on the show.