A little Nuke and the world explodes

Well, I realize this is a post that is happening a week after Luke and Noah had sex on ATWT. In my defense, I have been away at a family funeral. In addition, though, I really wanted to let the event gestate a bit. There has been so much written about it (hence the explosion of the title), and so much of it was contrary to what I thought I saw, I needed to let it all percolate. If you missed it, here is what I'm talking about:

In the end, my thoughts about the event are positive, and in line with Nelson Branco's quote from Sri Rao (writer of Night Shift 2): “Good for them. One small step for Nuke, one giant leap for daytime...”

Rao should know. He accomplished, with Night Shift 2, what daytime had failed to do: tender conversations between two men who really got to know each other, were confident in their sexuality (for the most part), and for whom a kiss was not a huge deal, but just beautifully tender and arousing to almost anyone who saw it. If you missed it, I mean this.

For me, Nuke sex was beautiful because (a) of the passion we got see leading up to it, (b) because NO LONGER can it be denied that Luke (scion of a core family) is a sexual being who -- yup -- has actually seen his love naked and actually related to him in a sexual way. (Make no mistake about it...there was contingent out there that thought Luke's celibacy was an 'appropriate' response to his 'wrong' attractions), and (c) because it is almost like the "last wall" has fallen (More on that below).

Most importantly, we're past it now. If Nuke ever has sex again, it won't be such a big deal (nor should it be). The big obstacle has been jumped. And for those who don't like Nuke, well, now the way has been paved for a couple you might like more. Never again will a gay male couple have to go through all this nonsense to merely kiss on daytime. That is a victory.

To be clear, All My Children accomplished the same thing for lesbian sexuality years ago, with Bianca. To see the remarkable intimacy of Reese and Bianca now, it is easy to forget how difficult it was for Bianca to be given on-screen kisses with Lena or Maggie years ago. But, those "outrages" perpetrated, Reese and Bianca are now free to be more openly loving.

The gay male sexuality was an extra hurdle. Make no mistake about it, when Brian Frons says "our lesbians are cuter", he is reflecting the fact that woman-on-woman sex is simply not as taboo anymore. Of course, this plays into the whole straight-male-porn-fantasy. Straight women never seemed to have a parallel enjoyment of gay porn in the mainstream, even though Carrie Bradshaw and the Sex and the City girls seemed to like it.

Indeed, Michael Moore suggested, tongue-in-cheek, in Mike's Election Guide 2008 that if the gay marriage amendments had been about lesbians, they would have readily passed. Showing a picture of two brides-in-veils with interlinked tongues, Moore wrote (pp. 35-36)

I am told that no one is opposed to watching two women kiss. Men love it, women love it, and the women doing it love it -- something for everybody! I don't think it is female-on-female love that has so many people (men) discombobulated. I think when they say they are against gay marriage, what they really mean is that they are against this:

(picture of two men kissing)

Now that is disgusting! Guys going all borkeback on each other--gimme a break! The state can't sanction that!

So, as a sociopolitical act of activism, I honestly believe Nuke is so, so important! Not because it is the first mainstream depiction of gay male sexuality, but maybe because it is the last important one! Let me expand on this by addressing some of the many critiques I have read about the story these last weeks.

This was not a "first". Indeed the whole story shows how locked in a conservative past soaps are.

The core premise, for me, is what Kay Alden meant when she said "Soaps are not an avante garde medium". (She said this at Sam Ford's MIT symposium, in relation to his Masters defense).

Another way I viewed the Nuke sex, specifically, was as "My heavens! There are boinking on homo-sect-choo-als on Aunt Mildred's STORIES!!! On ATWT!!! On one of the two oldest daytime shows! On a show that debuted in the Eisenhower era! On a show with a median viewer age in excess of 60 years! "

Much of the negative commentary about the "innovativeness" of this relates to the fact that Dynasty and Melrose Place and Brothers and Sisters and Hollyoaks and what have you all did it before.

True, that! And AMC has to continue to get credit for really having a core gay character first. (The history is longer, as you can see here).

So, why am I celebrating so much?

ATWT's gay male sex is not necessary the FIRST shoe to drop. Instead, I think Nuke may be interesting because it is the LAST shoe to drop. If we take the conservative, staid, stuck-in-the-past, pander-to-the-mainstream, do-not-inflame soap genre (I don't actually think it is all like that), and THEY have homo-sect-choo-als kissing and more...it is a true marker of culture change.

But in the end, my connection to this tale is more emotional, and it all goes back, again, to the fact that these are Aunt Mildred's STORIES! And now, with the wavy-whisps of an old-school flashback, I'm drawn back into the past... I am sorry this is a ramble, but it shows you that I'm not responding intellectually to this tale....

... what a difference might it have made to young men 30 years ago, if Nuke had been around then. Back in the day when soaps were more truly intergenerational? To show that gay men were decent, loving, respectworthy members of core families. That their mothers and grandmothers and neighbors still loved them, even though they were attracted to the 'wrong' sex. How many doors of healthy conversation and attitude change might it have opened?

[For those who do not believe that the generational experience of coming out is a whole different thing, compare Saul and Kevin on Brothers and Sisters. That is a totally authentic representation of how things have changed.]

Young gay men probably look at Nuke and say "come on! No big deal! We've been here and queer forever! The timidity and forcedness of the Nuke story is so in contrast with our lives".

Maybe.

But man oh man oh man has the world changed!

Someone from my genereation looks at Luke Snyder in AWE! The world has CHANGED! Imagine if, 37 years ago, Phil Brent had been a young gay man on AMC, and the triangle involving Chuck and Tara had been because Phil wanted Chuck! What a different world that would have been!

Even as the world moved along, soaps just DIDN'T. Not in major or significant ways (although that link above shows that some brave souls TRIED).

Now, finally, the "soap train" has arrived at the station. That is a big deal. (The "station", by the way, is the acceptance of gay male sexuality...as I posted earlier...for women it has been futher along).

When I look back on my nearly 44 years (damn, I feel old on this board), I simply cannot tell you how stunning Nuke is. It is truly akin (I know you'll accuse me of aggrandizing) how I imagine some African Americans felt when Obama became president. The world has changed!

All the feelings of things you could never achieve when you were younger...well that ceiling suddenly opens up...and you almost get a feeling of vertigo....imagine if the world had always been thus! How different might life have been?

Thirty years ago, there was NO ROLE MODEL, certainly not on soaps. Think about what Luke IS! He's the white-bread scion of a countrified-citified Oakdale...middle America...no crazy hair or dress or lifestyle. And average fella, he probably shops at malls instead of Soho thrift shops, not "loud and proud"...just a typical guy. (Yes, I know he is a Grimaldi...but I am ignoring that). To SEE THAT EVERY DAY!! EVERY DAY!!! Wow!

That changes the world! At least mine!

From the perspective of "jaded youth" that is well past all of this, I can see how Nuke is nothing special. From the perspective of someone who NEVER THOUGHT this day would come EVER....it is very special indeed.

For me, this is as fundamental as Uhura-Kirk. That interracial kiss was subversive, IMO, not because it was 'first', but because it infiltrated the white-male bastion of SciFi. If you were going to show that kind of 'miscegnation' to THAT audience....well...you had pushed the audience very far. ATWT is a very similar bastion....with a mainstream audience of older, homebound women....mothers of sons who live in environments where it still may not be acceptable to be gay. (You know...Prop 8 voters). Now, every day, even here, they cannot deny the existence of this reality. Maybe, if they don't tune out, they'll see that Luke and Noah are decent and regular. Not perverts or pedophiles or sluts. Just striped-shirt wearing doofuses who go to college. Maybe they will recognize their sons...and judge less harshly, having had their attitudes adjusted, if they sons turn out to be gay too. For all of you who are 'way past' a society that does not accept gay male sexuality, I'm here to remind you that the MAJORITY of people in many areas are NOT 'way past' the issue. ATWT and its ilk can be fundamental tools in the cultural evolution. (That is also why it is important to not yet p*ss those people off and show them sweaty thrusting in a bed. Get them ready in baby steps. That day will come...)

The story was lousy. Nuke was a terrible insta-couple.

This critique points to the origins of the story where, it seems, Luke's unreciprocated attraction to Noah was a little rushed. The basis for the mutual attraction was never firmly established, so -- other than the fact that these are two gay men -- we don't really know why they are together at this point.

I think this is a broader critique of ATWT's writing, and so it is not specific to Nuke. Also, at this point, I really don't think it is fair to call them an "insta-couple". After over two years? INSTACOUPLE?? That just is no longer true. The FOUNDATIONS of the union may be shaky...and I'm not saying this is terrific writing. But honestly, they've earned the right with enough shared history to be more than an insta-couple.

The whole thing was rushed, shoehorned into a single episode. It was almost like "let's get this over with".

The point is that a gay man, who is a member of a core family, whom the audience has been allowed -- more or less -- to see grow up has also been allowed to become a fully embodied sexual being on his show. And that is major. Within the context of this single episode, it was also a good soapy setup -- from the fight in Midtown to the feverish kissing and locking of doors, to the post-coital tenderness. Since ATWT is trying to get us to view the show in a more "episodic" way, this was a good episode vis-a-vis Nuke.

Sex on this particular day made little sense

This is Tom Casiello's point. This love scene didn't get the build-up of some "losing virginity" stories on other shows. Given how long this couple has been denying themselves, why on this random January Monday?

I don't know. I can't defend that choice in particular. But in the real world, people have sex. They don't schedule it for particular days or plan it or announce it with weeks of foreshadowing. They just "throw down". Nuke could no longer deny it.

I actually think it was a beautiful breakthrough for the precipitant of Noah's passion to be Luke's admonition that "You're selfish with your feelings". Finally, finally, Noah had an epiphany. And the forceful way that he kissed Luke was both hot and completely appropriate for the heated conversation that preceded it. So, for me, watching this episode (I confess!) in isolation...it made perfect sense. It seemed like a classic moment of anger-dissolving-into-passion. Indeed, the utter "prototypicality" of that kiss made me happy...Nuke was getting treated like just about every other soap couple. That's all we can ask for.

The scene should have been comparable to what we see with het couples, otherwise gay men are on the "back of the bus"

This "back of the bus" comment showed up on both Usenet, and in a comment to Tom Casiello's piece on this topic.

So, the activist in me says...sure...sweaty naked men kissing all over each other in bed MIGHT WELL have been the more appropriate soap template to use. Except Luke and Noah are young, and soaps typically use a more chaste approach for young sex.

Second, can we remind ourselves of the national realities here? Gay marriage amendments were turned down by the MAJORITY of voters in three states in November 2008. For us to ignore the context in which this story plays out is ... naive. I suspect there is a lot of overlap, for example, between the population that voted against gay marriage and the population that watches P&G soaps.

In addition, P&G/CBS received vociferous protest against Nuke kissing (thank you, Rev. Wildmon)! A scant year ago, there was even a visible kissing ban! P&G/Televest/Telenext/whatever was sufficiently scared that they ran a PHONE POLL to help them decide whether to continue the Nuke tale!

In light of the extreme caution that has been taken so far, why would we now want to engage in a sudden act of sensory 'flooding' and show hot sweaty sex? Baby steps is the key....

I may have a different opinion here. I believe that a softer, more "lamb-like" approach is the right one to take here, given that the majority of Americans is still not comfortable with gay male sexuality.

Let's face it. If I want to watch sex -- gay or straight -- I can find lots of porn on this here old internet.

So, soap sex is ... well ... usually hokey. At its WORST, it is arched backs and sweaty brows and treacly music.

I'm not saying, sometimes, that can't be remarkable to see, but for the most part, I'll pass.

Most of soap sex is off screen. Every married couple on soaps gets to have their sex off screen. And that's fine. I really don't need to to see ATWT's Tom and Margo grunting away fortnightly, or however often they do it .

This was Nuke's FIRST sex. It may get "hotter" as time passes. For me, what is important is that the threshold has been crossed.

Now, EVERY TIME we see those men on screen, America will know that they have seen each other naked, in a lustful way. That new reality suffuses every scene. That is DIFFERENT. That is ground breaking. That is what Monday opened. Two men who are explicitly sexual with each other, on the front burner. Now, when they touch, we will know it is a "knowing" touch...and like Tom and Margo or -- heck -- most days Brad and Katie -- we know they'll follow up on the "touch" later. No longer is this denied.

Once the conservatives catch their breath and stop their puking (men having SEX! how AWFUL!), the next sex scene (whenever it happens) could well be shirtless in bed together kissing. Who knows? Who cares? Again, if we want to see two men in flagrante delicto....well...there are other sites for that.

This is commercial TV! It plays to all kinds of sensibilities. How often are African American characters (the few who exist) given those arched-back scenes? How often are characters over 40 given those scenes? There are all kinds of racist, sexist, ageist and homophobic sensibilities that are being 'considered' as these soaps get put out...that's the reality of an advertiser-supported medium that needs to appeal to the "minivan majority" (ugh).

The fact remains....we KNOW, and we cannot deny, that two men now exist in Oakdale who related to one another fully as loving and sexual beings. That is ENORMOUS. I cannot believe people aren't just jaw-droppingly astounded at how ENORMOUS this is.

There should have been advance publicity

When she was still at SOD/SOW, Carolyn Hinsey expressed this point regarding Nuke's first kiss. Recently, I have seen this opinion expressed -- say -- via the Marlena Delacroix site.

I could not disagree more. I think this publicity is working EXACTLY as it should. Why?

First, again, let us not deny the hordes of protesters. Let us not forget the early 90s, when Thirtysomething lost all advertisers for an episode because two gay men were simply shown in bed together. Why give them an advance warning to get organized?

Second, let us not forget that the method-of-the-day is viral. I defy you, in the modern era, to show me many examples of where advance publicity has had ANY effect on ratings! Genie Francis' returns to General Hospital have been promoted...and there was scarcely a ratings blip. The sole exception to the "benefits of publicity" that I can recall was during the "Sudden Impact" arc on Young and Restless (8/6/2008). There, clever banner ads and some out-of-daypart-and-off-network TV ads did convince lapsed viewers to come back to see the newly re-energized Y&R.

But, for the most part, publicity is irrelevant now.

Instead, Roger Newcomb reports that over 300,000 have watched the Nuke sex on Youtube alone. Who knows how many more people saw it on Fancast or CBS.com, etc.

Those who proclaim the need for publicity are LOCKED IN AN OLD WORLD, where the only way to watch a soap was on TV. "Set your VCR" is an outdated phraseology, even if you substitute the word "DVR". If you miss a show, you can catch it (legally) online, and the network gets to count both the "hit" and the advertising revenue!

Indeed, the lack of advance publicity is BRILLIANT. It teaches viewers they HAVE TO WATCH, or they'll miss it. That avoids a one-day ratings spike (useless), and might encourage return viewership.

Viral, viral, viral, viral.

Whenever you want to complain about a lack of publicity, just remember these phrases: "TV is dead" and "Viral is in". ATWT is playing well to the modern world!

And for those who feel the lack of publicity was "defensive", as in "The network was chicken, and afraid to stir up protest"...well....when everyone is out to get you it is OKAY to be defensive. When you're going to stir up a hornet's nest, it is okay to wear protective gear! That's not cowardly...that's smart!

Sharing ice cream with grandma, post-coitally, was icky and diminished the moment

Yeah, Lucinda coming in the house was a bit icky...but remember that Nuke had sex in a house that they share with half of Oakdale. In that context, given the fracture that occurred between Luke and Lucinda over Brian's hidden sexuality, it was a moment of rapprochement that actually felt very good in light of the preceding tension between them.

MOREOVER, think how radical the scene was!!! Luke and Noah had just exchanged bodily fluids!! They had actively had sex. Even if Lucinda didn't know it, these now fully-embodied sexual young men were sitting next to her, in a moment of healing, eating ice cream. In other words, Luke and Noah's sexuality didn't distinguish them or ostracize them. They could simply co-exist, do normal things, have nice family scenes. Yes, a little post-coital languishing might have been nice...but the normalization and routineness of the Oakdale scene was nice, too.

It reinforced that gay male sexuality did not lead to the end of the World. Indeed, it kept on turning like always. What a terrific message!

Will ATWT Brian's potential be realized?

I was excited to learn about the Brian story on ATWT. First, as Roger Newcomb has said, it is the kind of dysfunctional intergenerational mess that is at the core of soaps and ATWT. To have a gay element to that helps to end the marginalization of the show's "gay storyline".

But there are warning signs that this story is not going to be subtle, nuanced, or authentic. It seems Brian is going to be the sleazy guest villain of this quarter, bilking Lucinda while trying to shag Luke...which is already raising groans of disgust from the soap quarters I visit.

From cbs. com, here is the most recent beat of the story:

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Lily and Holden visit Lucinda at the hospital, where Lucinda and Brian have just confirmed that they’ll be getting married. Lily is alarmed at the news. Brian goes to call the judge and run some wedding errands as Lily has a moment alone with her mother. Lily explains her concern and Lucinda defends her actions. Lily understands that Lucinda doesn’t want to die alone. Lily wants ­Lucinda to be happy. Brian has Lucinda sign a pre-nuptial agreement to show that there are no strings. He gives her his Princeton class ring and they exchange vows. Lily and Holden are moved. Meanwhile, Noah helps Luke sober up. He gives him coffee at Java, then after Luke starts to insult him, Noah takes him home. Luke doesn’t want Noah to leave, but when Noah does, Luke goes after him. Brian, running home after his wedding to Lucinda to get her some clothes for tomorrow, finds Luke on the road, picks him up and brings him home. Luke cleans himself up but is a total wreck emotionally. Brian consoles him, hugs him, and finally kisses Luke. Luke’s out of it at first, then pulls away and staggers upstairs. Brian is overwhelmed.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Lily and Holden leave a message for Luke, then go see Lucinda for a wedding breakfast at the hospital. Luke wakes up hung over, flashes to Brian kissing him, and wonders if it really happened. Luke arrives at the hospital to see Brian toasting Lucinda with his parents there. In the corridor, Luke wants to know what the hell Brian’s doing. Brian plays it off, says he comes from an expressive family, and doesn’t want Luke to ruin this for his grandmother. Luke tries to tell Lily that this marriage is a mistake but she too wants Luke to let Lucinda be happy. Later, Brian and Lucinda exchange wedding bands as an upset Luke watches through the window.

Brian's denial and inauthenticity makes some fear that this is going to go in an almost-incest direction, where Brian tries to pluck the cherry from Luke's tender young tree, but then blackmails him (or whatever) into silence. If that is the tale...that's kind of yech.

It seems to me recent real life offers all kinds of really deep, moving possibilities for this story. I hope they have the courage to go in that direction.

1. Ted Haggard (villain storyline, wrapped up in fundamentalism and conservatism...plausible for a "foundation manager" or whatever) Haggard is particularly villainous because (a) he won't own up to his homosexuality, even when caught AND [cue standard fundamentalist narrative] (b) he claims he was "warped" by early sexual abuse that took 40 years to "ripen"

Excerpt:

Earlier this month, a guest took the pulpit at Open Bible Fellowship in Morrison, Ill., a 350-member church surrounded by cornfields. The speaker was an insurance salesman from Colorado named Ted Haggard.

The former superstar pastor, disgraced two years ago in a sex-and- drugs scandal, had returned — this time as a Christian businessman preaching a message that was equal parts contrition and defiance. *Haggard linked his fall to being molested in second grade and apologized again.*

Haggard, 52, resigned as president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals and was fired from New Life Church amid allegations that he *paid a male prostitute for sex and used methamphetamine*.

Haggard said in 2006 he *bought the drugs but never used them*, confessed to *"sexual immorality"* and described struggling with a *"dark and repulsive"* side. He had risen from preaching in his basement to taking part in White House conference calls — and fallen so far that he became a late-night punch line.

He apologized for making his family suffer, acknowledged suicidal thoughts and chastised church leaders for missing an opportunity to use his scandal to "communicate the gospel worldwide." Haggard said he emerged with a *stronger Christian faith and marriage* than he'd ever had.

2. James McGreevey (a little more complex; probably not too much different from Haggard, although he ultimately acknowledged that he had been denying his homosexuality). But no matter what you think of him, READ how he writes about this. He talks about incorporating inauthenticity into his personality, and about that actually helping him in politics. He also talks about how he consistently made choices to deny his identity. Finally, he talks about the compartmentalization that make it all work for him. I'm here to say that is 100% gospel...that is NOT a set of bullsh*t excuses. That is the elaborate fiction such men create...and that is totally what Brian could be. With good writing....

Excerpt:

I’ve never been much for self-revelation. In two decades of public life, I always approached the limelight with extreme caution. Not that I kept my personal life off-limits; rather, the personal life I put on display was a blend of fact and fiction. I invented overlapping narratives about who I was, and contrived backstories that played better not just in the ballot box but in my own mind. And then, to the best of my ability, I tried to be the man in those stories.

In this way I’m not at all unique.* Inauthenticity is endemic in American politics today. *

*Ironically, the dividing experience of my sexuality helped me thrive in that environment*. As I climbed the electoral ladder—from state assemblyman to mayor of Woodbridge and finally to governor of New Jersey—*political compromises came easy to me because I’d learned how to keep a part of myself innocent of them. I kept a steel wall around my moral and sexual instincts*—protecting them, I thought, from the threats of the real world. This gave me a tremendous advantage in politics, if not in my soul. The true me, my spiritual core, slipped further and further from reach.

There were moments when the ripping misery of this life became too great, moments when I thought about “becoming gay” and all that that entails.

My political potential was enormous. *I think I decided that my ambition would give me more pleasure than integration, than true love*. Coming to this realization made me feel not suicidal, exactly, but morose. It’s hard to describe how it feels to surrender your soul to your ambition.

Among other things, I was anxious about marrying Dina. I had met her at a campaign event—she was an uncommonly beautiful 31-year-old blonde in a red double-breasted suit. When the event was over I walked her out to her car and kissed her. *I’m still not sure what made me do it. Loneliness, I suppose. Maybe she just seemed like the perfect politician’s wife; it might have been that self-serving. Our romantic life was troubled from the start, but I loved her deeply as a friend and companion. And I did believe I was offering her some things she truly coveted: the stability of marriage, the prospect of a loving family, a chance to share a life of public service, political excitement in spades*.

3. Aaron. A married gay man, who has been honest with his wife. The thing is...he loves his wife, but he's gay. He wants to stay with his family, parent his child, and remain true to his (deep) faith. He struggles everyday with how to resolve the contradictions.

He calls his life "Paysage choisi", which means "chosen landscape".

Excerpt #1:

The name of this blog ("paysage choisi") comes from a poem by the 19th century French poet Paul Verlaine, which is in a collection called Fêtes galantes inspired by Watteau’s rococo paintings. Verlaine’s words have been set to music more than once, but it is Fauré’s setting that has been going through my head a lot lately. *I find the themes in the poem very close to home: wearing masks, going through the motions, hiding sadness, life’s sad beauty*.

Excerpt #2:

*Coming out of the closet and staying in the house*

I have been inching out of the closet for a long time now. I came out to my wife in a moment of crisis eight years ago, and her loving support and empathy were amazing. I think we both thought at the time that simply removing that secret from between us would strengthen our relationship and everything would be fine.

Although I had already begun the process of shedding the sense of shame I had been carrying so long, the experience of talking freely with the therapist, a gay man himself, was incredibly liberating. At the first session, he asked me where I wanted to go with the therapy — what my goal was — and I realized that I didn’t know.*I explained that I felt fully committed to my marriage and that this was about my inner journey of accepting myself*.

Strangely, though, in parallel with the sense of exhilaration I have felt as I have begun to be freed from the burdens of guilt, shame and self-doubt, I have also felt an increasing sense of isolation and loneliness. *For various reasons, I have been reluctant to find opportunities to meet other gay men. Yet my need to do so is like a lead weight on my chest. This feels like another barrier — another closet door*.

When most gay men come out of the closet, they are making a statement not only about who they are, but also about who they love and how they live. For me, though, it’s really just about what goes on in my head. And that seems somehow less significant and more private — not the sort of thing you share with most people. So, is it possible to come out of the closet and stay in the house? I think so, but I’m still trying to work out how.

Change? Hope? Not for everyone...

This posting is soap-relevant, I promise! It just takes a minute to get there :).

The election of Barack Obama has been heralded in many corners, as a positive sign of the evolution of America. Tolerance of racial diversity. Tolerance for a progressive social agenda. Adoption of a more conciliatory international stance. A liberal agenda that understands the need to spread opportunity to more people. Alas, there is a fly in this happy ointment.

The passage of a number of "defense-of-marriage" constitutional amendments (commonly referred to as anti-gay-marriage votes), including in a state as progressive as California, suggests that there is much more evolution to occur. As I write this:

• In California, Proposition 8 (Ban on Gay Marriage) received 5,424,916 "yes" votes (52%) and 4,932,086 "no" votes. Lest we think this somehow suggests California is universally conservative, the same percentage (52%) voted AGAINST abortion limits.
• In Arizona, Proposition 102 (Ban on Gay Marriage) received 1,078,495 "yes" votes (56%) and 835,013 "no" votes (44%).
• In Florida, Amendment 2 (Ban on Gay Marriage) received 4,755,789 "yes" votes (62%) and 2,913,740 "no" votes (38%).

So, I won't go off on a soapbox here, about how vile this is. I won't mention that is suggests civil rights remains a joke for gay and straight couples who want to commit to and love each other outside of marriage.

What I will mention is these election results were no "poll". This is not a random selection of individuals, some small panel that we're not sure is representative of some larger population. This IS the population. Adding in the results from the 2004 Federal election, gay marriage bans have been supported more often than not. What that tells us is that -- even in a year where voters were willing not to ban abortion and to elect a person of color -- majority opinion is STILL against LGBT men and women.

How does this relate to soaps?

Well, as I write this, ATWT's Nuke STILL has not had sex. The latest obstacle to their union concerns a school election in which Luke stuffed the ballot box. Noah "can't lie" to protect Luke...so it is clear the relationship is about to go through a rough patch. Objective viewers know this is just the latest in a string of unending obstacles for our boys. On the heels of a long dry spell before the men could start kissing, and Procter and Gamble phone poll about whether they SHOULD be on the show....it has been a long period of frustration for viewers who wanted an honest portrayal of gay male sexuality. Not lascivious, but honest.

Suddenly, in the bright light of these polls, P&G's conservatism doesn't seem quite so malevolent. Indeed...it seems almost wisely self-protective. If the MAJORITY of otherwise progressive men and women in America still can't stand the thought of same sex unions...they surely don't want to see it on their TV screens. In the same week, Grey's Anatomy abruptly scuttled a lesbian relationship. All My Children, mercifully, seems to be doing a decent job with Bianca's latest story and relationship.

For some time, a number of us have been angry at P&G for, apparently, timidity in the portrayal of Nuke as a couple. Suddenly, P&G seems awfully courageous to me. America, apparently, doesn't want to acknowledge, condone, or support the existence of committed same-sex unions.

In the end, I think I've stopped being angry. Now, I'm just sad. It's funny how, on the heels of the Obama victory, I end up feeling more like "no change, no hope". In that context, I'll take Nuke in any form I can get it. It's practically an act of sedition, apparently, that they are even allowed to exist.

Is ATWT's Nuke a squandered opportunity?

Roger Newcomb linked a really nice post about the Nuke controversy. I liked it because it took a balanced view:

There’s also the realistic and tender side of As The World Turns. It’s found in the several other plots, including the love story of Luke and Noah. I’ve been trying to find my equilibrium since the writers opened up the issue of Luke’s sexuality. Luke has always been a dear character, in my book. He is, after all, the son of Damiangodofallmen Grimaldi - I remember Damian as he was, not the loser of a guy the writers transformed him into. With Luke’s coming out, I was fearfully sure the writers would take the same path with him that most daytime writers have taken with almost every other character who’s come out of the closet. Hank Elliot.

When I look at the difference between Hank Elliot’s storyline and Luke’s I am amazed. There’s such a sensitivity and care about developing Luke and Noah as people, not just ‘gay young adults’. For veteran soap viewers like myself, this is the gradual unfolding of a love story, the kind soap writers were once capable of penning. For other soap viewers, this storyline is at a standstill. Luke and Noah aren’t moving as quickly as other daytime couples. For me, it’s the fast moving couples that are the problem, but I understand the frustration. There have to be questions about why the writers have taken more time to advance this couple:

The author goes on to advance some great hypotheses about why the Nuke story has played out the way it has. Some of it is obvious (the P&G-homophobia/fear-of-AFA argument that has been discussed everywhere). Some of it is unlikely (Nuke too young for sex? Not with Parker kissing like a fool. Writers trying to script old fashioned romance? Yeah, right). But there is also an intriguing "sensitivity" argument: "Is there are greater sensitivity to Loah/Nuke becuase they’re sexual minorities and the writers are afraid of advancing stereotypes? I think it’s possible that there’s some merit to this one. The writers have not only kept the storyline around, but have found ways to deepen the commitment the two have for one another. "

Okay...but here's the thing.

I visit a lot of soap boards. Too many. And with rare exceptions (so rare I can name them), I mostly get four reactions to Nuke.

a. "I never liked Nuke. They were pushed before they were even really on screen. This is a homosexual agenda". Do with that what you want.

b. "The depiction of young male sexuality is SO unrealistic, I cannot invest in this tale". This goes beyond not kissing...because they do now. This is about the fact that they are not sexually satisfying each other. Most viewers acknowledge it doesn't have to happen on screen--this is NOT about voyeurism--but that it doesn't happen...

Noah was about to "ship off" to Iraq...and STILL he and Luke couldn't even -- forgive my language -- give a hand job or something?

c. I'd stick around for Nuke, but the REST of the show is so vile, this is only too much junk.

d. Go Nuke! Finally something that shows some element of the real gay experience with a member of a core family. Be happy that--even if this is a baby step--it is a real step.

In my more rational moments, I'm a "d". But I gotta tell you, that is a rare sentiment...and I see a lot more of a, b, c.

Here is my hope: Nuke opened the door. Noah's behavior has made many of us dislike him and think he needs to grow up.

So, for ATWT, I'd send Noah away, and give Luke a chance at a fresh, mature love--DEPICTED HONESTLY. (Think Brother and Sisters).

And for the NEXT soap (I personally hope it is B&B), use the door that Nuke bust open, and do it right--fearlessly (not Passions-fearlessly, but fearlessly) the next time.

As trailblazers, no matter what the future brings, Nuke, ATWT, and the actors have garnered my eternal gratitude for the big step they have taken...even if ultimately it was not quite big enough--or too big--for many in the audience.

Gay Men and Soaps: The Actors

Lynn Liccardo and I had a brief exchange that actually veered briefly into the unpleasant...for which I am deeply apologetic.

She did a blog post in which she happened to mention that one long-standing actor on a soap was openly gay, and had been discussed as such in two celebrity autobiographies. A commenter on her website took her to task for the "outing", and promptly listed--unfounded--the names of other actors and actresses he thought were also GLBT.

I was upset, and said so on Usenet, because: (a) the actor Lynn spoke of has never (to my knowledge) given a public statement on his sexuality, and (b) letting that comment stand may have further outed a host of others.

Outing can be painful and injurious. While I wish we lived in a world where everyone just wanted us to have someone to love...and didn't care about the gender of that someone...we don't. There may be powerful consequences for outing.

But, here are a couple of interesting outcomes of the discussion:

(A) First, I was wrong to accuse Lynn of outing...since she has source material that put the material in the public domain...and I publically apologize;

(B) in the ensuing Usenet discussion, it became clear that MOST of the regular posters there were not aware of the actor's sexuality. Which raises the important reminder that "outing" is not an absolute concept, but a relative one. In the case of this actor, the autobiographies were likely read by a different audience than soap viewers.

I don't know what to do with that "relative outing" idea, except to urge caution to all of us. Before you spread the tale, make sure there is a need to spread it. In the end, what purpose is served? I haven't figured that out.

(C) I contributed to the outing (and likely continue to do so here--despite my attempt to be indirect--because some folks will now visit Lynn) by quoting the whole thing on Usenet. At this point, I'm putting this all out there because I'm interested in the opinions of others. Am I too hung up about this outing thing?

(D) Then, at the bottom of it all, I get angry. Why does this matter? Why is this an issue? Still? Will it ever NOT be an issue?

Amazing GLBT Television reference

(Last updated 07/07/2009)

Hey...going way beyond soaps, I just discovered David Wyatt's directory of GLBT Television Characters.

You may recall I tried to do a list of my own a few weeks back, compiling the wisdom of DonnaB, Michael/Rthrquiet and others. I have now updated that thanks to David. Also, I have some names in the other list that I forgot to put here, but have now updated thanks to Roger Newcomb's blog.

More about David below, but based on his reference and my own, I think I now have come up with this timeline of GLBT on US soaps. (I have coded minor characters in italics and major characters in bold; this is an admittedly subjective enterprise, but I have tried to code as major those who were on for more than a handful of episodes, whose full names were known to the audience and other characters).

1977, The Young and the Restless, Katherine Chancellor
1977, The Young and the Restless, Joanne Curtis
1977, Days of Our Lives, Sharon Duvall
1982, All My Children, Lynn Carson
1985, Santa Barbara, Channing Capwell Jr.
1985, Santa Barbara, Lindsay Smith
1988, As the World Turns, Hank Elliott
1992, One Life to Live, Billy Douglas
1992, One Life to Live, Jonathan Michaelson
1992, One Life to Live, Rick Mitchell
1994, General Hospital, John Hanley
1995, All My Children, Michael Delaney
1995, All My Children, Rudy
1995, Guiding Light, Wyatt Sanders
1996, All My Children, Kevin Sheffield
1996, All My Children, Brad Phillips
1996, The City, Azure C.
1997, All My Children, Rick
1997, General Hospital, Ted Murty
1997, One Life to Live, Wendi Mercury
1999, Passions, Simone Russell
2000, All My Children, Bianca Montgomery
2000, All My Children, Rain Wilkins
2000, All My Children, Sarah Livingston
2002, All My Children, Lena Kundera
2002, All My Children, Maggie Stone
2004, The Bold and the Beautiful, Sergei
2004, One Life to Live, Mark Solomon
2005, As The World Turns, Luke Synder
2005, General Hospital, Lucas Jones
2005, One Life To Live, Daniel Colson
2005, All My Children, Val
2006, All My Children, Zarf/Zoe Luper
2006, General Hospital, Guy Richardson
2006, Passions, Chad Harris-Crane
2006, Passions, Vincent Clarkson-Crane
2007, As The World Turns, Noah Meyer
2008, All My Children, Reese Williams
2008, As The World Turns, Reg Addington
2008, As The World Turns, Tony
2008, As the World Turns, Brian Wheatley
2008, Passions, Norma Bates
2008, Passions, Edna Wallace
2009, Guiding Light, Doris Wolfe
2009, Guiding Light, Olivia Spencer
2009, Guiding Light, Natalia Rivera Aitoro
2009, As the World Turns, Zac
2009, The Young and the Restless, Rafael "Rafe" Torres
2009, One Life to Live, Officer Oliver Fish
2009, One Life to Live, Kyle Lewis
2009, The Young and the Restless, Victor "Adam Wilson" Newman Jr.
2009, The Young and the Restless, Phillip Chancellor III

His US soap-specific links include (original font and links here) those linked below. His list is superb, because it also includes primetime and soap spoofs, which I didn't cover myself. It is actually FASCINATING how much daytime and primetime serials have led the charge here, both in the US and the UK. My beloved Doctor Who is on that list too. In the process I was reminded that I forgot (I didn't forget, but I forgot to write in my original post) about Santa Barbara's Channing Capwell Jr. and his lover! David's list is so much better than mine, so please visit.

All My Children (1983),

All My Children (1995-2004),

All My Children (2006-2007)

As the World Turns (1988-1989),

As the World Turns (2005-present)

The City (US)

Days of Our Lives

General Hospital (1994-1998),

General Hospital (2005-2006)

Guiding Light

One Life To Live (1992-1993)

Passions

Santa Barbara

From vanhansis.net and Roger Newcomb

Cindy Lauper appears in Oakdale today to celebrate an important day! Go ATWT!

Why I love soaphunks.net

You know, I'm not really sure why. But I do!

So much of the rest of my enjoyment of daytime relates to its place in our cultural history. I like the psychological unfolding of characters (when stories are done well). I like the intergenerational canvases.

But when all is said and done, I just love how soaps are the principle bastion (outside of gay porn) of male objectification. I think it goes along with the feminization of the genre...they show the eye candy. I can think of few other mainstream media outlets where this happens.

Ironically, from what I have gleaned, male pulchritude isn't actually the huge draw for female viewers. Oh, sure, some girls like it...but in the end, all that sweaty shirtlessness is really pretty homoerotic. AND, you know some of the shows intentionally play to that card...the late (and mostly unlamented) Passions made high camp of it...and these days One Life to Live is the center of the soap hunk universe.

So, that's what I like about soaphunks.net, I think. It celebrates the not-so-latent homoeroticism in soaps, unabashedly and unapologetically. It is, in some way, the most blissful uncloseting of what has always been the gay male subtext of soaps.

The only thing needed is a companion site...not "soap sluts", but "soap divas". Just imagine...Eileen Fulton, Susan Lucci, Robin Strasser, Jeanne Cooper, Elizabeth Taylor's stint as Helena Cassidine, Joan Collins, Linda Dano...

In honor of soaphunks.net, I leave you with these images. (These are actually my caps, not from that site...but they give you the idea....)

GLBT on US soaps: A listing

Updated on 7/7/09. I discovered the amazing resource by David Wyatt which lists GLBT TV characters. Below, where there is a Wyatt reference, I have now linked it. Wyatt also reminded me of some missing characters (Passions' Simone, Santa Barbara's Channing) that I have added, and also gave me a full name and more backstory on Days' Sarah. Updated later that day with some extra corrections from Roger Newcomb's blog.

I'm not sure this is canonical, but the incredible furor over Luke and Noah on ATWT (now dissipated since they were briefly affectionate) makes me want to list broader history. I originally thought I was being original, and with the help of Usenet's DonnaB compiled this list. Then I saw that afterelton.com had done most of the work...so most of the text here is taken from them. Other sources include soapcentral.com, Sara Bibel, wikipedia, tvguide.com. Individual sources are listed next to each entry. At bottom, there are some footnotes from DonnaB about a few other cases. ETA: 6/23/08...Michael/Rthrquiet added some corrections (see comments section) which led to edits, as noted, on these pages.


The Young and the Restless
1977, Joanne Curtis and Katherine Chancellor

It was 1977. There were only three television networks. The sexual revolution was migrating from its young, urban roots to the suburbs. (For a fictional representation of this era, check out episodes of Swingtown on this site.) In primetime, CBS featured “edgy” Norman Lear sitcoms such as All In The Family that frequently, and heavy handedly, tackled social issues. It was also the year Three’s Company debuted on ABC, titillating audiences with its main character who pretended to be gay so he could share an apartment with two straight women. (Am I the only one who never understood this premise?) Homosexuality had been classified as a psychological disorder until 1973. Prejudice against gay people was the norm in many parts of the country.

In daytime, The Young & The Restless was popular but not yet the number one show. The series had already tackled social issues including rape and alcoholism. The show made the bold decision to have Katherine Chancellor, lonely after the death of her beloved Phillip, start to develop romantic feelings for her friend and roommate Joanne Curtis. I assumed that the intent of the story, in addition to exploring Katherine’s emotional state, was to educate the audience. According to Alden, it was also about ratings. “The idea was to attract the avant garde viewers. Soap operas, at the time, had a very conservative Midwestern audience. I did a lot of research. Cosmopolitan magazine had a lot of articles about lesbianism at the time.” (While today Cosmo is not well respected, in the 1970s, Helen Gurley Brown’s version of magazine was influential. It encouraged young women to enjoy being single and explore their sexuality. Lesbianism was presented as another lifestyle choice, along with open relationships and one night stands.)

I wondered how Y&R convinced CBS that the time was right for the story. “We didn’t tell the network in advance,” explained Alden. “Back then we didn’t have to get stories approved.”

As one of the youngest members of the writing staff, Alden spearheaded the story. “This was not an idea Bill Bell would have thought of on his own.” Alden, living in Southern Missouri at the time, was interested in fully telling Kay and Joanne’s story but sensitive to how carefully the show had to tread with potentially controversial material.

According to Alden, the story was played very subtly. There was no overt dialogue or physicality. In fact, the show didn’t expect viewers to have an inkling of where the plot was headed. Instead, the moment Kay touched Joanne’s hand, “You could hear television sets clicking off all across America,” recalled Alden. “The audience knew exactly what was going on. It was one of the most remarkable experiences of my career. At no other time can I remember an instant ratings drop because of a single storyline.” The show quickly wrapped up the story, with Kay’s son Brock confronting her about her feelings and Joann leaving town.

Y&R had miscalculated. Instead of drawing in new viewers, the show had alienated many of the viewers it already had. Eventually, the show’s ratings rebounded. But it would be years before another soap would dare to tackle a gay storyline and decades before a gay character would be allowed to have a love interest.

2009, Rafael Torres

Introduced in 2008, legal aid lawyer Rafe Torres was introduced as an old friend of Billy Abbott's, a "scholarship student" at Walnut Grove to whom Billy served as friend and protector. Billy asked Rafe to help the Winters in their custody fight to stop Ana from being returned to her drug addicted mother, Yolanda (also Devon's mom). Rafe also served as lawyer and, eventually, friend to Victor "Adam Wilson" Newman Jr., who was jailed and convicted for framing his father for murder (via a "forged diary" he concocted with Jack Abbott). On April 24, 2009, Lily Winters tried to fix up Rafe with her best friend, Colleen Carlton. To this, Rafe confided he was gay, but still attended Adam's birthday party with Colleen. Later, Adam said he'd like to "troll" the bars with Colleen (presumably for male companionship) at some future date.

2009, Victor "Adam Wilson" Newman Jr.

Introduced in 2008, Victor Newman's Harvard-educated namesake was initially a mix of calculating and charming. His early stories involved getting under the skin of his half-siblings and starting an engaging romance with sexy female lawyer Heather Stevens, a Princeton grad. After Victor Sr. "died" in a capsized boat, the inheritance went to Adam's head. He kicked his siblings out of the company and took selfish control of everything. When Victor returned from the dead, Adam was kicked out and penniless. He was therefore ripe for Jack Abbott's scheme to forge a "diary" in which Victor "admitted" to killing a mobster during his "death". Cleverly, Jack made sure all signs of culpability for the diary pointed at Adam--which eventually led to Adam's imprisonment. Adam began a clever scheme (he got himself beaten, and feigned blindness by injecting botox into his eyes) that got him "house-arrested" at the Newman ranch. There, Adam did terrible things--mostly gaslighting his father's fiance Ashley (and causing her to lose a baby). When Rafe Torres began to suspect Adam of the devious deeds, Adam thought quickly about how to distract Rafe. He then had sex with him.

Adam is most likely NOT gay or even bi. (Indeed, he needed to immediately shower after having sex with Rafe, and then he quickly called his girlfriend Heather over to assert his masculinity). But this gay-ruse was a first for daytime. The Adam character earns extra notoriety because he was initially played by Chris Engen...but Engen vacated the role when Adam took this dark turn. Indeed, Michael Muhney began playing Adam just one episode before Adam "came on" to Rafe. So the "gay sex" Adam is uniquely associated with Muhney.

2009, Phillip Chancellor III

A legacy character, P3 was the son of Jill Foster and Phillip Chancellor II, the husband of Jill's early employer, Katherine Chancellor. Much of the 1970s was spent around P3...Kay appalled at the pregnancy, Kay killing P2 in a drunk driving accident, Kay trying to buy the baby, Kay arranging to disinherit P3 and strip him of the Chancellor name. Thus fueled a Jill-Kay rivalry that has continued on the show ever since. In the early 1980s, after Jill married John Abbott, P3 "disappeared" and was sent to boarding school. At Christmas, when Jill wanted him home for the holidays, little P3 would say he preferred not to come home. When a teenaged P3 finally returned home in the late 80s, he was an awkward boy. He had a crush on Cricket (but needed to drink to summon courage to be with her), and he was trapped into drunken sex with the wily Nina Webster--who promptly became pregnant and trapped him into marriage. In one of Y&R's greatest tragedies, alcoholic P3 got drunk after work one night and crashed his car; we saw what appeared to be his tragic deathbed goodbye to his whole family. P3's death fueled two more decades of Jill-Kay-Nina dysfunction.

In storyline twists too bizarre to recount, a series of con-jobs and DNA errors in the 2000s led Jill-Kay to believe they were mother-daughter, and then Kay to remember that she had stolen P3 at birth and switched him with another child (vindictively, just so Jill would not raise P2's son). The "real" P3 appeared (Cane Ashby), and was incorporated into the family. Eventually, in 2009, Jill-Kay were revealed to be unrelated, and then it was revealed that Cane (an Australian) had met P3 in his homeland. P3, it turned out, had faked his death because of depression, anxiety, and an unwillingness to admit that he was gay. Feeling remorse, he had eventually sent Cane to Genoa City in his stead, to give Jill/Kay the "son/grandson" they had lost. P3 finally came home and confessed all when he realized that Nina (who had just returned to Genoa City after a long absence) was beginning to piece together the fact that Cane was not really P3. In a private conversation on 7/7/09, P3 admitted to Nina that one of his motives for leaving all those years ago was his sexuality.



Days of Our Lives
1977, Sharon Duval
See David Wyatt's entry here: "In 1977 the unhappily married Sharon Duval (Sally Stark) admitted to her dear friend Julie Williams that she was bisexual and was in love with her. The story line was quickly wrapped up when problems broke out backstage between head writer Pat Falken Smith and the NBC top brass."

Of this era, Usenet's DonnaB says:

You also missed the very long ago storyline on DOOL where there was some woman who seemed to be coming on to Julie but it was quickly rewritten into a swinger couple. Michael/Rthrquiet of Usenet adds this: "The female lesbian-turned-swinger-turned-lesbian (Sharon was her name, I think) on Days actually made a pass at a shocked Julie ("I'm in love with you, Julie!"), but Julie's reaction was so decidedly negative that the woman tried to commit suicide. (Nice, huh?)"

DonnaB mentions another "near gay" story on Days. Also on DOOL Eric raped Susan (later rewritten to be consensual sex that she dreamt was rape.) When we first me Eric, he had a male roommate & we could see that there was only one bed. They had intended to make him gay, but changed their minds ...

All My Children
1982, Lynn Carson
See David Wyatt's entry here: "Dr. Lynn Carson 1983 (Donna Pescow). After Devon McFadden (Tricia Pursley Hawkins, 1977-1981 and 1983-1984) discovered Lynn was a lesbian, she convinced herself that a relationship with a woman was the answer to her problems. Lynn wisely told her that you don't just choose to become a lesbian because your affairs with men don't work out. After about 2 or 3 months, Lynn decided to get on with her life and moved away from Pine Valley."

In 1982, All My Children introduced the first ever significant gay character on a daytime soap opera, Dr. Lynn Carson played by Donna Pescow (Saturday Night Fever). Unfortunately (and typical of the stereotype of lesbians as asexual), the Carson character never had a love interest and lasted only a year.

For the next era at AMC, David Wyatt's entry is much more extensive. He lists:

* Michael Delaney 1995-1997 [occasional 1997-1998] (Chris Bruno) highschool history teacher
* Rudy 1995-1997? (Lance Baldwin) TV station stage manager
* Kevin Sheffield 1995-1998 (Ben Jorgensen, briefly billed as Ben Monk) highschool/college student and waiter
* Dr. Bradford `Brad' Phillips 1996-1997 (Daniel McDonald) orthopedic specialist
* Rick 1997 (Kohl Sudduth) waiter
* Bianca Montgomery 1988-2007 (Eden Riegel 2000-2005, occasional 2005-2006, 2006-2007)
* Rain Wilkins 2000?-2001 (Kelly Overton)
* Sarah Livingston 2000-2001 (Elizabeth Harnois)
* Lena Kundera 2003-2004 (Olga Sosnovska)
* Mary Margaret "Maggie" Stone 2002-2005 (Elizabeth Hendrickson)

In 1995 producers introduced a full-time (as opposed to short-term) gay character. Michael's sexual orientation was revealed several months after his addition to the cast. In the ensuing controversy about a gay teacher in the classroom, `Mr. D.' developed a platonic friendship with an employee of the local TV station. Kevin, one of Mike's students and the leading homophobe's younger brother, came out. By September 1996 Mike and Brad had started dating, and moved in together in January 1997. Actor Chris Bruno was contracted for only occasional appearances (a few times per year) after April 1997. During the summer of 1997 Kevin endured "reparative therapy" by a conversion therapist sponsored by his homophobic parents.

In the fall of 2000 Bianca, the daughter of no less a central character than Erica Kane (Susan Lucci), began to cautiously admit to close friends that she knew she was gay. The storyline involved lesbian occasional characters Rain, Bianca's homeless friend and guide, and Sarah, Bianca's anorexic former first love. Bianca eventually developed a mutual romantic relationship with Lena, an employee of her mother's company. After a sequence of soap opera plots, Bianca moved to Paris.

1995, Michael Delaney

Soon after, All My Children made another attempt to introduce a gay character, this time in the form of noble gay teacher Michael Delaney (1995-1997, played by Chris Bruno). The Delaney storyline was of particular note because it was partially based on a true story about Rodney Wilson, a gay teacher in Missouri who had come out to his students.

1996, Kevin Sheffield

A second gay character grew out of All My Children's Michael Delaney storyline. Kevin Sheffield (played by Ben Jorgensen, 1996-1998) was a gay teenager who sought counsel from high school teacher Delaney. He came out to his parents, only to be disowned and turned out of their house. Kevin's older brother Jason blamed Delaney for Kevin's gayness and tried to kill him. In a soap-operatic twist of fate, Jason accidentally shot and killed Delaney's sister. Kevin's homophobic parents went on to blame Kevin for Jason's subsequent imprisonment and insisted that Kevin seek reparative therapy to “cure” his homosexuality. Naturally, the treatment failed, but Kevin's mother came to accept him. But his father did not and Kevin's character was moved to the background of AMC. SoapCentral.com reports that Kevin was last seen working at Holidays, a restaurant that was blown up on the show in 1998. AMC executives insist that the character of Kevin was not killed in the blast, but his character has not been seen since.

2000, Bianca Montgomery

While reparative therapy and (possible) death by explosion are hard to top, an even more dramatic gay teen storyline was introduced on All My Children in 2000. Bianca, the sixteen year old daughter of wildly popular AMC diva Erica Kane, came out as the first openly lesbian teenager on daytime television and was quickly met with a serious of disasters. After falling in love with and being rejected by her straight friend Maggie, Bianca was pursued by bisexual Lena (the first recurring bisexual character on daytime television), which led up to the first lesbian kiss on daytime television, shared by Bianca and Lena in 2003.

While such a momentous occasion could have easily led to the development of the first actual lesbian relationship on daytime television, instead Bianca was raped (and subsequently became pregnant) by Lena 's spurned boyfriend. Then Lena tried to kill herself and her relationship with Bianca fell apart. Later, Bianca resumed her cat and mouse game with her straight friend Maggie, who cancelled her wedding to an abusive boyfriend to skip town with Bianca in February 2005. Bianca eventually made a brief return and announced that she and Maggie were indeed a couple. But this revelation came conveniently after the Bianca-Maggie storyline had run its course and no longer required onscreen development.

AMC creator Agnes Nixon told The Advocate in 2000 that out lesbian Chastity Bono's memoir was the inspiration for the Bianca storyline, and she hoped that outing an already-established character as gay would make for a more integrated storyline. Choosing Bianca, a familiar character who audiences had watched grow up, for the lesbian plot line was a bold move. Unfortunately it was undercut by the rape/pregnancy plot development, and Bianca's eventual departure from the show marked yet another missed opportunity to develop a recurring, three-dimensional gay character on daytime television.

2005, Val
Played by Michael Malone, this is Erica Kane's personal assistant.

2006, Zoe/Zarf
See David Wyatt's entry here: "Freddie "Zarf" Luper, becoming Zoe 2006-2007 (Jeffrey Carlson). Erica Kane's lesbian daughter Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) returned full time to the program from fall 2006 to April 2007 (without girlfriend Maggie). (See All My Children 1995-2005). In what was perhaps one of the most convoluted attempts to avoid portraying a same-sex romance, AMC introduced Zarf, a male-to-female transsexual (played by a male actor) to provide Bianca a love interest. "

Zoe is introduced in August 2006 as a male international rock star, who is known as Zarf at the time. A strained relationship with his father results in "Freddie" leaving home at age sixteen and establishing a successful music career. At age nineteen, "Zarf" is a famous rock star and has become a millionaire. Babe Carey Chandler and Josh Madden approach Zarf in 2006 about using some of his music in an ad campaign for Fusion Cosmetics and are successful in persuading him to sign an agreement.

Zarf returns to the show on November 29, 2006 and causes a stir by meditating in the nude at Fusion to connect with the creative energies of the company. Zarf meets and falls instantly in love with Bianca Montgomery, who is a lesbian.

Strong romantic feelings for Bianca give Zarf the courage to come out as a transgender lesbian named Zoe on New Year's Eve.

Zoe is subsequently accused of murder and attempted murder of Danielle Frye, Simone Torres, and Erin Lavery. At the Chandler Mansion, where she is accused of being the Satin Slayer, she reveals to Pine Valley that she is transgender, but is not believed by anyone except Babe. Subsequently, other characters come to accept Zoe as a woman, but some characters remain skeptical of her and of the transgender experience. Zoe is later attacked by the Satin Slayer and survives. She is cleared of suspicion when the true killer is revealed to be Alexander Cambias, Sr.

Zoe begins the process of transitioning from male to female. As part of the transition process, she joins a transgender support group and meets with an endocrinologist. She discusses being transgender with her mother and rebuilds that relationship. She is still undecided on whether or not to under-go gender reassignment surgery.

On April 26, 2007, Zoe returns to her home in London to continue her transition and begin work on a new album as a female musician. Before leaving for London, she receives a letter from her father stating that he is hoping to some day be able to accept and love his daughter Zoe as he has loved his son Freddy.

Santa Barbara
1985, Channing Capwell, Jr.
1985, Lindsay Smith

This soap opera opened its first episode with the release from prison of the wrongly convicted murderer of Channing Capwell Jr. In the course of finding the real killer, it was discovered that Channing's past included affairs with his father's mistress and someone named Lindsay Smith. More investigation turned up that Lindsay was another man. Some of this story was played out in flashback wherein Channing and Lindsay appeared.

As the World Turns
1988, Hank Elliot
See David Wyatt's entry here: "Hank Elliot 1988-1989 (Brian Starcher). Hank was a dress designer, who had come to town to find occupation away from his HIV+ lover Charles (never seen). Various characters reacted differently to Hank's coming out to them."

It would be another five years before the first gay male character on a daytime soap was introduced. On As the World Turns , gay character Hank Eliot (played by Brian Starcher 1988-1989) was originally supposed to receive an AIDS diagnosis. But the AIDS plot was altered to instead be about his lover, Charles, a character rarely seen onscreen. After only a year the character of Hank was written out, but ATWT received a great deal of praise for the story and was honored with a GLAAD award in 1990.

Of this era, Usenet's Michael/Rthrquiet adds: "As the World Turns used to have an AIDS ball every year while Marland was writing it; it predated and was the precursor for the Nurses' Ball on GH/Port Charles"

2005, Luke Snyder
See David Wyatt's entry here:

"Luke Snyder né Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi 1995-present (Van Hansis (2005-present))
Noah Mayer 2007-present (Jake Silbermann). Roger Newcomb adds:
Reg Addington, 2008-present (Mark Sullivan)
Tony, 2008-present (Tom Baran)
See also As the World Turns (1988-1989). Long-running classic American soap opera. A character since his birth, in the spring of 2006 teenager Luke came out, to varied reactions from his family and friends. Luke's first crush was his straight best friend Kevin Davis (Karl Girolamo). Noah's speedy connection with Maddie Coleman told Luke his heart was heading down the wrong path again. Soapy plots have included a Noah's crazed, homophobic father, Luke's tenure paralized in a wheelchair, and Noah's green-card-sham marriage to Ameera, a wayward Iraqi. Early story characterized by well-written plot developments separated by weeks or months of the character being sidelined by the writers. A vocal campaign by Luke & Noah fans seemed to break down story barriers inside the production company circa May 2008." Roger Newcomb adds: "In February 2008, the characters of Reg and Tony were introduced as fellow gay Oakdale U students."

Luke began hanging out with his friend, Kevin. Kevin was a party animal who continually encourage Luke to get drunk with him. Despite the fact that a damaged liver could kill him, Luke did it anyway. On more than one occasion his family found out and finally Holden forbade him from seeing Kevin. However, Luke's connection to Kevin was too strong and he defied his parents by sneaking out to hang out with him. Meanwhile, a young woman named Jade Taylor had entered the Snyders' lives claiming to be the daughter his Aunt Rose gave up for adoption. At the same time, Luke's relationship with Holden was becoming tense not only due to Holden's disapproval of Kevin, but also because Holden kept insisting that Luke was hiding something important, which Luke denied. Jade, meanwhile, gained Luke's favor by covering for Luke when he was at a concert with Kevin. Luke then revealed his secret to Jade, the secret he'd been hiding from Holden for months--he was in love with Kevin. Convinced that his parents would hate him, Luke pleaded with her to keep his secret. She agreed. Not long after, Jade revealed a secret of her own: she wasn't really his cousin. Apparently she'd been conning his family and was about to be discovered. But she wasn't ready to end her meal ticket and asked Luke to help her stay--or she'd reveal his secret. Luke complied and they set it up so his parents would find him in bed with Jade. Although Lily was set to throw the schemer out, Luke covered and insisted that he was in love with Jade. Later, Luke tried to reconnect with Kevin, who blew him off, leaving Luke in no mood to see Jade conning his dad out of money. Jade's response was to come on the Luke, who responded himself by pushing her away. The exchange was seen by Holden, but Luke pretended it was because they were not allowed to be making out in the house. As the weeks went by, Jade's presence put a certain amount of strain on Lily and Luke decided it wasn't worth it and finally told his parents that he was gay. Ironically, it was Lily, not Holden, who had the most trouble accepting this fact. Not long after he'd come out. Luke was shocked to see Damian talking to Lily. Luke accused Lily of calling out the big guns to "fix him" and told Damian that he wanted no part of him. Later, at Lily's request, Luke met with a Dr. Kreeger, who informed Luke that he would be going to a camp for young men. Realizing this was some kind of "reprogramming" camp, Luke rushed home to confront his mother. Luke angrily lashed out at Lily and rushed upstairs. Lily tried to convince Luke that she was ready to accept him, he didn't believe her and shoved her away from him. Unfortunately, Luke shoved too hard and Lily stumbled down the stairs and lapsed in a coma. At the hospital, Holden angrily confronted Luke about what could cause him to shove his mother down the stairs. Luke informed Holden that it was an accident and told him about the camp Lily wanted to send him to. Holden refused to believe that Lily would send Luke to a place like that and was initially cold toward Luke. At that point, a sympathetic Damian stepped in and offered Luke his unwavering support. He also offered him a place to stay. As the weeks went by, Damian helped Luke avoid Holden since Luke was convinced he hated him. However, when a still comatose gave birth to a son, Luke decided he had to patch things up with Holden. Not long after he informed Damian of his decision to move back home, Luke was surprised to see a bottle of pills fall out of Damian's pocket. Though Damian claimed it was just allergy medicine, Luke wasn't so sure and asked Lucy what exactly it was. Lucy informed him that it was last resort medication for terminal illness. Luke confronted Damian, who admitted that he was deathly ill. Not wanting to abandon his father, Luke agreed to go to Malta with him. When Luke told Holden, Holden tried to convince him that Damian was lying but Luke didn't believe it. Soon after, Damian informed Luke that they had to leave for Malta ASAP. At the airport, the pair was met by Holden, Jack, and the police. The situation got out of hand with Damian's business associate Sergio, taking Luke hostage but luckily Damian diffused the situation. At this point, Damian was forced to confess that the reason he came to Oakdale was to get Luke to turn over his inheritance to him so he could pay off some dangerous men. During the course of Damian's revelation, Luke figured out it was Damian, not Lily, who wanted to send to a reprogramming camp. Angry that Damian had been playing him for weeks, Luke bitterly disowned his father and although he was within rights to pursue kidnapping charges, he declined in order to spare his family, the Snyders.

The following year, Luke, along with Maddie Coleman, began interning at WOAK where they were teamed with a new intern named Noah Mayer. One of the first ideas that Noah came up with was a cell phone broadcast drama with Maddie as the focus written by Luke. As the summer went on, Noah's friendships with Maddie and Luke progressed. Then came the arrival of Noah's father which he clearly was not happy about. A military man, Col. Mayer informed Noah that he would no longer be paying for his schooling at Northwestern University and instead wanted him to enlist in the Army to toughen him up. At the same time, Luke was finding himself attracted to Noah. When he walked in on Noah and Maddie making love he immediately became flustered. When Noah suggested that it was because he was jealous, Luke confessed that wasn't it: he was gay. However, that didn't matter to Noah. He still considered Luke a friend. Later, Meanwhile, Luke was becoming increasingly distant toward Noah and finally confessed that it was because he feelings for him. Noah insisted that he was not gay but made it clear that he still considered Luke a friend. However, after a day of swimming, Luke suspected that there was something more. The suspicion grew stronger when Noah abruptly refused to spend the rest of the day with Luke and later asked Maddie to apply to Oakdale University instead of Wesleyan. At the same time, Luke was becoming increasingly suspicious that Noah was in denial about his orientation. The suspicion seemed born out when Noah shared a surprising kiss with Luke when he helped Noah with his tie. An unsettled Noah told Luke that he only kissed him to play with his head and quickly asked Maddie to move in with him. Several days later, Noah finally confessed to Luke that the kiss was genuine however insisted that he could not be gay because his father just would not understand. Noah pleaded with Luke to keep quiet about the kiss and went ahead with his plans to move in with Maddie. Luke tried to convince Noah that he would never be able to fully love Maddie but Noah refused to listen. The tension between the pair continued to build as did the Colonel's interest in Noah's relationship with Maddie. Thanks to her brother, Maddie started to wonder if something was going on between Luke and Noah and called him on it. Noah denied it and then accused Luke of telling Maddie. Not understanding how Noah could be attracted to Luke and her, she decided against moving in with Noah. Noah remained in denial for a short time though out of fear of coming out to his father. Finally, after a talk with Maddie, Noah decided that he could not deny his true self any longer and prepared to confess to his dad. As expected, the news did not go well. Noah's father accused him of lying and then angrily disowned. However, he quickly did a 180 and told Noah that he would not lose him. Weeks later, it became apparent that the Colonel was lying when he was caught aiming a rifle at Luke during a hunting expedition. Luke tried to wrestle the gun away from him. Noah came to the scene just in time to see his father violently shove Luke while Holden was able to wrestle the Colonel to the ground but the Colonel ran off. Afterwards Noah defended his father to the police insisting that something must be wrong with him. He then got a shock--Noah's mother was a madam named Charlene Wilson aka Cheri Love. Not only that, his father recently murdered her. Soon after, after failing to kill Luke at the hospital, Col. Mayer was apprehended to the police and defiantly insisted that his actions, including the murder of his mother were in Noah's best interests. In the meantime, Noah learned that injuries cause by his father led to Luke becoming paralyzed. Ashamed, Noah was reluctant to visit him at the hospital at first but relented thanks to come encouragement from Dusty Donovan. Soon after, Noah finally asked Luke if he'd like to be his boyfriend and Luke accepted.

One Life To Life
1992, Billy Douglas
See David Wyatt's entry here:

"Billy Douglas 1992-1993 (Ryan Phillippe) highschool student
Jonathan Michaelson 1992, 1993 (Bruce McCarty)
Rick Mitchell 1992-1993 (Joe Fiske) waiter

Billy Douglas moved into Llanview in the summer of 1992, a 17 year old highschool senior. Billy's struggle to come out to himself and his homophobic parents, in the midst of a town bitterly divided over a rumour that the local minister might be gay, occupied a substantial share of OLTL air time over the summer of 1992. Jonathan, lover of the minister's late brother, showed up to ask for help making a quilt panel. Billy met Rick Mitchell carolling on Christmas eve 1992 and left for Yale the next summer."

One Life to Live also introduced a gay character in the early 1990's, teenager Billy Douglas (played by future movie star Ryan Phillipe, 1992-93) who struggled to come out to family and friends. A young female villain on the show falsely accused main character Reverend Andrew Carpenter of an affair with young Billy, and it was later revealed that Carpenter's brother had died from AIDS. The storyline included a ceremony for the AIDS quilt as it passed through the town. Once again, the association of a gay character and a plot with pedophilia, homophobia and (even if only tangentially) AIDS is typical of the limited scope of gay story lines in that period

1997, Wendi Mercury

I can find no detailed description, but Michael/Rthrquiet reminded me. She was a "mixologist", I think at Rodi's, and she was transgendered.

2004, Mark Solomon
Per the 2004 Advocate:

A YEAR AGO he was baring his chest to Broadway audiences as the very heterosexual Urban Cowboy. Now actor Matt Cavenaugh, 26, has traded in his mechanical bull for a different kind of thrill ride--playing gay on the ABC soap One Life to Live.

Cavenaugh's brand-new character, a college student named Mark, came out in the July 22 episode, and that's led to debate on some hot topics during August. "We talk about gay marriage," he says. "I love that we're tackling a social issue." And if Cavenaugh becomes a role model to GLBT youth? "I would love to be a champion of that cause," he affirms.

Straight and single, Cavenaugh isn't worried about what people might think. "I grew up a kid in Arkansas, and I got attacked as a theater fag in high school," he says. "So you know, most people think I am gay because I sing and dance. It doesn't bother me."

2005, Daniel Colson
Daniel was introduced as Llanview's district attorney, and Riley's father. A former alcoholic, his marriage broke down because of his drinking, and whispered hints of abuse. After a short-lived relationship with Lindsay, which ended once Daniel realized that Lindsay was again involved with the much younger Rex, Daniel began seeing Nora, and it wasn't long before the two of them were talking marriage, much to the dismay of Nora's young son, Matthew, who wanted his parents back together. As his marriage with Nora grew closer, Daniel found himself involved in the middle of two huge cases which turned out to be very much connected -- the murder of Paul Cramer, and the kidnapping of Ace Buchanan. Ace was eventually returned to his biological parents in Pine Valley, but Paul's murder was proving much harder to solve. The prime suspect was Jen Rappaport, the girlfriend of Daniel's daughter Riley, and Daniel's dogged pursuit of Jen caused trouble with not only his son, but also his soon-to-be step-son Matthew who considers Jen to be an older sister.

Despite all the troubles, Daniel and Nora managed to make it down the aisle, but the revelation of Daniel's real first name combined with sudden mysterious phone calls to a woman exposed Daniel as the murderer of Paul Cramer. While still attempting to frame Jen with Paul Cramer's murder, Daniel was discovered by Jen planting evidence in her car. When she tried to flee, Daniel grabbed her and suffocated her, then attempted to have her officially declared as Paul's murderer posthumously. The night that he killed Jen, Daniel went to meet his lover in a hotel room, who turned out to be Riley's friend, Mark Solomon. Bo and Rex were finally catching on to Daniel, however, and Daniel was spotted with Mark in a New York gay bar. Just as Daniel was being sworn in as lieutenant governor, Bo showed up to arrest him, and in the ensuing brouhaha, Rex revealed Daniel was gay, Mark revealed himself as Daniel's lover, Riley jumped Mark, and Daniel was arrested for murdering Paul Cramer and Jen Rappaport

2009, Officer Oliver Fish and Kyle Lewis

Per TVGuide Canada, "Viewers will soon learn that Officer Oliver Fish (Scott Evans) and Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell) shared a sexual past during college. Not sure how they’ll explain Fish sleeping with that lingerie model, Stacy Fiasco, and having a crush on Layla, but regardless, sources tell The Nelson Ratings the characters will be involved in a romantic storyline."


Guiding Light
1995, Wyatt Sanders
I didn't know about this one, but here are the details according to David Wyatt's entry:

Wyatt Sanders 1995-1997 (Keith Christopher) Wyatt, a recurring character, was an HIV counselor and appeared in several episodes between 1995 and 1997.

2009, Doris Wolfe, Olivia Spencer, and Natalia Rivera Aitoro

Wikipedia says this:

Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera Aitoro, often referred to by the portmanteau Otalia, are a fictional couple from the American daytime drama Guiding Light. Olivia is portrayed by Crystal Chappell, and Natalia is portrayed by Jessica Leccia.

Olivia and Natalia's relationship has developed since Olivia's heart transplant in April 2008. During this time, the couple were shown to go from enemies to potential same-sex lovers.

The Doris Wolfe part was a surprise. A long-time recurring character on GL, Doris has been involved with men (most notably, a marriage to Alan Spaulding). When Natalia's daughter wrote a school essay entitled "My Two Moms", mayor Doris publically castigated little Emma and Otalia. So, imagine Olivia's surprise when, tentatively venturing into a lesbian bar on 3/12/09, she ran into Doris. Doris started with denial, but eventually admitted that she was a lesbian.


The City [Thanks to Michael/Rthrquiet for reminding me of this one]
1996, Azure C.
See David Wyatt's entry here: "Azure C. 1995?-1996 (Carlotta Chang) supermodel. Continuation of the 1983-1995 serial Loving, with the setting shifted to Manhattan. Supermodel Azure C. was revealed to be a male-to-female transsexual in 1996, much to the shock of her Latino fiance Bernardo."

One of the most daring storylines on this show was one involving a transsexual. Photographer Bernardo had a one night stand with model Azure C (Carlotta Chang). He went to the corner to get some orange juice when he saw a picture of Azure C. before the sex change operation. The modeling agency which they both worked had to do a lot of damage control. The storyline began to take off but was soon dropped, in part due to the subject matter and in part due to lackluster reaction to Chang's performance. Azure and Bernardo reconciled and left town.

General Hospital
1994, Lee Mathis
1997, Patrick Fabian

I leapt straight to GH's Lucas. DonnaB (see bottom of post) reminded me about Nurses Ball guests before then. David Wyatt also mentions a school teacher in the 1990s (which I remembered upon reading). Here is David Wyatt's entry about the pre-Lucas era:

John Hanley 1994-1995 (Lee Mathis)
Ted Murty 1997-1998? (Patrick Fabian) schoolteacher

Beginning in 1994 the character of John Hanley was a recurring character, each year co-chairing the annual AIDS Ball charity fundraiser. The character and the actor were both HIV-positive, and when actor Lee Mathis died in early 1996, John Hanley's [off screen] death was mourned on the show. Mr. Murty [occasional from 1997] was erroneously suspected in the sexual assault of a female student.

Of this era, Usenet's DonnaB says

For a very long time there was a yearly celebration in June of Daytime Day of Compassion where shows were encouraged to do AIDS/HIV storylines. Many shows had people in & out really quickly for that & some, but not all of them were gay. Also for awhile shows were celebrating World AIDS Day, which may be early December if I recall right, which is as unlikely as it might be possible. But, one's spring, June, and the other is definitely Fall or early Winter. That was also a time when shows often had people in & out who sometimes were gay, sometimes were not.

GH did the Nurses' Ball for years & it was nothing if not remarkable & wonderful, thank you, Wendy Riche & Claire Labine! They did the remarkable Robin/Stone love story HIV/AIDS storyline and there was a gay man who had AIDS who was also an actor who was on every year & sometimes during the year, until he died. After that another gay man who had been a friend of his, also an actor, also been on yearly, had a more prominent part & managed to help remind us of him & our loss of him.

General Hospital
2005, Lucas Jones
See David Wyatt's entry here:

"Lucas Stansbury Jones 1989-2006 (Ben Hogestyn (2005-2006))
Guy Richardson 2006 (Nicholas DiNardo)

Long-running classic American soap opera. A character since his birth, during the winter of 2005/6 college student Lucas grew to realize he was harboring a secret sure to distress his family situation. Guy and Lucas began dating in May, 2006, and they both promptly disappeared from view."

Lucas came out to his friends and parents that he was gay. His friends supported him, and although Bobbie defended him to Tracy, her first instinct was to get him counseling. When he told his father, Tony, he was shocked by how easily his father accepted it.

Passions
1999, Simone Russell
I had forgotten about Simone, but here is David Wyatt's entry:

Simone Russell 1999-2007 (Cathy Jeneen Doe (2004-2007))
Chad Harris 2006?-2007 (Charles Divins)
Vincent Clarkson 2007 (Phillip Jeanmarie)

Somewhat unconventional American daytime drama, mixing complex, interrelated families with a 300-year-old supernatural meddler. Simone is daytime's first African-American lesbian. In early 2007 is was revealed that Chad was having an affair with another man. Chad's lover Vincent would go to any lengths to keep the affair secret. Chad's heterosexuality was eventually rescued when it was revealed that Vincent was a hermaphrodite and Chad was sleeping only with Vincent's female anatomy. Vincent turned out to be a serial killer and (using his male parts) a rapist. (Who writes this stuff?)

2006, Chad Harris-Crane

Chad (Charles Divins) watched an X-rated blackmail DVD sent to him by his secret gay lover.

When viewers saw the paramour's face at last, it was Vincent, the tabloid reporter played by Phillip Jeanmarie.

Since this is Passions, you can expect lots more cheesy near misses until Chad's wife, Whitney (Brook Kerr), finally discovers the male lover Chad's been cheating with for months.

Let's just hope that, as this spicy storyline progresses, Chad will eventually make peace with his sexuality and quit lying and spouting homophobic remarks to cover his tracks. (For those who know about life in the closet, Chad's shame, denial and self-hatred are hard to watch because it's so true to life.) Since Passions has been fairly sensitive — and daring — in its exploration of gay issues thus far, I'm staying cautiously optimistic.

2006, Vincent Clarkson-Crane

Vincent Clarkson, a tabloid reporter, was first seen on-camera at Chad and Whitney Harris-Crane's December 26, 2006 wedding, where he was searching for colleague J. T. Cornell (who had been murdered, his remains placed inside Chad and Whitney's wedding cake). Unbeknownst to all, Vincent was actually the long-lost son of Julian Crane and Eve Russell, who had been presumed to have died shortly after birth over thirty years previously, and had been masquerading in Harmony for two years as a Crane Industries employee named Valerie Davis. Vincent, who is very mentally unstable, was apparently approached at some time prior to the Harris-Cranes' wedding by his paternal grandfather, the presumed-deceased Alistair Crane, and convinced to do his bidding and terrorize Harmony's citizens, including his own family members, as the Blackmailer.

As the Blackmailer, Vincent is responsible for many of the crimes that occurred in Harmony from late 2006 through the middle of 2007. Vincent's first acts of terror were to rape his own paternal half-sister, Fancy Crane, while on a stakeout in December and while she slept in her "Princess Room" in January; during the second attack, he also accosted Fancy's boyfriend, Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald - Vincent drugged Luis, collected some of his semen, then dressed him in the Blackmailer's costume (the first costume, which featured all-black clothing and a ski mask) and locked him in a closet before raping Fancy once more and planting Luis's semen inside of her. As a result, Luis was arrested for Fancy's rape. When maternal half-sister Simone Russell's girlfriend, Rae Thomas, figured out that Vincent had raped Fancy, he murdered Rae and framed Luis, and when a bartender named Dylan Flood was revealed to have information from Rae about the Blackmailer, Vincent murdered Dylan and set fire to his apartment, again framing Luis.

Vincent also began to blackmail Luis's sister, Theresa, who was also Alistair's "widow". As the Blackmailer, Vincent harbored a crush on one of Theresa's love interests, Ethan Winthrop, and, in order to insure that he could have Ethan for himself, Vincent threatened to have Luis executed and reveal that Ethan had fathered Theresa's son, Little Ethan, if Theresa would not stay away from Ethan. When Theresa failed to do so multiple times, Vincent forced Theresa to marry Jared Casey, and then unsuccessfully attempted to force her to have a baby with Jared.

Theresa ultimately failed to stay away from Ethan, so Vincent blackmailed Judge JE Reilly into combining Luis's arson/double homicide/double rape trial with younger brother Miguel's attempted homicide trial. Reilly repeatedly denied the men due process, and a jury eventually sentenced Miguel to life in prison and Luis to death by lethal injection. Though Julian eventually made provisions so that Miguel would be exhonerated, Luis remained in jail.
Vincent is the half-man half-woman masked blackmailer
Vincent is the half-man half-woman masked blackmailer

By the time Luis had been sent to death row, much of Harmony had become aware of the Blackmailer's existence and was working diligently to see Luis set free. When Fancy came close to securing a DNA match identifying the Blackmailer as Vincent, Vincent attempted to strangle his sister, and eventually murdered a psychiatrist who had treated him earlier in life so as to keep his identity a secret. Vincent also continued to blackmail Judge Reilly and the state governor so that Luis's appeals would all fail. During this time, only Sheridan Crane discovered that Vincent and the Blackmailer were one and the same; however, she agreed to keep his identity a secret as long as he brought her niece, Pretty Crane, back to Harmony so that she could destroy sister Fancy's relationship with Luis, with whom Sheridan was still in love. Vincent also convinced Sheridan to kill Theresa using the prison electric chair, but she was inadvertently saved from death by Gwen.

Meanwhile, as himself, Vincent was revealed in February to have been engaged in an incestuous, homosexual, and eventually adulterous affair with Chad Harris-Crane (who was simultaneously Vincent's half-uncle, adoptive half-cousin, and half-brother-in-law) since a time prior to the latter's trip to Rome (circa April 2006). Though Chad eventually tried to end the affair, Vincent blackmailed Chad with secretly-taped videos of their encounters, threatening to send them to his wife, Whitney. Vincent was furious when he discovered that, despite their affair, Chad had continued to sleep with Whitney, resulting in Whitney's pregnancy with the couple's second child. Also furious with Whitney for telling his girlfriend, Valerie Davis, that he had been cheating on her, Vincent engineered a scenario so that Whitney would walk in on Vincent and Chad having sex in the back of a gay bar; Whitney immediately left Chad, and Chad ended things with Vincent.

Things began to fall apart for Vincent when he revealed both of his secret identities - as the Blackmailer and their son - to Julian and Eve. Eve told Whitney that Vincent was her half-brother, and a furious Whitney told Chad, who was horrified to learn that he'd slept with his half-nephew. Despite Julian's insistence that they protect their son (and the Crane name), Eve outed Vincent as the Blackmailer only moments before Luis was to be executed (though, in reality, he had already been executed - Endora Lenox had turned back time inside the execution chamber in order to revive Luis). Luis was set free, and Vincent was arrested and placed in psychiatric care.

Under the care of a Dr. Tonia Wilson, Vincent was revealed to have been doing Alistair's bidding. Alistair helped Vincent to escape and assigned him to work with Spike to complete a hit list, though Vincent quickly discovered that he was at the top of the list. Spike attempted to kill Vincent, but Sheridan quickly arrived and protected her nephew, fleeing with him by car. Sheridan and Vincent eventually crashed near a cliff, Spike in their pursuit, and when Vincent and Spike argued, they both tumbled over the side of a cliff. Sheridan tried to hold on to both men, but could not, and when Spike revealed that her son, Marty, was still alive, Sheridan let go of Vincent in order to pull Spike up, causing Vincent to plummet to his apparent death on August 30, 2007. A few episodes later, however, Vincent was seen emerging from the ocean; he immediately headed to Valerie's home, and begin to attack her off-screen for "telling". However, at the end of the final episode on NBC on September 7, 2007, Valerie removed a mask, revealing Vincent to be beneath and indicating that he has been Valerie all along, and perhaps has some sort of multiple personality disorder. On November 5, 2007, Vincent was experiencing what occurred to be symptoms of nausea and morning sickness. He ran a blood test on himself and found that he was pregnant (although in actuality hermaphrodites are unable to bear children). On November 22, 2007, Eve finally realizes that Valerie and Vincent are the same person after having done an examination on Vincent (dressed as Valerie) the previous day.

2008, Norma Bates
2008, Edna Wallace

2008 refers to their year of lesbian wedding. Per Roger Newcomb's blog, "From TV Guide magazine: PASSIONS ends its nine-year run in August, but it's not too late to break through another sexual barrier - or quietly make suds history. On July 22, AARP-age lesbians Norma (Marianne Muellerielle) and Edna (Kathleen Noone) will say "I do" in daytime's first legal gay wedding."



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Other near-misses

The Doctors

1976, Tom Carroll

Michael/Rthrquiet of Usenet also adds this memory from The Doctors:

On The Doctors, 1976-77, the character of Tom Carroll (played by a breathtakingly beautiful young Jonathan Frakes) was supposed to be gay (storyline written by Douglas Marland), but again, the sponsor reversed its approval, and Tom became a child abuser instead.

Another World
1975, Michael Randolph
early 1980s, Sandy Cory

Harding Lemay wanted to make Michael Randolph (per Michael/Rthrquiet) gay...but P&G/NBC wouldn't let him. Rthrquiet actually says "On Another World, Harding Lemay wanted to make Michael Randolph gay, not Sandy Cory (who was introduced in the early 80s, between Lemay's two stints as HW), but Procter and Gamble reversed its initial approval of the storyline (this was late 1975). I don't know who the HW was at the time, but Sandy Cory *was* supposed to be gay as well, and that, too, got changed. (He was actually supposed to have been a male prostitute with male clients, and they ended up making him a male escort with a female clientele.)"

Bold and the Beautiful:
early 2000s, Sergei

Jm J. Bullock's appearance as Sergei (pronounced "Sir Gay"), the gay wedding planner on B&B who was practically rubbing all over Jack Wagner's leg. Does that count?