Groundbreaking LGBT Moments in Hollywood

LGBT depiction in pop culture has come a long way since its first rumblings in the early ’70s. From the first recurring gay character on television (Vincent Schiavelli in The Corner Bar) to the Glee phenomenon, LGBT-inclusive media is more prominent than ever before.

There are so many moments in entertainment that shaped LGBT Hollywood forever. We offer several of those watershed events here. If your favorites didn’t make the list, let us know what you think are the greatest highlights in the comments below.

1971: Sunday Bloody Sunday shows first shame-free gay kiss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htk1BRsArRA
The British film about a bisexual man who is dating both a woman and man showed the first same-sex smooch without guilt.

1971: All in the Family bridges gay topics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWbrSrnG5t8
In a benchmark episode, Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) has to deal with his prejudices when he believes an old friend could be gay. The Huffington Post labeled this the “frankest portrait of homosexuality on TV to date” in 2013.

1972-73: Vincent Schiavelli, the first recurring gay character on primetime television (The Corner Bar)

1972: Divine blazes the trail for drag queens

The disco-age icon, perhaps best known for the film Pink Flamingos (1972) where she plays the “filthiest person alive,” had an outrageous style that paved the way for queens of all shapes and sizes. She also played Edna Turnblad in the 1988 film Hairspray, and People magazine dubbed her “The Drag Queen of the Century.”

1976: Elton John comes out as bisexual