I remember back in the day when the word "gay" was one of the taboo words on primetime television. Nobody can say or even imply anything that pertains to homosexuality. Doing so can get these conservative groups and the church in an uproar. Not to mention, loss of advertisers! It was a very traditionalistic era, which I thank God I never had to experience. Nevertheless, gradually the Queer invasion is slowly seeping through the mainstream. I am not really an activist or anything like that, but it is just good to know that we have a huge variety of shows on TV nowadays.

History According to my sources, the very first gay character on TV was in 1971's TV sitcom All In The Family. Then in 1972, on The Corner Bar was the first show to have an openly flamboyant gay character on TV. During these times, the sexual orientations of these characters were never discussed on air .. it was simply implied. A couple of TV movies came afterwards with gay characters in dramatic roles. Then there's Three's Company where John Ritter played a straight man pretending to be gay so he can move in with Suzanne Sommers and Joyce DeWitt.

During the 80s, people are slowly getting use to idea of gay characters on TV, that even the classic Dynasty, General Hospital, All My Children and other soaps were joining the bandwagon. On the show Thirtysomething, they lost more than $1 million dollars in advertisement after showing two guys lying in bed.

Then came the fabulous 90s, when gay characters are playing lead roles in sitcoms. Same sex kissing scenes were actually aired! Although there are still some problems with advertisers backing out, it was a cornerstone in Gay TV. I still cannot forget when I saw the episode on Roseanne where she was kissed by a lesbian in a gay bar. Another milestone was the episode on Ellen when Ellen DeGeneres came out both on her show and in real life at the same time! While she lost her show after that, it paved the way for other fab shows like Will & Grace, Queer As Folk and even Sex and the City.

Milestone & Controversy I truly believe that Will & Grace became a benchmark for other shows. It was over the top, but skillfully done! While it does feature a flamboyant gay man falling to the stereotype, it also shows that gay men can be successful lawyers -- and butch! Snaps for the writers :) And then there's Queer As Folk. The most controversial gay series out there. It's a show about a group of gay guys who lives in the gay district of Philadelphia, does gay things every night, and every other gay thing possible - it's that gay people! Though been constantly criticized by both the straight and gay community for giving people false ostentation of the typical gay man, the show continued to be a success. It's actually on it's 4th season now ... I can't wait!!! People seem not to realize that there are other characters in the show besides Bryan. Yes, he sleeps around, and considered to be the slut of Liberty Ave. But there's also Michael and Ted who does not fall in the stereotype at all. I remember an episode, when all of the guys were saying how much they want to be in Bryan's shoes for one night. I bet you it's every gay man's dream to have any guy he wants, when he wants. It just goes to show that there's a Bryan Kinney in all of us.

Gaining Acceptance Now that the whole world seems to be more accepting of that fact that Queers are gaining popularity on both network and cable TV, there's a new breed in town ... gay makeover shows. I have yet to miss an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. I just adore this show! It's a show about five gay guys with their own individual expertise - fashion, food, grooming, culture and interior design. They pick a straight guy and give him the makeover of his life. From his hair, down to his ugly-ass furniture. There's really nothing new to this, since gay men have been doing these for years. And always been the best in the business! So why not make a TV show out of it? One of the guys who does the fashion part, Carson, may portray whatever is that the straight community think about gay men, but he is the one who definitely carries the show with his sharp wit and humor. I know I always look forward to it. I love Carson the most because he is the funniest, but Thom's interior designing techniques is what amazes me each time I see the show. He can transform a crackhead basement into a posh Fifth Ave. apartment! But you do learn many things from the Fab 5 (that's their official name now), gay and straight men alike.

So, how queer can we get? Any "queerer" will definitely be banned from TV and go straight to video. Let's just accept the fact that, queer TV is already here to stay and will most likely be here forever. It is revolutionizing TV as we speak.

"We're here, we're queer, GET USE TO IT!"