American sitcom Soap (1977) becomes the first to feature an openly gay character; Jodie Dallas is played by Billy Crystal, thus he is the first actor to play an openly gay character on a primetime TV show
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Wisecracks (1991)
American comedian Robin Tyler becomes the first out lesbian on US national TV; she also released the first comedy album by an out lesbian
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Long-running soap opera Brookside (1982) features the first openly gay character on a British TV series (Gordon Collins, played by Mark Burgess at the time the character came out)
Ben Gazzara, Aidan Quinn, Gena Rowlands, and Sylvia Sidney in An Early Frost (1985)
NBC airs the TV movie An Early Frost (1985), the first major film that deals with the subject of AIDS
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#13
Terry Sweeney becomes the first openly gay male cast member on Saturday Night Live
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Abdul Salaam El Razzac, Stephen Poletti, and Richard Roundtree in Roc (1991)
US sitcom Roc (1991) depicts the first same-sex marriage on US prime time TV
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Amanda Donohoe and Michele Greene in L.A. Law (1986)
American drama L.A. Law (1986) features the first lesbian kiss on TV, between CJ Lamb (Amanda Donohoe) and Abby Perkins (Michele Greene)
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Lea DeLaria
Comic Lea DeLaria becomes the first openly gay comic to be on a late night show when she appears on The Arsenio Hall Show (1989); a few month later, she hosts the first all-gay stand up special on Comedy Central
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Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in Philadelphia (1993)
Tom Hanks wins a best actor Oscar starring in Philadelphia (1993), the first major Hollywood film dealing directly with homosexuality, homophobia and HIV/AIDS; the film was also named best picture
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Jessica Hecht and Jane Sibbett in Friends (1994)
Friends (1994) airs the first lesbian nuptials on TV when Carol (Jane Sibbett) and Susan (Jessica Hecht) are wed
Alyson Hannigan and Amber Benson in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) is the first TV show to develop a lesbian relationship, when Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara (Amber Benson) get together
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William Baldwin and Candis Cayne in Dirty Sexy Money (2007)
American actress Candis Cayne is the first openly transgender actress to play a recurring transgender character in prime time on Dirty Sexy Money (2007)
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Ellen DeGeneres at an event for The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007)
Ellen DeGeneres becomes the first open lesbian to host the Academy Awards
Film ParaNorman (2012) has the first openly gay character (Mitch, voiced by Casey Affleck) in a mainstream animated film
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Paris Barclay
The Directors Guild of America elects Paris Barclay as its first black and first openly gay president
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Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight (2016) is the first film dealing directly with homosexuality and homophobia to win the Best Picture Oscar; it is also the first Best Picture winner with an all-black cast
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Anderson Cooper in Charlie Rose (1991)
American jounalist Anderson Cooper is the first openly gay or lesbian moderator of a presidential debate, during the 2016 election