List of 1970s American television episodes with LGBT themes
Encyclopedia
Following the Stonewall riots
and the birth of the modern gay
rights movement in 1969, gay activists began challenging the way American television episodes with LGBT themes presented homosexuality. With the slowly increasing visibility of LGBT
characters on fiction series, a pattern began to emerge, beginning with repressed lesbian
sniper Miss Brant from 1961's The Asphalt Jungle and continuing through a murderous female impersonator from The Streets of San Francisco
and Police Woman
and her trio of killer lesbians in 1974 and beyond, of presenting LGBT characters as psychotic killers on crime dramas. On medical dramas, the disease model of homosexuality was fostered in characters like 1963's Hallie Lambert from The Eleventh Hour and Martin Loring from Marcus Welby, M.D.
in 1973. Gays, the viewing public was told over and over, were simultaneously dangerous and sick, to be feared and to be pitied.
In response to complaints about several early portrayals, networks began vetting scripts with gay characters or content through two recently formed advocacy groups, the National Gay Task Force
and the Gay Media Task Force. Several episodes saw substantive changes based on these consultations, but in other instances, notably the Marcus Welby, M.D.
episode "The Other Martin Loring", only minor changes were made and groups like the Gay Activists Alliance led zaps
, raucous demonstrations, against the networks. Protests against the 1974 Marcus Welby episode "The Outrage", with its male child molestation plot, and the aforementioned killer lesbian trio from the Police Woman episode "Flowers of Evil" led producers to start moving away from the killer queer plot device. Gays and lesbians would continue to be portrayed as killers but their motives would less frequently be related to their sexuality. Gays started killing out of greed and jealousy, just like heterosexuals. Other dramas not legal or medical in nature also ran occasional episodes featuring LGBT characters.
Sitcoms too began presenting LGBT characters, with All in the Family producing several episodes on the theme beginning in 1971. Gay sitcom episodes tended to follow one of a handful of plot devices: a character close to a lead character would unexpectedly come out
, forcing the characters to confront their own issues with homosexuality; a lead character is mistaken for gay; a lead character pretends to be gay; or, more rarely, a recurring character from the series comes out. In the first instance, it was rare that the gay character would ever make another appearance. Dating back to Robert Reed
's turn as a transgender doctor on Medical Center in 1975, transgender characters and issues have tended to receive sympathetic treatment.
This list covers American television episodes with LGBT themes that aired from 1970 through 1979.
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
and the birth of the modern gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
rights movement in 1969, gay activists began challenging the way American television episodes with LGBT themes presented homosexuality. With the slowly increasing visibility of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
characters on fiction series, a pattern began to emerge, beginning with repressed lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
sniper Miss Brant from 1961's The Asphalt Jungle and continuing through a murderous female impersonator from The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros...
and Police Woman
Police Woman (TV series)
Police Woman is an American television police drama starring Angie Dickinson that ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.-Synopsis:...
and her trio of killer lesbians in 1974 and beyond, of presenting LGBT characters as psychotic killers on crime dramas. On medical dramas, the disease model of homosexuality was fostered in characters like 1963's Hallie Lambert from The Eleventh Hour and Martin Loring from Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
in 1973. Gays, the viewing public was told over and over, were simultaneously dangerous and sick, to be feared and to be pitied.
In response to complaints about several early portrayals, networks began vetting scripts with gay characters or content through two recently formed advocacy groups, the National Gay Task Force
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force builds the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country’s premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people, and working to create positive, lasting...
and the Gay Media Task Force. Several episodes saw substantive changes based on these consultations, but in other instances, notably the Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
episode "The Other Martin Loring", only minor changes were made and groups like the Gay Activists Alliance led zaps
Zap (action)
A zap is a form of political direct action that came into use in the 1970s in the United States. Popularized by the early gay liberation group Gay Activists Alliance, a zap was a raucous public demonstration designed to embarrass a public figure or celebrity while calling the attention of both gays...
, raucous demonstrations, against the networks. Protests against the 1974 Marcus Welby episode "The Outrage", with its male child molestation plot, and the aforementioned killer lesbian trio from the Police Woman episode "Flowers of Evil" led producers to start moving away from the killer queer plot device. Gays and lesbians would continue to be portrayed as killers but their motives would less frequently be related to their sexuality. Gays started killing out of greed and jealousy, just like heterosexuals. Other dramas not legal or medical in nature also ran occasional episodes featuring LGBT characters.
Sitcoms too began presenting LGBT characters, with All in the Family producing several episodes on the theme beginning in 1971. Gay sitcom episodes tended to follow one of a handful of plot devices: a character close to a lead character would unexpectedly come out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
, forcing the characters to confront their own issues with homosexuality; a lead character is mistaken for gay; a lead character pretends to be gay; or, more rarely, a recurring character from the series comes out. In the first instance, it was rare that the gay character would ever make another appearance. Dating back to Robert Reed
Robert Reed
Robert Reed was a prolific American character actor of stage, film and television. In his first big break, he played Kenneth Preston on the popular 1960s TV legal drama, The Defenders, alongside E. G. Marshall. But he was best remembered for portraying the father, Mike Brady, on the popular...
's turn as a transgender doctor on Medical Center in 1975, transgender characters and issues have tended to receive sympathetic treatment.
This list covers American television episodes with LGBT themes that aired from 1970 through 1979.
Episodes
| Series | Network | Episode | Year | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Alice (TV series) Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Alice Gets a Pass" | 1976 | Alice (Linda Lavin Linda Lavin Linda Lavin is an American singer and actress. She is best known for playing the title character in the sitcom Alice and for her Broadway performances.After acting as a child, Lavin joined the Compass Players in the late 1950s... ) falls for an ex-pro football player (Denny Miller Denny Miller Denny Scott Miller is an American actor, perhaps best known for his guest-starring roles on Gilligan's Island and as Tarzan in the late 1950s.... ). When he comes out, Alice hesitates about allowing her son to accompany him on a fishing trip. |
| All in the Family All in the Family All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Judging Books By Covers" "Archie the Hero" "Beverly Rides Again" "Cousin Liz Cousin Liz "Cousin Liz" is an episode of the American television situation comedy All in the Family. The story concerns lead character Edith Bunker's inheritance of a valuable tea service from her deceased cousin Liz and her decision, upon learning that Liz's "roommate" Veronica is really Liz's surviving... " "Edith's Crisis of Faith" |
1971 1975 1976 1977 1977 |
In "Judging Books By Covers", after mocking his son-in-law Mike Michael Stivic Michael Casimir Stivic is a fictional character on the long running American television sitcom of the 1970s, All in the Family. He was the live-in son-in-law of the series's lead character, the bigoted and undereducated Archie Bunker, who frequently called him "Meathead". Michael was the husband... 's (Rob Reiner Rob Reiner Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s... ) effeminate but heterosexual lunch guest (Anthony Geary Anthony Geary Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:... ), Archie Bunker Archie Bunker Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, bigoted, conservative, blue-collar worker, and... (Carroll O'Connor Carroll O'Connor John Carroll O'Connor best known as Carroll O'Connor, was an American actor, producer and director whose television career spanned four decades... ) finds out that Steve (Philip Carey Philip Carey -Biography:He was born as Eugene Joseph Carey in Hackensack, New Jersey. A former U.S. Marine, Carey was wounded as part of the ship's detachment of the USS Franklin during World War II and served again in the Korean War.... ) a former pro football player and one of his all-American drinking buddies, is gay. President Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under... watched the episode in the White House White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical... and found it distasteful. In "Archie the Hero", Archie saves the life of a drag queen Drag queen A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and... known as Beverly LaSalle (Lori Shannon Lori Shannon Lori Shannon was an openly gay female impersonator who was long associated with the drag revues at the famous Finocchio's nightclub in San Francisco. He also wrote an entertainment column for the Bay Area Reporter... ) – who he thinks is a woman – by administering artificial respiration Artificial respiration Artificial respiration is the act of assisting or stimulating respiration, a metabolic process referring to the overall exchange of gases in the body by pulmonary ventilation, external respiration, and internal respiration... and is chagrined when the rescue draws media attention. In "Beverly Rides Again", Archie sets his friend Pinky up on a blind date with Beverly as a practical joke. In "Cousin Liz", Archie and Edith (Jean Stapleton) attend the funeral of Edith's cousin, Liz. Afterward, Liz's friend Veronica (K Callan K Callan K Callan is an American actress known for playing Clark Kent's mother Martha in the ABC television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.... ), a teacher, reveals she and Liz were more than just roommates. Edith is surprised but quickly accepting, allowing Veronica to keep a tea service she had been bequeathed. Archie is outraged and, after ranting about how God hates gays, declares his intent to sue for the tea service. Edith warns Archie that God will handle the relationship between Liz and Veronica and that a lawsuit would likely destroy her teaching career. Archie relents, but states that he does not have to like what went on between the two women. In the two-part "Edith's Crisis of Faith", Beverly is murdered, causing Edith to question her belief in God. |
| Archie Bunker's Place Archie Bunker's Place Archie Bunker's Place is an American sitcom originally broadcast on the CBS network, conceived in 1979 as a spin-off and continuation of All in the Family. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough audience to last for four seasons, until its cancellation in 1983... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"The Cook" | 1979 | Veronica Rooney (Anne Meara Anne Meara Anne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :... ) is hired as the cook and insists that her openly gay nephew Fred (Dean Scofield Dean Scofield Dean Scofield is a voice actor who has provided the voice of the recurring "joke character" Johnny Sasaki in Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, but was not brought back for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.He was credited as Dino... ) is hired as a waiter. |
| Barney Miller Barney Miller Barney Miller is a situation comedy television series set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village. The series originally was broadcast from January 23, 1975 to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Flicker... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Discovery" "Asylum" |
1975 1977 |
 Jack DeLeon Jack DeLeon was an American actor. He is best known for playing Marty Morrison on the television series Barney Miller from 1975 to 1982. His grave is located at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Simi Valley, California. He was the voice of Sergeant Samuel McPherson in the Dr. Seuss animated telefilm... ) allege that an officer from the 12th Precinct is extorting the gay community. A sergeant from another precinct apprehends the suspect (who is not an officer) and delivers him to the 12th, casually coming out in the process. In "Asylum", a gay musician (Ion Teodorescu) from the Soviet Union seeks political asylum Right of asylum Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries... . Marty is arrested for possession of marijuana. Series creator Danny Arnold Danny Arnold Danny Arnold was an American producer, writer, comedian, actor and director known for producing Barney Miller, That Girl and Bewitched.-Life and career:... worked closely with the National Gay Task Force in developing the characters of Darryl and Marty. Initially both were presented as stereotypical swishing queens, but as the series progressed Darryl began acting and dressing more conservatively. |
| Baretta Baretta Baretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a milder version of a successful 1973–74 ABC series, Toma, starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police officer David Toma... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"The Sky Is Falling" | 1977 | Baretta (Robert Blake Robert Blake (actor) Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early... ) befriends Tommy (Barry Miller Barry Miller (actor) Barry L. Miller is an American actor. He won Broadway's 1985 Tony Award as Best Actor for his performance as 'Arnold Epstein' in Biloxi Blues.... ), a teenage hustler Male prostitution Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male... , after he witnesses a john murder his friend and fellow hustler Jeff (John Herbsleb). |
| The Baxters The Baxters The Baxters is an American situation comedy television series produced by Norman Lear. The series premiered in broadcast syndication in 1979 and lasted two seasons, ending in 1981. The series was the first "interactive" sitcom depicting a middle-class St... |
Syndicated | "Homosexual Teachers" | 1979 | Each episode of this syndicated series was structured as a 15-minute episode followed by a locally-produced 15-minute talk show. In this episode, the family finds out that a favorite teacher is gay and the father must decide whether to sign a petition calling for him to be fired. |
| The Bob Crane Show The Bob Crane Show The Bob Crane Show is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC. The series starred Bob Crane as Bob Wilcox, a man in his 40s who quits his job as an insurance salesman to return to medical school. The series co-starred Patricia Harty as his wife Ellie Wilcox, who becomes the family's... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"A Case of Misdiagnosis" | 1975 | Bob Wilcox (Bob Crane Bob Crane Robert Edward "Bob" Crane was an American actor and disc jockey, best known for his performance as Colonel Robert E... ) treats a man (John Astin John Astin John Allen Astin is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and is best known for the role of Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, and other similarly eccentric comedic characters.-Early years:... ) who praises him in a newspaper story. The story identifies the patient as a prominent gay activist, leading Bob to worry that others might think he is also gay. |
| The Bob Newhart Show The Bob Newhart Show The Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 original episodes on CBS from September 16, , to April 1, . Comedian Bob Newhart portrayed a psychologist having to deal with his patients and fellow office workers... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Some of My Best Friends Are..." | 1976 | Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:... plays Craig Plager, a gay patient who joins Dr. Hartley's long-standing therapy group. |
| The Bold Ones: The New Doctors The Bold Ones: The New Doctors The Bold Ones: The New Doctors is an American medical drama that lasted for four seasons on NBC, from 1969 to 1973.-Overview:The series focuses on the life of Dr. David Craig The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (also known as The New Doctors) is an American medical drama that lasted for four seasons on... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Discovery at Fourteen" "A Very Strange Triangle" |
1972 1972 |
In "Discovery at Fourteen", Dr. Amanda Fallon (Jane Wyman Jane Wyman Jane Wyman was an American singer, dancer, and character actress of film and television. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades... ) has difficulty treating the bleeding ulcer of Cory Melino (Ron Howard Ron Howard Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years... ) until she discovers that his father Jack (Robert J. Hogan Robert J. Hogan Robert J. Hogan is an American actor. While not a stranger to the big screen or the stage, Hogan is best known to audiences for his highly prolific career in American television which began in 1961... ) is homosexual. She assures Cory that he doesn't have to turn out like his father. In "A Very Strange Triangle", Dr. Marty Cohen's (Robert Walden Robert Walden Robert Walden is an American television and motion picture actor. He is best known for his role as Joe Rossi on Lou Grant for which he was nominated for an Emmy three times and his role as Joe Waters on Brothers... ) attempts to rekindle his relationship with nurse Valerie DeMarco (Donna Mills Donna Mills Donna Mills is an American actress, most well known for her role as Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing.-Early years:... ) are complicated by the fact that Valerie is currently involved with Eleanor (Hildy Brooks). |
| Bronk Bronk (TV series) Bronk was an American television series starring Jack Palance as Detective Lieutenant Alex Bronkov. The series was set in the fictional Ocean City, California.... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"The Deadlier Sex" | 1976 | Sara (Julie Sommars Julie Sommars Julie Sommars is an American actress. She played assistant District Attorney Julie March on the TV series, Matlock from 1987 to 1994... ), the first female officer assigned to Bronk's (Jack Palance Jack Palance Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr... ) department, is accused of molesting a female prisoner. |
| C.P.O. Sharkey C.P.O. Sharkey C.P.O. Sharkey is an American sitcom which aired from 1976 to 1978 on NBC.-Premise:The series starred Don Rickles as a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. C.P.O. Otto Sharkey was an abrasive, sharp-tongued veteran in charge of a company of new Seaman Recruits on a San Diego naval base... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Sharkey's Big Secret" | 1977 | The men mistakenly think Sharkey (Don Rickles Don Rickles Donald Jay "Don" Rickles is an American stand-up comedian and actor. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Rickles has acted in comedic and dramatic roles, but is best known as an insult comic.... ) is gay when they spot an effeminate man going into his office. |
| Carter Country Carter Country Carter Country is an American television sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1979 on ABC.-Synopsis:Carter Country was set in the fictional small town of Clinton Corners in Georgia Carter Country is an American television sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1979 on ABC.-Synopsis:Carter Country was set in the... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Out of the Closet" | 1977 | Chief Roy (Victor French Victor French Victor Edwin French was an American actor and director.-Early career:Born in Santa Barbara, California,... ) is stunned when his old friend and fishing buddy Bill (Richard Jaeckel Richard Jaeckel Richard Hanley Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television.-Life and career:Jaeckel was born in Long Beach, New York. A short, but tough guy, he played a variety of characters during his fifty years in movies & television and became one of Hollywood's best known character actors... ) reveals he's gay. Bill loses his job as a teacher and the chief testifies on his behalf before the school board. |
| Columbo | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"By Dawn's Early Light" | 1974 | Colonel Lyle C. Rumford (Patrick McGoohan Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created... ) is implied to be a gay man with an interest in S&M Sadism and masochism Sadomasochism broadly refers to the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The name originates from two authors on the subject, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch... . |
| Dallas Dallas (TV series) Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Royal Marriage" | 1979 | J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas... ) has high hopes for the upcoming marriage of his niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton Charlene Tilton Charlene L. Tilton is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Lucy Ewing in the television series Dallas.-Career:... ) and Kit Mainwaring (Mark Wheeler), son of an oilman with whom J.R. hopes to do business. When Kit reveals his homosexuality to J.R., he still insists the wedding go on. However, Bobby (Patrick Duffy Patrick Duffy Patrick George Duffy is an American character actor of stage and film. He is best known for his role on the CBS television drama Dallas, where he played Bobby Ewing from 1978 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991, Duffy returns to reprise his role as Bobby in a new up-to-date Dallas currently scheduled to... ) – to whom he comes out later – tells Kit that he must tell Lucy the truth. |
| Dan August Dan August Dan August is a short-lived 1970-1971 crime drama television series, which starred Burt Reynolds as the title character: a police lieutenant who investigated homicide cases in his hometown of Santa Luisa, California... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Dead Witness to a Killing" | 1971 | Laurence Luckinbill Laurence Luckinbill Laurence George Luckinbill is an American actor.-Life and career:Luckinbill was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the son of Agnes and Laurence Benedict Luckinbill. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1956 and The Catholic University of America in 1958.He starred in the 1976 Broadway play... plays a presidential cabinet nominee who murders his sister to prevent her from outing Outing Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts... him. He also kills his accomplice and lover, played by Martin Sheen Martin Sheen Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be... . |
| The David Susskind Show David Susskind Show The David Susskind Show was an American television talk show hosted by David Susskind. The program began its existence in 1958 as Open End, and was broadcast by WNTA-TV in New York City... |
Syndicated | "Lesbians and Society" | 1971 | |
| Doctors' Hospital Doctors' Hospital Doctors' Hospital is an American medical drama that ran on NBC during the 1975-1976 season. It followed the neurosurgery team at the fictional Lowell Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, led by Dr. Jake Goodwin and his staff, including residents Norah Purcell , and Felipe Ortega , and Nurse Hestor... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Watchman, Who Will Guard Thy Sleep?" | 1975 | A homophobic patient is cared for by a gay orderly. |
| The Facts of Life The Facts of Life (TV series) The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Rough Housing" | 1979 | In the first episode, Cindy's casual, friendly hug of a girl is misinterpreted by Blair (Lisa Whelchel Lisa Whelchel Lisa Diane Whelchel is an American actress, singer, ventriloquist, and writer best known for her role in the television series The Facts of Life as the preppy and wealthy Blair Warner.-Life and career:... ) as being "strange." Later, the tomboyish Cindy (Julie Anne Haddock Julie Anne Haddock Julie Anne Haddock is a former American actress best known for her role in the television series The Facts of Life as tomboy "Cindy Webster." Though she has had other roles in both film and television, her acting career effectively ended after the first season of The Facts of Life, when her... ) confides to Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae is a prolific American character actress of stage, comedienne, singer and dancer, who in her six decades of television is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life... ) that because she likes sports, dislikes dresses, and feels uncomfortable around boys, she thinks "maybe I'm not normal", until Mrs. Garrett convinces her that two girls can show affection even if they are not gay. The episode does not specifically use the word "lesbian". |
| Family Family (TV series) Family is an American television drama series that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1980. Creative control of the show was split between executive producers Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling and Mike Nichols... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Rites of Friendship" "We Love You, Miss Jessup" |
1976 1977 |
In "Rites of Friendship", family friend Zeke (Bryan Byers) is caught in a raid on a gay bar. The Lawrence family take him in when his father throws him out of the house, but son Willie (Gary Frank Gary Frank (actor) Gary Frank is an American actor who won an Emmy Award for his performances on the TV seriesFamily... ) has difficulty understanding and accepting Zeke. In "We Love You, Miss Jessup", Buddy (Kristy McNichol Kristy McNichol Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol is an American actress.McNichol is best known for her roles as Leticia “Buddy” Lawrence on the television drama series Family and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is also the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol... ) learns that her favorite teacher is a lesbian when she resigns following a PTA witch hunt. |
| Harry O | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Coinage of the Realm" | 1974 | Joe Heston (David Dukes David Dukes David Coleman Dukes was an American character actor.-Life:Dukes was born in San Francisco, California, the son of a highway patrolman... ) and Fred Lassiter (Granville Van Dusen Granville Van Dusen Granville Van Dusen is an American stage, screen, and voice actor who portrayed Race Bannon in the 1986 television series The New Adventures of Jonny Quest, Jonny's Golden Quest, Jonny Quest vs... ) are a pair of gay hit men. |
| Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"V for Vashon: The Patriarch" | 1972 | Corrupt lawyer Harvey Drew (John Stalker John Stalker John Stalker is a former Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, now residing in Lymm. He headed the Stalker Inquiry that investigated the shooting of suspected members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1982. He has also had a television and literary career.-Career:Stalker... ) frames Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord Jack Lord John Joseph Patrick Ryan , best known by his stage name Jack Lord, was an American television, film, and Broadway actor. He was known for his starring role as Steve McGarrett in the American television program Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980. Lord appeared in feature films earlier in his career,... ) for a crime but is undermined when his much younger "nephew" exposes him. |
| The Jeffersons The Jeffersons The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Once a Friend" | 1977 |  Transgender Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles.... characters on American television in the person of Edie Stokes (Veronica Redd Veronica Redd Veronica Redd is an American actress who played the recurring character of Mamie Johnson on The Young and the Restless. She is the second actress to play the role, having taken over from Marguerite Ray. Redd played the role from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1999 to 2004.-Filmography:*Blue Hill... ), who George knows as an old Navy buddy named Eddie. |
| Kojak Kojak Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"A Need to Know" | 1976 | A foreign diplomat (Hector Elizondo Hector Elizondo Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award... ) is accused of molesting two young boys but must be released because he has diplomatic immunity Diplomatic immunity Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments that ensures that diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host country's laws... . The National Gay Task Force National Gay and Lesbian Task Force The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force builds the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country’s premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people, and working to create positive, lasting... issued a "media alert" regarding the episode, believing that viewers would interpret the molester as gay. CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... made no changes to the episode in response but Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... affiliate WTOP WUSA (TV) WUSA is a television station broadcasting on channel 9 in Washington, D.C.. Owned by the Gannett Company, WUSA is an affiliate of the CBS television network, and the longest-tenured affiliate of that network... ran a disclaimer before the episode noting that it dealt with molestation and not homosexuality. |
| Kate Loves a Mystery | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Feelings Can Be Murder" | 1979 | Kate (Kate Mulgrew Kate Mulgrew Katherine Kiernan Maria "Kate" Mulgrew is an American actress, most noted for her roles on Star Trek: Voyager as Captain Kathryn Janeway and Ryan's Hope as Mary Ryan... ) investigates the murder of a married bisexual woman. Suspects include her married female lover. |
| The Lou Gordon Program | Syndicated | "Are Gays Going to Hell?" |
1974 | Gordon's conclusion on the matter is unknown. |
| Lou Grant Lou Grant (TV series) Lou Grant is an American television drama series starring Ed Asner in the titular role as a newspaper editor. Unusual in American television, this drama series was a spinoff from a sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Aired from 1977 to 1982, Lou Grant won 13 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Cop" | 1979 | A fire at a gay bar kills five men and Lou (Edward Asner) insists on publishing their names despite this meaning they will be labeled gay and may not have been out. He argues that by withholding the names this time the public will question whether the paper is withholding information in the future. In the course of covering a murder, Lou figures out an investigating officer (Joe Penny Joe Penny Joseph Edward Penny, Jr., credited as Joe Penny is an actor best known for his role as Nick Ryder on the detective series Riptide from 1984 to 1986 and for his role as Jake Styles in the CBS television series Jake and the Fatman from 1987 to 1992.-Early life:Penny was born in London, England to an... ) is gay and in the closet. The paper does not publish his sexual orientation because it is irrelevant to his catching the murderer. The fire portion of the story was inspired by the true story of the death of eight men at a gay film club in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
| Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"The Other Martin Loring The Other Martin Loring "The Other Martin Loring" is a 1973 episode of Marcus Welby, M.D., an American medical drama that aired on ABC. It tells the story of a middle-aged man facing several health issues, which seem to stem from his repression of his homosexuality... " "The Outrage" The Outrage (Marcus Welby) "The Outrage" is a 1974 episode of Marcus Welby, M.D., a long-running American medical drama on ABC. The episode tells the story of a teenage boy who is sexually assaulted by his male teacher. The episode, which originally aired October 8, 1974, sparked controversy and anger for its equation of... |
1973 1974 |
 Mark Miller (actor) Mark Miller is an American television actor/writer who made more than forty appearances in television programs and films since 1957. He co-starred with Joanne Dru and J... ) is a stressed, diabetic man about to be divorced as he faces the "illness" of homosexuality. Dr. Welby (Robert Young Robert Young (actor) Robert George Young was an American television, film, and radio actor, best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father of Father Knows Best and as physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. .-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father... ) suggests that he is not really homosexual but his fear of being homosexual is making him believe that he is. The Gay Activists Alliance denounced the episode. After a meeting with ABC resulted in no changes, GAA members occupied the offices of network president Elton Rule Elton Rule Elton H. Rule was an American television executive and former president of the American Broadcasting Company. Assuming the presidency at a time when ABC was a distant third in the Nielsen ratings, Rule is credited with greatly expanding network revenue, ratings, affiliates and profits... and chairman Leonard Goldenson Leonard Goldenson Leonard H. Goldenson was President of the U.S. television and radio broadcaster ABC.-Early life and career:... . Executives offered to meet with two GAA representatives. The group refused, saying that all protesters should be present at the meeting. Six protesters were arrested but charges were eventually dropped. In "The Outrage", a high school teacher (Edward Winter) sexually molests one of his students, Ted (Sean Kelly). Ted initially can't admit that he was assaulted but his injuries require surgery. As he recovers, the police arrest his teacher trying to molest another child and the teacher is transported to a mental institution. The National Gay Task Force National Gay and Lesbian Task Force The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force builds the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country’s premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people, and working to create positive, lasting... tried to work with ABC but ultimately still found the episode unacceptable. Seventeen ABC affiliates refused to air the episode. |
| Mary Tyler Moore Show | CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"My Brother's Keeper" | 1973 | Phyllis Phyllis Lindstrom Phyllis Lindstrom is a fictional character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off, Phyllis, portrayed by Cloris Leachman.-The Mary Tyler Moore Show:... (Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award... ) wants to set up her visiting brother Ben (Robert Moore Robert Moore (director) Robert Moore was an American stage, film and television director.-Biography:Born in Detroit, Michigan, Moore is best known for his direction of the ground-breaking play The Boys in the Band, his Broadway productions , and his collaborations - three plays and three films - with Neil Simon,... ) with Mary. Phyllis' brother is gay. |
| M*A*S*H | CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"George" | 1974 | A serviceman (Richard Ely) is beaten by members of his own unit for being gay. He confides in Hawkeye (Alan Alda Alan Alda Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H... ) but Major Burns (Larry Linville Larry Linville Lawrence Lavon "Larry" Linville was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of obnoxious, pious, self-important and inept surgeon Major Frank Burns in the television series M*A*S*H.-M*A*S*H:... ) overhears and seeks to initiate a discharge Military discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-United States:Discharge or separation should not be confused with retirement; career U.S... . Hawkeye and Trapper (Wayne Rogers Wayne Rogers William Wayne McMillan Rogers III is an American film and television actor, best known for playing the role of 'Trapper John' McIntyre in the U.S... ) blackmail Major Burns (threatening to reveal he bought the answers to his medical school admission exams) and he agrees to drop the matter. |
| Maude Maude (TV series) Maude was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978.Maude starred Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York with... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Maude's New Friend" "Arthur's Worry" "The Gay Bar" |
1974 1976 1977 |
In "Maude's New Friend", Maude (Beatrice Arthur Beatrice Arthur Beatrice "Bea" Arthur was an American actress, comedienne and singer whose career spanned seven decades. Arthur achieved fame as the character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcoms All in the Family and Maude, and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, winning Emmy Awards for both... ) befriends Barry (Robert Mandan Robert Mandan Robert Mandan is an American actor, most famous for his portrayals of playwright David Allen on the NBC serial From These Roots from 1958–1961, businessman Sam Reynolds on the serial Search for Tomorrow from 1965 to 1970, and his subsequent satire of the genre playing Chester Tate on the sitcom... ), a gay author. In "Arthur's Worry", Walter (Bill Macy Bill Macy Bill Macy is an American television and stage actor.Macy was born in Revere, Massachusetts, to Mollie and Michael Garber, a manufacturer... ) is upset about a dream in which he kisses best friend Arthur (Conrad Bain Conrad Bain Conrad Stafford Bain is a Canadian-American actor. His television credits include a leading role as Phillip Drummond in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and as Dr. Arthur Harmon on Maude.-Personal life:... ). In "The Gay Bar", Maude is upset when her husband and some of his friends try to prevent a gay bar from opening in their neighborhood. Arthur forms the group Fathers Against Gay Society (F.A.G.S.). Craig Richard Nelson Craig Richard Nelson Craig Richard Nelson is an American theater, film and television character actor.- Acting career :Nelson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and studied acting at the University of Utah and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts... appears as a patron of "The Gay Caballero". |
| Medical Center Medical Center (TV series) Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Undercurrent" "Triangle" "The Fourth Sex (Parts 1 and 2)" |
1970 1973 1975 |
In "Undercurrent", a gay research scientist (Paul Burke Paul Burke (actor) Paul Burke was an American actor best known for his lead roles in two 1960s ABC television series, Naked City and Twelve O'Clock High... ) becomes the target of an anonymous smear campaign. In "Triangle", Dr. Annie Claymor (Lois Nettleton Lois Nettleton Lois June Nettleton was an American actress of film, stage, and television. She was Miss Chicago of 1948 as well as a semifinalist at that year's Miss America Pageant.-Early years:... ) treats Tobi (Jamie Smith Jackson Jamie Smith Jackson Jamie Smith Jackson is an American actress who performed in the 1973 movie Go Ask Alice. Jackson is married to Michael Ontkean.-External links:... ), an emotionally confused teenager. Tobi's treatment is compromised by accusations that Claymor is trying to "recruit" her and a one-time sexual encounter with a female friend but in the end she is reassured that she is not a lesbian. In "The Fourth Sex (Parts 1 and 2)", Robert Reed Robert Reed Robert Reed was a prolific American character actor of stage, film and television. In his first big break, he played Kenneth Preston on the popular 1960s TV legal drama, The Defenders, alongside E. G. Marshall. But he was best remembered for portraying the father, Mike Brady, on the popular... plays transsexual Doctor Pat Caddison who decides to have sexual reassignment surgery. |
| Newsfront | WNDT WNET WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming... |
1970 | Seven gay liberation leaders appeared on the June 24 episode. | |
| Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law is an American legal drama, jointly created by David Victor and former law professor Jerry McNeely, that starred actor Arthur Hill. The series was broadcast on ABC from 1971 to 1974... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Words of Summer" | 1972 | Ann Glover (Meredith Baxter Meredith Baxter Meredith Baxter , also known for some years as Meredith Baxter-Birney, is an American actress and producer. She is known for her acting roles including three television series: Family , an ABC television-network drama, Family Ties , an NBC television-network situation comedy, and Dan Vs. , a... ) is accused of molesting a young girl (Denise Nickerson Denise Nickerson Denise Nickerson is an American former child actress best known for her roles as the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Amy Jennings in the soap opera Dark Shadows.-Career:... ) and to clear her name her former roommate Meg (Kristina Holland Kristina Holland Kristina Holland , is a American actress who has performed in more than 22 television series, two films, and voiceover talent for at least two video games and has transitioned to being a professional psychotherapist... ) is forced to come out as a lesbian. |
| The Pat Collins Show | WCBS-TV WCBS-TV WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan.... |
"A Night at the Continental Baths" | 1974 | |
| Phyllis Phyllis (TV series) Phyllis is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 11, 1975 to March 13, 1977.Created by Ed Weinberger and Stan Daniels. it was the second spin-off series from The Mary Tyler Moore Show . The show starred Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, who was previously Mary Richards'... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Out of the Closet" | 1976 | Phyllis (Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award... ) is relieved to learn that her new boyfriend (Edward Winter) is gay because she was worried that he did not find her attractive. |
| Police Story | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"The Ripper" | 1974 | The homophobic owner of a modeling agency (Peter Mark Richman) is slashing gay men to death as part of his plan to rid the world of "undesirables", including homosexuals, drug addicts, prostitutes and "the lame and the blind". Three members of the Gay Media Task Force served as consultants on the episode. |
| Police Woman Police Woman (TV series) Police Woman is an American television police drama starring Angie Dickinson that ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.-Synopsis:... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Flowers of Evil Flowers of Evil (Police Woman) "Flowers of Evil" is a 1974 episode of the American police procedural television series Police Woman. The episode features Sgt. Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson going undercover at a nursing home to investigate a murder. She uncovers a trio of lesbians who are robbing and murdering their elderly residents... " "Trial by Prejudice" |
1974 1976 |
 Fay Spain Fay Spain was an American actress in motion pictures and television. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona.-Theater apprentice:... , Laraine Stephens, Lynn Loring Lynn Loring Lynn Loring is an American actress and producer.She first started acting at the age of seven, playing the role of Patti Barron on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. She played the role until 1961, when she graduated from high school and explored other opportunities... ) that runs a nursing home is killing off their clients. Pepper (Angie Dickinson Angie Dickinson Angie Dickinson is an American actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven, Dressed to Kill and Pay It Forward, and starred on television as Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:Dickinson, the second of... ) tries to persuade Janet (Loring) to testify against her lover Gladys (Stephens) and tells Janet about her lesbian college roommate. The group Lesbian Feminist Liberation staged a sit-in at NBC and, after meeting with gay activists, the network agreed not to rerun the episode. In "Trial by Prejudice", Marlena (Pat Crowley Pat Crowley Patricia "Pat" Crowley is an American film and television actress.Crowley was often confused with her acting contemporary Kathleen Crowley, who appeared as guest leading lady in different episodes of many of the same television series and is not related.Pat Crowley appeared in The Untouchables... ), Pepper's former roommate, is hesitant to publicly defend Pepper from charges that she sexually molested a female suspect for fear of her own reputation being ruined. |
| The Rockford Files The Rockford Files The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Requiem for a Funny Box" "The Empty Frame" |
1977 1978 |
In "Requiem for a Funny Box", the gay son of a mafia leader is forced to come out to his father after being blackmailed by a comedian. When an attempt to murder the comedian fails, the mafia leader orders his son to be executed to avoid shaming the family. In "The Empty Frame", a trio of Berkeley Communists raid an elite dinner party being hosted by a gay couple and steal some of their valuable paintings. The gay couple hire Rockford (James Garner James Garner James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades... ) to recover the paintings. |
| Room 222 Room 222 Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series aired on ABC from September 17, 1969, to January 11, 1974, for 112 episodes... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"What Is A Man?" | 1971 | A high school boy named Howard (Frederick Herrick) becomes a target of schoolyard homophobia. |
| Sanford and Son Sanford and Son Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977.... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Lamont, Is That You?" | 1973 | Fred (Redd Foxx Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:... ) gets the wrong idea when Lamont (Demond Wilson Demond Wilson Grady Demond Wilson is an American actor, author, and pastor. He is best known for his role opposite Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford's long-suffering son, Lamont Sanford, in the 1970s’ NBC-TV sitcom Sanford and Son.... ) and Rollo (Nathaniel Taylor) are seen coming out of a gay bar Gay bar A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities... . |
| Sirota's Court | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Court Fear" | 1976 | Judge Sirota (Michael Constantine Michael Constantine Michael Constantine is a Greek American actor.He is probably now best known for his portrayal of Gus Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos , in the 2002 surprise hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.Prior to that, he was well-known for his extensive TV work, especially... ) marries a gay male couple. |
| Starsky and Hutch Starsky and Hutch Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Death in a Different Place" | 1977 | Game show host Art Fleming Art Fleming Art Fleming was an American television host, most notably the original host of the TV game show Jeopardy!.-Early life:... plays a bisexual cop murdered by a corrupt fellow officer after witnessing him making a drug deal. Charles Pierce appears as a female impersonator. |
| The Streets of San Francisco The Streets of San Francisco The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Mask of Death" "A Good Cop, But..." "Once a Con..." |
1974 1977 1977 |
 John Davidson (entertainer) John Hamilton Davidson, Sr. is an American singer, actor and game show host known for hosting That's Incredible!, Time Machine, and Hollywood Squares in the 1980s, and a revival of The $100,000 Pyramid in 1991.... ) is famed for his impersonations of actresses Carol Channing Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination... and (the fictional) Carol Marlowe. The Marlowe persona takes over and begins stabbing men to death with a hatpin. Jim Bailey Jim Bailey (entertainer) James William Bailey is an American singer, film, television and stage actor, and female impersonator.-Early years:... provided the voice for Davidson's Channing impersonation. In "A Good Cop, But...", Inspector Lambert (Barry Primus Barry Primus Barry Primus is an American television and film actor.Primus is primarily an actor, but has also doubled and tripled as writer and director. He worked on stage for the first decade of his career. He gained some experience on TV in shows like The Defenders, East Side/West Side and The Virginian... ) has to come out to convict a drug dealer. His partner (Robert Walden Robert Walden Robert Walden is an American television and motion picture actor. He is best known for his role as Joe Rossi on Lou Grant for which he was nominated for an Emmy three times and his role as Joe Waters on Brothers... ) initially is unable to accept his gay partner but eventually comes to terms. In "Once a Con...", a lesbian college student named Jackie Collins (Devon Ericson) murders her lover's (Joanne Nail) best friend out of jealousy. |
| Three's Company Three's Company Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House.... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"Strange Bedfellows" | 1977 | Mr. Roper (Norman Fell Norman Fell Norman Fell , born Norman Noah Feld, was an American actor of film and television, most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers.-Early life:... ) thinks he's gay when he wakes up in bed with Jack (John Ritter John Ritter Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively... ). |
| Tomorrow Tomorrow (TV series) Tomorrow was an American late-night television talk show hosted by Tom Snyder... |
NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
"Boy Prostitution" "Gays and Military Service" |
1974 1975 |
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| Westside Medical | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
"The Mermaid" | 1977 | A post-operative MTF East German Olympic swimmer (Betsy Slade) wants to defect because her government will not allow her to live fully as a woman. |
| The White Shadow The White Shadow The White Shadow is an American drama television series that ran on the CBS network from November 27, 1978, to March 16, 1981.-Overview:... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Just One of the Boys" | 1978 | Ray Collins (Peter Horton Peter Horton Peter Horton is an American actor and director. He played the role of Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething until 1991.-Early life:... ) transfers to Carver High because of a rumor at his old school that he is gay. When the rumor starts circulating at Carver, Ray considers dropping out but after a talk with Vice Principal Buchanan (Joan Pringle Joan Pringle Joan Pringle is an American actress best known for playing vice principal "Sybil Buchanan" in the TV series The White Shadow. During the third and final season her character was promoted to principal... ) he decides to return to his old school. |
| WKRP in Cincinnati WKRP in Cincinnati WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Les on a Ledge" | 1978 |  Dr. Johnny Fever Dr. Johnny Fever is an off-the-wall character and disc jockey on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. He was inspired by Atlanta DJ Skinny Bobby Harper... (Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:... ) tries to stop Herb (Frank Bonner Frank Bonner Frank Bonner is an American actor and television director best known for playing sales manager Herb Tarlek on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.-Life and career:... ) from sexually harassing Sexual harassment Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and... receptionist Jennifer (Loni Anderson Loni Anderson Loni Kaye Anderson is an American actress who played the role of Jennifer Marlowe on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.- Early life :... ) by telling Herb that Jennifer used to be a man. |
See also
- List of pre-Stonewall American television episodes with LGBT themes
- List of 1980s American television episodes with LGBT themes
- List of American television episodes with LGBT themes, 1990-1997
- List of post-Ellen American television episodes with LGBT themes
- Lists of television programs with LGBT characters