In order to pull off the sort of no-holds-barred send-up of the daytime serial genre that creator Susan Harris had in mind, Soap couldn’t help but be controversial, covering such topics as adultery, impotence, religion, and homosexuality, with an outlandish comedic slant. So certain were select religious groups that bringing up such subjects, even in a satirical manner, would be harmful to prime-time viewers that a letter-writing campaign resulted, demanding ABC cancel the comedy before its scheduled premiere in September of 1977. Of course the network was thrilled with the advance publicity, which turned Soap into the most talked-about new program of the fall season and a ratings winner.

Certainly one key aspect that curious viewers tuned in to see was just how a prime-time series was going to deal with the inclusion of a young gay man among its cast of regulars. So hyped was the character of Jodie Dallas (Billy Crystal), that most television viewers, who would later reminisce about the rarity of gay characters in the medium at the time, are certain that this was the very first one seen on a weekly basis. This was understandable as the first actual scripted series to present an openly gay regular, ABC’s The Corner Bar, was a summer replacement sitcom that wasn’t exactly a ratings bonanza. In fact, when it returned for a second attempt the following year, the gay character in question, the effete Peter Panama (Vincent Schiavelli), was no longer a member of the ensemble. This trend of the flamboyant and stereotypical “sissy” continued with the next attempt, Hot L Baltimore, which featured among its cast of outcasts and oddballs a bickering, middle-aged gay couple. That show ran afoul of the censors and was gone after less than five months on the ABC schedule.

Crystal’s tremendously likable and funny performance as Jodie went a long way to help overcome the controversy over how Soap presented the character. Seen wearing his mother’s clothes, desperate to have a sex change operation in order to please his boyfriend, the butt of homophobic comments throughout, Jodie didn’t exactly transcend stereotypes, and many gay organizations took offense. Nevertheless, Jodie became a favorite of fans of the show, who were pleased to see a gay character that was sweet and up-front about his gayness, and wasn’t portrayed as doomed or self-loathing. His peculiar and sometimes irrational behavior was no more or less extreme than most of the characters on the show in what was, after all, supposed to be an outrageous spoof. Although he was forbidden to engage in physical same-sex activity and spent the remainder of the series minus a boyfriend once his initial relationship broke up, Jodie Dallas was accepted fully by television viewers, meaning that one more milestone had been achieved.

The AIDS epidemic had a devastating effect on the gay community that went beyond the loss of so many lives. The fact that so many homosexuals were felled by the virus only caused less tolerant society to come up with yet another reason to shun or condemn an already ostracized group. All the noble efforts television had been making since the early 1970s to present a more positive image of gays seemed to suffer a setback, as the knee-jerk reaction to the disease was to equate it instantly with being gay. Therefore television faced the dilemma of wanting to address the issue, to educate and enlighten audiences who were frightened by something of which they had little understanding, and yet not wanting it to come across as the only aspect of being gay.

In the summer of 1985 the epidemic suddenly became much more of a reality to those outside the gay community when actor Rock Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS. Although long out and open about his lifestyle to members of the Hollywood community, Hudson had remained very much in the closet to mainstream America throughout his thirty-seven years in the business. The announcement that someone as admired as Hudson was not only suffering from this dreaded disease but had managed to “fool” the public for years with a decidedly macho image that belied the stereotype of all gays being effete, was a wake-up call to millions. Suddenly AIDS had “a face” for so many who believed that it was something that happened to others with whom they would never associate. It also brought to light the fact that countless performers in Hollywood were obliged to hide their true sexuality from an unforgiving public that could only handle so much reality from an industry built on illusion. The unwarranted uproar over Hudson having kissed actress Linda Evans during his recent stint on the popular nighttime soap Dynasty only went to show the degree of ignorance and fear that erupted in conjunction with the outbreak.

Following Hudson’s death in October of 1985, television presented its first television movie to examine the crisis, An Early Frost. Aired on NBC a month later, this too was one of the important steps by the media towards making audiences aware of the effect this virus had on everyone.

Bonus Audio: Speakers talk about series in which gay characters became the main focus including Will & Grace, It’s All Relative, Queer as Folk, The L Word, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

VIDEO CREDIT: Dynasty: The Ball/Circumstantial Evidence – Courtesy of CBS Television Studio

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