Gay teens on TV: A timeline

Network TV's first gay high schooler (played by a teenage Ryan Phillippe) came out to dispel rumors that he was being molested by the town's compassionate pastor. Shortly afterward, he left town to attend Yale. ''I would worry, 'What will the people at school think?','' Phillippe admitted years later to Men's Health, ''And they fully shunned me in a lot of ways...but it ended up being an incredible experience and such a time of growth.''

''I still receive emails and messages from people discovering the show,'' said Wilson Cruz, who played primetime's first gay teenager on My So-Called Life in 1994. ''I have letters that I've kept. Tear-stained letters. It's as if there was this void, and, finally, I was able and willing to step into it. I was happy to do it. We never received a negative word [about Rickie]. Rickie was the heart and soul of that show. He was the most spiritual person, and he was the person who had the best view on sex. Period.''

Initially introduced in Dawson's Creek's second season as a love interest for Katie Holmes' Joey Potter, Jack opened up about his sexuality that winter — and a year later, engaged in TV's first onscreen romantic between two males. According to creator Kevin Williamson, Kerr Smith had only minimal reservations when he first heard his character was coming out, ''I asked, 'Is this a problem for you?' He said, 'Not if I get a juicy part. My biggest fear is that I'll have this coming out story, and then I'll just sort of gradually become the gay character in the background.' I said, 'Not with me, you won't.'"

School valedictorian Marco was the first of eight (and counting) major gay characters on the groundbreaking Canadian teen soap, which was tackling gay plotlines as far back as the '80s and continued to represent various LGBTQ+ identities. Co-creator Linda Schuyler said, ''There are some fundamental teen issues — issues of teen pregnancy, issues of sexuality. I never would have thought about doing a transgender character in the original Degrassi Junior High [one of the show's earlier incarnations]. When we started, there were no gay, lesbian, [or] bisexual clubs in school. Now you see them in small towns.''

The scheming — and openly homosexual — Andrew defied network stereotyping with his bad-boy antics (running over the neighbor's mother, seducing his own mom's boyfriend) to be the quintessential Desperate Housewives character. ''He's narcissistic, vain, and then gay. I like how it doesn't define him,'' Pyfrom said in 2007.

The first openly gay teen on a network family sitcom, neighbor Kenny (Rami Malek) came out during the Long Island-set comedy's second season, after which his Muslim parents shunned him and the Gold family took him in. Hilarity ensued, seriously, as Fox wrung laughs from his first date, his first boyfriend, and his first dance — and even, sadly, his parents' abandonment.

Out from the series' start — and to his parents before that — frat boy Calvin stood down his frat brothers' prejudices to ascend to the presidency of Omega Chi. ''I definitely wanted to be ahead of the curve with Calvin,'' said Greek creator Patrick Sean Smith. "I wanted to see a gay character who wasn't victimized by his sexual orientation, somebody I wish I had when I was coming out to see that. It's a normal process."

After being outed at the dinner table, sweet mousy Eric admitted to getting physical with BFF Jenny's boyfriend in true Gossip Girl style. ''The only sensitivity The CW had to Eric's story line was his age,'' claimed executive producer Stephanie Savage (who also worked on The O.C.). "They felt like a coming-out story was a late high school or college story, and Eric was 14. But our impression was kids these days are coming out much sooner."

Fourteen-year-old film lover Marshall (Keir Gilchrist) is wholly accepted by his mother (Toni Collette), but not by one of her more gruff alters.

Within a year of Glee's launch, the season 1 supporting character managed to break out of the ensemble and take center stage with anti-bullying story lines, a new crush, more solos, and a Golden Globe win for the actor. ''It's the first positive portrayal of a gay character, especially of a kid, without him being a punching bag, or a punch line, or an annoying sidekick,'' said Chris Colfer. "I realized after we filmed the first 13 episodes that the story line is much bigger than me. It's such a powerful, powerful statement.''

The Secret Life of the American Teenager's first gay character, Griffin, is also one of the kids who agreed to a high school chastity pact.

Justin's coming-out episode was four years in the making and was topped with an adorable same-sex teen kiss during the show's final season. ''When I signed on to do Ugly Betty, I was 11 years old,'' said Indelicato. "I don't think they knew at the time what they wanted to do [with Justin]. It started off that he was going to be the funny, flamboyant, kind of questionable kid...I think we were all scared when the time really came. When we did the historic kissing scene, I was very nervous. I didn't know how it would be received."

The show's third season introduced a 16-year-old therapy patient who was comfortable with his sexuality but not with meeting his birth mother.

Kurt's journey to becoming a confident young gay man was helped by his self-assured crush (and future husband), Blaine. ''Blaine was never going to be Kurt's love interest at all. He was gonna be much more of a mentor character, but they had so much chemistry, and there was such an immediate outcry,'' claimed co-creator Ryan Murphy. ''We all want to see Kurt happy,'' added Darren Criss, ''and like all great love stories, if you have two people that can be together, you've got to hold it up.''

Producers originally wrote spoiled tennis-pro Teddy as a dime-a-dozen hunky ladies' man. However, a year into his story, they realized that he must be overcompensating for something — like a crush on his former roommate. ''Things start to make sense as you learn his backstory,'' Donovan said of the switch, ''You start to look at the way he lives his life and how he bounces around, never really having a solid girlfriend. It breaks down the stereotype. This is a little more shocking and realistic.''

Sometimes called the ''anti-Kurt Hummel," Cameron Monaghan's tough and streetwise Ian (based on a character in the show's original British version) is in the Army ROTC and had an affair with his married male boss at a local grocery store. This was before he fell into an on-and-off relationship with his frenemy Mandy's older brother, Mickey (Noel Fisher), which later resulted in their marriage.

Freeform's pioneering show about a lesbian couple raising their family broke new grounds with its onscreen kiss between two 13-year-old boys, Jude (Hayden Byerly) and Connor (Gavin MacIntosh) — airing television's youngest same-sex kiss in history. —James Mercadante

When we first meet Will (Noah Schnapp) in season 1, he's a 12-year-old whose main concerns are Dungeons & Dragons, his family and friends, and (oh, right!) getting the hell out of the Upside Down. However, thanks to the series' time jumps and puberty, Will evolves tremendously throughout Stranger Things — with the exception of his everlasting bowl cut — and one character development is his feelings for his best friend, Mike (Finn Wolfhard). The show leaves subtle hints of Will's sexuality all over, especially in season 4, but Schnapp confirmed his character is gay, telling Variety that the series' creators "are writing this real character and this real journey and real struggle, and they're doing it so well." —J.M.

Archie Comics' first openly gay character came to life on The CW's teen supernatural drama based on said comics. Kevin (Casey Cott) goes from being Veronica's (Camila Mendes) G.B.F. in season 1 to later closing a deal with the Devil for fame and success in season 6. That's Riverdale for you! —J.M.

What started out as a low-profile drug deal became the sexy fan-favorite relationship between upper-class Ander (Arón Piper) and internally homophobic Omar (Omar Ayuso) — son of uncompromising Muslim parents — which was an on-again-off-again seesaw that rocked the star-crossed pair through multiple burdens. Whether it's Ander's cancer or another boy (Manu Rios' Patrick) stirring drama between them, the duo never fails to possess an elite chemistry that slays way more than the murders that transpire most seasons. —J.M.

The brazenly exuberant, vibrantly-dressed French horn player, Eric (played by Doctor Who's 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa), came out to his religious Nigerian/Ghanian family when he was just 13 years old. Otis' (Asa Butterfield) gay best friend may busy himself with dicey situations — like hooking up with his homophobic bully Adam (Connor Swindells) — but his unabashed spirit and celebration for all aspects of his queer and Black identity are so vital to see represented on teen TV. —J.M.

This phenomenally queer show was what we've been looking for on Disney+. Choreographer Carlos (Frankie Rodriguez) convincing his drama teacher that Seb (Joe Serafini), the dazzling performer, would be better suited to play a gender-bending Sharpay Evans in their theater production of High School Musical was the start of something new. The pair becomes romantically (and musically) in tune with each other, forming an innocent, tender love that left viewers' hearts soarin' and flying. —J.M.

Coming from a conservative Hispanic background, Victor (Michael Cimino) learns to navigate being a high school transfer student, coming out to his loved ones on his own terms, and forming multiple romances — especially with his handsome coffeehouse co-worker, Benji (George Sear). The small-screen spin-off series of Love, Simon sadly wrapped up its third and final chapter, but Cimino says that he "would love to revisit Victor at some point." So, for now, we will be patiently waiting in Creekwood till that happens. —J.M.

Like Mallory's (Olivia Holt) time spent trapped in a basement, loyal friend Vince (Allius Barnes) and football jock Ben (Nathaniel Ashton) lock their romance away on Freeform's YA "whodunnit" anthology. Cruel Summer may have ended the two's rocky relationship on an uncertain note (which was cruel indeed), but we still can't get over their intimate slow dance in an underground gay bar in the '90s because the moment felt like time finally stood still within a show loaded with time jumps. —J.M.

After being exiled to a reputable boarding school when a video of him assaulting someone goes viral, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden (Edvin Ryding) is entranced by a non-boarding student on scholarship, Simon (Omar Rudberg), who sings the solo for the Hillershka choir's performance upon the prince's arrival. The two form a clandestine romance that's later threatened by someone recording and leaking their private make-out session, endangering Wilhem's place on the throne. —J.M.

Timid, unathletic Charlie (Joe Locke, on the right) instantly falls for the captain of the rugby team and his assigned seat buddy, Nick (Kit Connor) — who ultimately develops mutual feelings for Charlie. Charlie's endless blushy smiles are infectious, as Heartstopper epitomizes the pure innocence of first love, which is a rare feat in the queer canon of media. —J.M.