Representation in film is important. For the longest time, people of color, different religious backgrounds and members of the LGBTQ community had to take what they could get.
For decades, the best case scenario for a gay character was to be the protagonist’s sassy best friend. At worst, gay characters were the butt of a joke or reviled for challenging traditional gender roles. Male characters not wanting to be seen as gay was a popular “joke” throughout much of the 1980s and ’90s. Transgender characters had it even worse as they were often vilified or portrayed as trying to trick men.
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Mariel Hemingway (left) and Patrice Donnelly in 1982"s "Personal Best." (COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.)
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Michael Welch and Michelle Hendley in 2014's "Boy Meets Girl." (COURTESY OF WOLFE VIDEO)
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Brad Rowe (left) and Sean Hayes in "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss." (COURTESY OF TRIMARK PICTURES)
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