Prior to the mid 1990s few television shows, made-for- TV movies, or specials featured gay and lesbian characters. While That Certain Summer (1972) on ABC had featured Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen as a gay COUple, and Billy Crystal had played a bisexual man on Soap in the late 1970s, only the occasional gay character appeared on the small screen. As gay rights came to the front of American politics, however, gay characters came to television. A list of examples follows:

In 1992 Guy Savant played a gay character, Matt Fielding, on Melrose Place.

A 1994 Ikea ad featured two men shopping for a table together.

Roseanne was kissed by Mariel Hemingway in a gay bar on a Roseanne episode entitled "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which aired on 1 March 1994.

In 1995 Chris Bruno played a gay schoolteacher on All My Children.

The 11 January 1997 episode of Relativity...