Talk Ain’t Cheap: Hate Speech Costs General Hospital Big-Time as Fans Deride the Show ‘at Its Lowest Point’ (2024)

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<p>In 2000, <em>All My Children</em> took the daring step of having Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) come out to her mother Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) as a lesbian. She’s widely regarded as the first major lesbian character on daytime.</p>

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<p>In 2011, Freddie Smith made his <em>Days of Our Lives</em> debut as Justin and Adrienne Kiriakis’ son Sonny, who returned to Salem an out and a proud gay man. A host of smaller roles were cast as Sonny’s dates and friends, but it was Will Horton (Chandler Massey) who <em>really</em> caught his eye. Their friendship turned into a love affair that led to Will’s coming out.</p>

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<p>In 2013 Karla Mosley joined <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> as Maya Avant, who was later revealed to be a transgender woman. When the truth came out, beau Rick Forrester (Jacob Young) stood by her and eventually married her. Sadly, the marriage didn’t last, and the show wrote off the only regular LGBTQ+ character in its entire history.</p>

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<p>Played by trans actress Cassandra James, <em>General Hospital</em> doctor Terry Randolph is a pediatric oncologist, a childhood friend of Elizabeth Webber and now Yuri’s boo. While trans characters and even actors have been introduced before as minor characters or day players, this was the first time a trans actress played a recurring character on daytime.</p>

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<p>When Thom Bierdz returned to <em>Young & Restless</em> as Phillip Chancellor III in 2009, not only did he come back from the dead, but he announced to his family that he was gay. That, he explained, was why he’d faked his death and sent Cane Ashby to Genoa City to pretend to be him.</p>

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<p>It was a sign of progress for LGBTQ+ inclusiveness and acceptance in 1991 when sexually “flexible” lawyer C.J. Lamb (Amanda Donohoe) kissed colleague Abby Perkins (Michele Greene). NBC received fewer than 100 calls about the episode — and half of them were positive!</p>

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<p>In 1988,<em> As the World Turns</em>‘ Hank Elliot (Brian Starcher) became the first male daytime character to come out as gay when he revealed that his partner was dying of AIDS. Nearly a decade later, the show introduced soaps’ first gay supercouple when sparks flew between Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann) and Luke Snyder (Van Hansis).</p>

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<p>On <em>One Life to Live</em>, 17-year-old high-school senior Billy Douglas (future movie star Ryan Phillippe) moved to Llanview in the summer of 1992. Over the brief year he was on, the character’s struggle with his sexual orientation included dealing with his hom*ophobic parents and a trumped-up scandal involving Reverend Andrew Carpenter.</p>

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<p>A Season 3 episode of the late-1980s drama left fans clutching their pearls when it dared to depict lovers Peter Montefiore (Peter Frechette) and Russell Weller (David Marshall Grant) in bed together. The actors weren’t so much as allowed to <em>touch</em> in the scene, yet conservative fans had such a hissy fit that the installment was not rerun as was every other one.</p>

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<p>In 1983, well before any other daytime show, <em>All My Children</em> introduced Donna Pescow as Lynn Carson, an openly lesbian therapist. The character didn’t last but was the first out and proud character on a soap opera.</p>

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<p>Will and Sonny’s relationship on <em>Days of Our Lives</em> had several complications, including the introduction of Sonny’s ex Paul Narita (Christopher Sean), who also turned out to be John Black’s son. Sonny and Paul almost married after Will was murdered, but the wedding was stopped when Will’s killer Ben Weston revealed that his victim was only “dead.”</p>

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<p>In 1977, around the same time that <em>Days of Our Lives</em> introduced its bisexual storyline, <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) — here with son Brock Reynolds (Beau Kayzer) — was mourning the death of her husband Phillip. It was in the wake of his passing that she started to develop romantic feelings for her friend and roommate Joanne Curtis (Kay Heberle), and the two even shared an innocent on-screen kiss.</p>

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<p>In 2012, <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> viewers were introduced to Karen Spencer (Joanna Johnson), the adoptive mother of Caroline Spencer (Linsey Godfrey) and co-owner of Spencer Publications, and her longtime partner, Danielle (Crystal Chappell). Unfortunately, an introduction to the couple was about all we got.</p>

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<p>In 1977, <em>Days of Our Lives</em> became the first daytime drama to introduce a non-heterosexual character. Sharon Duval (Sally Stark) was trapped in an unhappy marriage and admitted to her friend Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes) that she was bisexual and was as enamored of her as Doug was. The storyline irked NBC executives and was quickly abandoned.</p>

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<p>In 2015, Lexi Ainsworth reprised the role of Kristina Corinthos-Davis on <em>General Hospital</em>. She revealed she had been suspended from college for offering sex to a professor in exchange for a better grade. Later, it came to light that the professor was female. Eventually, Kristina and her former teacher Parker Forsyth (Ashley Jones) began a relationship, but it didn’t last.</p>

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<p>Bigoted Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) learned that he didn’t know jack about what makes a “real man’s man” in the Season 1 episode in which he found out that drinking buddy Steve (played by <em>One Life to Live</em> legend Phil Carey) wasn’t just a former NFL linebacker and all-around tough guy, he was also gay.</p>

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<p>Though far from the first lesbian couple in daytime, Kristina Davis (Kate Mansi) and singer Blaze (Jacqueline Grace Lopez) are still noteworthy in that to be together, they were forced to stand up to the latter’s mother, the kind of <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/general-hospital/news/733241/natalia-hom*ophobic-rant/" target="_blank">“old-fashioned” hom*ophobe</a> who writes off the coupling as being too unconventional for her taste and scoffs at the “alphabet soup” that the LGBTQ+ community calls itself.</p>

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<p>Not just a soap character but a character on the primetime comedy <em>Soap</em>, Billy Crystal’s Jodie Dallas broke new ground simply by identifying as gay on television in 1977. Religious groups responded by acting as if it was the end times and deluged ABC with protests even before the series had premiered.</p>

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<p>Olivia Spencer (Crystal Chappell) and Natalia Rivera Aitoro (Jessica Leccia) were originally enemies, turned friends to close friends. Their relationship evolved very slowly and the couple became very popular due to their chemistry, though Natalia, a devout Catholic, and naive person, didn’t comprehend what was happening. When Olivia kissed Jessica for the first time, Jessica was unsettled. Olivia attempted to discuss her feelings with the other woman but Natalia had a difficult time facing her true romantic feelings for Olivia because of her value system and religious beliefs. As a result of her confused feelings, she had sex with Frank Cooper (Frank Dicopoulos) and regretted it. She tried praying and confessed to Olivia what happened. Knowing Jessica wasn’t ready, Olivia encouraged her to marry Frank. Jessica didn’t follow through but was ashamed of her feelings for Olivia. Eventually, they tried to establish a relationship. They expressed their love for each other but the story didn’t go far when Guiding Light was canceled.</p>

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<p>In 2001, <em>Days of Our Lives</em> introduced Harold Wentworth (Ryan Scott), who was the first openly gay character on the soap. He became entangled in a scheme hatched by Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford) to win back ex-wife Jennifer by pretending he was gay.</p>

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<p>In 2006, <em>All My Children</em>’s Bianca fell in love with Zarf (Jeffrey Carlson), a glam-rock star who presented as male. Eventually, the singer came out as Zoe, a transgender lesbian woman and one of daytime’s first trans characters.</p>

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<p>On <em>Passions</em>, Valerie Davis (Daphnée Duplaix) arrived in Harmony in 2004 and quickly ingratiated herself as an invaluable employee at Crane Industries, where she worked with Chad Harris-Crane and began a relationship with Julian Crane. Then in 2006, Vincent Clarkson (Phillip Jeanmarie) arrived in town and was revealed to be the long-lost son of Julian and Eve Russell. Vincent was unstable from years of abuse and became a villain known as the Blackmailer, who dressed in a costume that had male and female aspects. It turned out that Vincent, who had begun an affair with Chad, and Valerie were one and the same, and Vincent was intersex. While the storyline wasn’t the most positive, it introduced the first intersex character on daytime as well as was the first soap to depict sex between two men.</p>

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<p><em>Days of Our Lives</em>’ Sonny and Will (then Guy Wilson) became the first gay couple in daytime to marry in the spring of 2014. And they would have lived happily ever after, too, if only Will hadn’t run afoul of the Necktie Killer.</p>

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<p>In the 1984 premiere of <em>Santa Barbara</em>, viewers saw a ’79 flashback in which Channing Capwell Jr. (Robert Brian Wilson) attended a high-society family party, only to be murdered in the second episode. The mystery encompassed much of the first year, and viewers were stunned when his secret lover Lindsay Smith was revealed to be a man — and his killer, his own mother Sophia (Judith McConnell).</p>

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<p>On Tyler Perry’s OWN soap, Jeffrey Harrington (Gavin Houston) suffered mightily at the hand of his hom*ophobic harridan of a mother. But he got the last laugh. Not only did the show give him a chance to stab her in the breast implant, it gave him a happy ending with his handsome boyfriend — at least until the series concluded with just about every major character being killed off!</p>

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<p>In the first-responders drama’s 100th episode in 2024, firefighter Buck Buckley (Oliver Stark) not only came out as bi, he shared his first kiss with crush Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr.).</p>

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<p><em>Young & Restless</em>‘ Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) found herself conflicted in her feelings for singer/songwriter/con artist Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks). Mariah eventually came out as a lesbian, and in time, her brother’s ex admitted her feelings for Mariah, too. The two are currently the only LGBTQ+ characters on the show.</p>

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<p>Salem was shocked when Nancy Wesley’s husband Craig (Kevin Spirtas) came out as gay on <em>Days of Our Lives</em> in 2022. But even more surprising was the man who’d stolen his heart: scheme weaver Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart).</p>

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<p>On <em>Passions</em>, Simone Russell (Cathy Doe) spent years pining after her sister Whitney’s boyfriend Chad Harris-Crane. However, later in the series, she came out as a lesbian and had a relationship with Rae Thomas (Jossara Jinaro). Their love story was cut short when she discovered Vincent’s secret and he killed her.</p>

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<p>In 2009, <em>One Life to Live</em>‘s Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell) was an out gay lab tech in Llanview who back in college had a relationship with Oliver Fish (Scott Evans). However, the romance ended when Oliver rejected Kyle and insisted he was straight. Oliver went on to become a police officer who remained in the closet for some time before finally coming out and reuniting with Kyle.</p>

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<p>On <em>General Hospital</em>, Lucas Jones (Ryan Carnes), the adopted son of Tony Jones and Bobbie Spencer, returned to Port Charles in 2005 and announced that he was gay. The future doctor eventually entered into a love triangle with Felix DuBois and Brad Cooper, marrying the latter and regretting it when his husband passed off Michael Corinthos’ baby as their own ill-fated adopted one.</p>

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<p><em>All My Children</em>’s Bianca fell for Reese Williams (Tamara Braun) at first sight. The couple became engaged in 2008 and married a year later, making their wedding the first lesbian nuptials on any soap opera.</p>

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<p>The LGBTQ+ community had to settle for the mere presence of Doug Savant’s openly gay Matt Fielding as representation on the primetime soap in the 1990s. While every other character was allowed to leap from one lover to the next, Matt’s one lip lock (with future <em>Chicago P.D.</em> star Jason Beghe) was edited out for fear of advertiser backlash against the idea that yes, gay people exist and — gasp — sometimes even <em>kiss</em>!</p>

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<p>In 1995, <em>Loving</em> spinoff <em>The City</em> turned its focus to the trans model played by Carlotta Chang (real-life wife of <em>As the World Turns</em>’ Damian, Paolo Seganti)… and just as quickly turned its focus elsewhere.</p>

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<p>The short-lived but well-loved ABC drama served up a poignant reminder of why events like Pride Month are so important. Gay teen Rickie Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) was kicked out of his home by his abusive uncle and struggled to feel like he had a place in the world.</p>

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<p>Maybe owning a sweets shop, Chanel DuPree (Raven Bowens) and Allie Horton (Lindsay Arnold) should’ve known how the cookie crumbled. Nevertheless, it came as a terrible blow to the bi sweethearts when their threesome with Alex Kiriakis left one of them going back for the seconds and the other headed for the door.</p>

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<p>On <em>Young & Restless</em>, lawyer Rafe Torres (Yani Gellman) became the soap’s first openly gay male character in 2008. He was seduced by Adam Newman (then Michael Muhney), who hoped to keep his attorney in the dark about his misdeeds.</p>

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<p>Back in 1988, Brian Starcher originated the role of Hank Elliot, who became the first male character ever to come out as gay on a daytime soap. Though Barbara Ryan’s colleague won over his new Oakdale acquaintances, he was soon dispatched to care for his lover, a critical AIDS patient. But at least he gave <em>As the World Turns</em> something that <em>Bold & Beautiful still</em> has never had: an actual gay fashion designer!</p>