Hello to everybody! 👋🏻 I'm writing a series of essays about the first time of a LGBT character in US soaps. I already have datas about Sharon Duvall in DAYS (1977) as first Bisex, Lynn Carson in AMC (1983) as first Lesbian, Hank Elliott on ATWT (1989) as first Gay (someone have or can find the episode in which Paul Ryan finds out about Hank and does not take it very well? I have seen Hank's coming out to Iva and when Hank gets a bullet to save Paul's life from the latter evil father and when he gets tested for HIV after finding out Charlie's diagnosis, but Soap Opera Digest recaps are too much concises...) and Billy Douglas on OLTL (1992) as first LGBT teen in both daytime and primetime TV (I have seen all the episodes on You Tube. BTW, what a great storyline, why it was ignored by the Emmys? Andrew Carpenter and Billy's father players are both really great in their roles! Oh, well, if OLTL was not nominated for Best Drama in 1994 with Marty's gang rape story which won four major awards and was spectacular, no surprise at all - sadly) and I have read something about Azure in The City (1996) as first Trans, but I'd like to see the episode where Bernado finds out and Azure confirms what is said in that newspaper to have something to quote. I like quoting, it gives the essays more depth. I already read the biweekly recaps from Soap Opera Digest on Tumblr and single episodes recaps on IMDB, but I'd like to have more to write about. And something more about critics and public opinions - I only knows that the storyline was rapidly axed because of bad writing and bad performance by Carlotta Chung, but I have nothing to quote. 🤔
PS Thank you @JAS0N47 for your incredible and rich site (and work on it). In particular for the Nielsen ratings on weekly basis lists since 1974 and for everything about Sharon Duval - specially for the script of the confession episode dated 23 May 1977! 👏🏻 I'm not a DAYS viewers (I'm Italian, I live in Italy and on You Tube there is almost nothing if not short videos), but I've seen some clips of Marlena's first possession (Deidre Hall is terrific in it! Storyline is garbage, but it has its chilling moments and it is funny - I laugh everytime I remember Kristen say to Marlena "according to the book of demonology"! Was she an espert of demons or what!? 😂) and read on Soap Opera Central daily recaps about infamous Melaswen (brainwashed Marlena has a particular sense of humor - killing ex alcoholic Maggie with a bottle of wine and Alice with her donuts...), so I know something about the soap. Little, but better than nothing. 😊