Looking
The HBO series been called the gay Friends and Sex and the City. Jonathan Groff leads an ensemble of men playing same-sex loving pals living in San Francisco.
The Fosters
Jennifer Lopez produces this ABC Family series about a lesbian couple raising several children.
Modern Family
Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) finally kissed onscreen during season two of the Emmy-winning comedy, because, as we learned, "Gays don't high-five."
Glee
Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) came out to his dad in season one, and in season two, he's getting a boyfriend!
American Idol
Two American Idols, Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert, came out of the closet after being named runners-up in the blockbuster reality series.
True Blood
Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis) is fabulous, and that's all we need to say about that.
Battlestar Galactica, Lost
Sci-fi joined the party in the late 2000s. Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) came out in a Battlestar Galatica webisode series; the homosexuality of Lost character Tom Friendly (M.C. Gainey) was hinted at for months before viewers spotted him kissing an attractive young man in a hotel room.
As the World Turns
Fans of soap-opera supercouple Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) and Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann) call their favorite pairing "Nuke."
Mad Men
Deeply closeted gay man Salvatore Romano (Bryan Batt) is only one of the many characters on the '60s-set drama who is struggling with a balance between authenticity and public esteem.
Brothers & Sisters
Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) and Kevin (Matthew Rhys) are often said to have the most functional and healthy relationship of anyone in, around or near the Walkers of Pasadena, Calif.
Big Love
It's not safe for Machiavellian Mormon Alby Grant (Matt Ross) to be homosexual in his ultraconservative world of fundamentalist LDS polygamists, so he stays married to his multiple wives and seeks clandestine sexual satisfaction elsewhere.
The Sopranos
Even the ultramacho mob got in on the gays-on-TV game with the character of Vito Spatafore (Joseph Gannascoli). Homophobia was literally the death of him, but at least Vito found true love before he died, with New Hampshire short-order cook Johnnycakes (John Costelloe).
Ugly Betty
Openly gay show runner Silvio Horta guides this high-fashion tale that transcends its relatively few gay characters (Michael Urie's Marc St. James, and almost certainly Mark Indelicato's Justin Suarez) with an overall wash of colorful, campy flamboyance.
Project Runway
Some fans have nicknamed the fashion-competition reality series "Project Rungay."
Desperate Housewives
Executive producer Marc Cherry has said that Andrew Van De Kamp's (Shawn Pyfrom) coming-out to a prim-and-proper mother was based on his own life experience.
But Are They a Mafia?
Openly gay TV show runners Greg Berlanti (Dawson's Creek, Brothers & Sisters), Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives), Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood), and Ryan Murphy (Popular, Glee) have all written gay characters and storylines into their television shows.
All My Children
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters started making inroads on daytime television long after their presence was common in prime time and on cable. Erica Kane's (Susan Lucci) daughter Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel)—pictured here with girlfriend Reese Williams (Tamara Braun)—declared herself an out lesbian in 2000.
The Amazing Race
Couple Chip Arndt and Reichen Lehmkuhl won season four of The Amazing Race. They later broke up and Reichen began dating former N' Sync band member Lance Bass.
Six Feet Under
The committed long-term homosexual relationship between Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick) and David Fisher (Michael C. Hall) was carefully drawn by writers and drew accolades from critics and fans alike.
Survivor
Just in case there was any doubt, Richard Hatch, one of reality TV's first breakout stars, proved that gays and lesbians were not just the product of Hollywood's fanciful imagination.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
After Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) lost werewolf boyfriend Oz (Seth Green), she found an even better romance in fellow witch Tara Maclay (Amber Benson).
For more TV "witches," check out our Hot Girl-on-Girl Action gallery.
Dawson's Creek
Kerr Smith's Jack McPhee started out as a potential love interest for Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), but after being forced out of the closet in his sophomore year, he eventually grew more comfortable with his sexuality and began dating Pacey's (Joshua Jackson) older brother Doug (Dylan Neal).
Friends
Ross Geller's (David Schwimmer) first divorce (of three) was from Carol (Jane Sibbett). Carol ended their relationship when she realized she was a lesbian in love with Susan (Jessica Hecht).
Will & Grace
The first huge network hit that centered on gay characters and storylines was the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, starring Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing and Megan Mullally.