Today, we are talking about the show Queer as Folk, which was on Showtime from 2000-2005. It was a groundbreaking show that also had many problematic aspects including a lack of representation in terms of race, gender identity, and socioeconomically; a relationship between an adult and an underage boy (he was 17, so not a child, but still!); and biphobia. Despite its problems, it truly was a groundbreaking show that many shows are indebted to. It showed that there is a market for shows with queer main characters and that queer characters on TV don't have to be sexless or the butt of jokes to be popular.
I started watching this show right around the time I came out, so it will always be a big part of my story because of that. It was also the first show where I saw queer characters who felt real.
This show is marked explicit. Like the last episode marked explicit, there is nothing pornographic, but there is extensive talk about sex scenes and some personal stories as well.
If you have any questions or comments, please email queerlypopular@gmail.com. You can follow the podcast on Twitter or Instagram (@queerlypopular).
Our next episode will be on December 16th and will be about the movie Defying Gravity, the first piece of queer cinema I ever saw.
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