How 'Glee' is Leading TV's Gay-Teen Revolution

Gay teens are suddenly popping up in major roles all over television, with Glee’s popular pairing of Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss) leading the way.

How did gay teens go from marginalized outcasts and goofy sidekicks to some of the highest profile — and most beloved — characters on the likes of 90210, Pretty Little Liars, and Skins?

And more importantly, how is this affecting real-life teens still facing the daily high-school realities of bullying, discrimination, and ignorance?

The new issue of Entertainment Weekly investigates the history of gay teens on TV — from the angsty Rickie on My So-Called Life to sensitive-soul Jack on Dawson’s Creek to the slew of groundbreaking characters on Degrassi. We talk to the producers who fought for such progress, the actors who held the career-defining roles, and the activists who cheer recent advances — but are still pushing for more. Among them:

* Colfer, on his wildly flirtatious version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with Criss, which became the most downloaded track off the Glee Christmas album: “That was by far the gayest thing that has ever been on TV, period,” Colfer says. “Forget AbFab, forget Beautiful People and Will & Grace.” Adds creator/exec producer Ryan Murphy: “I was proud of that. I think it pushed the envelope a bit.”

* My So-Called Life creator Winnie Holzman, on ABC’s reaction to Rickie as a character when the show premiered in 1994: “The thing I got the most pushback about was in the pilot, when he puts eyeliner on in the girls’ bathroom. I remember I mentioned The Crying Game, which had just come out, and Michael Jackson wearing eyeliner [to convince the network]. So they went with it.”

* The O.C. (and Gossip Girl) exec producer Stephanie Savage on the short-lived romance between Marissa (Mischa Barton) and girlfriend Alex (Olivia Wilde) in 2005, during the height of network censorship fears (after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl incident): “We could’ve had more support in terms of making that a long-term story line. There were definitely some questions about how long we were doing this story. And we did have to do some editing to make kisses shorter and pull back on some physicality of the characters.”

90210's Teddy and Ian Kiss

It’s been a long time coming, but after months of struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, Teddy (Trevor Donovan) kissed Ian (Kyle Riabko) on Monday night’s 90210.

Watch the scene here:

“90210″ Producer Talks About Gay Storyline

it’s been confirmed that Trevor Donovan’s 90210 character of Teddy will be the one coming out of the closet this season.

Now, Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello has talked exclusively to 90210 Executive Producer Rebecca Sinclair about the storyline and she says: [We wanted] to play a coming out story that features a kid we already knew. Instead of his sexuality being the first and defining characteristic, we’ve already gotten a chance to know Teddy before he explores his sexuality. Teddy’s an athlete, he’s a famous guy’s son, he’s blonde and hunky and yes, he also has a sexual orientation and that’s a huge part of his life. In a lot of ways I think that’s more interesting than Teddy is a gay athlete, a gay famous guy’s son and a blonde and hunky gay gentleman.”

Ausiello: Did you know Teddy would be gay when he was first introduced?
Sinclair: No. We thought he was just a womanizer. But then—and this often happens with characters—we started to wonder about the deeper life of the character. Was he a womanizer, or was he really covering for something?

Ausiello: How will Teddy’s coming out story be different from Adrianna’s?
Sinclair: There are obviously an infinite number of ways that teenagers can experience the realization that they are attracted to members of the same sex. And I guess our ultimate goal would be to tell a whole range of stories that depict different facets of the issue of gayness—or non-straightness, you might say. Adrianna’s was a much lighter story. For Adrianna, having bisexual feelings was confusing but it didn’t rattle her too deeply. She realized that for her, gender was less important than the individual in terms of finding someone she wanted to date. Frankly, for Adrianna as long as her significant other dotes on her, tells her she’s amazing, and that her hair looks pretty, she doesn’t care what gender they are. With Teddy, we’re attempting to tell a much more dramatic story about a something that rattles him to his core. Though, thankfully, we live in an age where lots of teens are comfortable with their sexual orientation and are able to come out when they’re in high school or even before, we didn’t want to ignore the reality that for lots of kids the road to self-acceptance for a gay teenager isn’t easy. This is going to be a dramatic, at times painful, but hopefully ultimately cathartic journey for him.

Ausiello: How will the story unfold? Does Teddy have an epiphany?
Sinclair: As a top-tier athlete and the son of a famous—and famously womanizing—actor, Teddy has always felt the need to keep up appearances. He’s had trouble reconciling the image that the world has of him with his own true sense of self. And he’s worked hard to repress whatever homosexual feelings he’s had. But early on in this season, something shakes up the structure of his life. With stability and routine out the window, he has trouble repressing who he really is. He acts impulsively and ends up hooking up with a guy. So it’s less of an epiphany than an impulsive act that sets things in motion.

Ausiello: Let’s talk about that guy (played by Kyle Riabko).
Sinclair: Kyle is absolutely terrific, charming and talented. He plays Ian, a self-confident, funny guy who is very much out and comfortable with his gayness.

Ausiello: Is there an immediate attraction?
Sinclair: I think there is an immediate attraction. But Teddy is very uncomfortable with the feelings he has and is certainly not up for the kind of mature normal relationship that Ian has had in the past and would expect from a boyfriend.

Ausiello: How long will Kyle be around for?
Sinclair: Hopefully he will be around for a long time. Certainly for season 3.

Ausiello: 90210 doesn’t shy away from allowing its straight characters to express their sexuality. Will the show be as frank in its depiction of Teddy’s romantic relationships?
Sinclair: I hope so.

Ausiello: When did you inform Trevor that his character was going to be gay? How did that conversation go?
Sinclair: Fellow Executive Producer Jennie Urman and I called Trevor and told him the story we wanted to tell. I think he was surprised and maybe a bit taken aback initially. But as we discussed it with him and told him the kind of stories we wanted to tell, he got excited. I think he recognized that it was a good opportunity as an actor and he was excited by the idea of telling the story of a character’s journey that would mean a lot to gay teenagers and other teenagers who are learning to be honest about who they are and what they feel.

90210 Spoiler Alert! The Hunk Coming Out is...

… Teddy.

Entertainment Weekly sources have revealed that Trevor Donovan let the cat out of the bag yesterday as to him being the "outed" character on 90210 when he tweeted the following:

“I read all your tweets and know you are all curious about the ‘gay’ character this season. Let me say, gay or straight, relationships are relationships. Everyone goes through the same kind of troubles and joys. A gay storyline will have an added issue of dealing with judgment from others. Acceptance, by family, friends, society, and self is just one of the concerns the character will be going through. It is a part of life, and it should be portrayed. I was told, and am confident, [that] the storyline will be written very well and the change in the character will be organic, NOT overnight. It’s going to be a great season 3. I look forward to chatting with you all as we progress.”

Gotta love/hate Twitter! (BTW, even though Donovan didn’t actually come out and say Teddy is gay, Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Teddy is gay.

Watch for the premiere of a new 90210 season starting September 13th on The CW.

Jessica Lowndes and Rumer Willis Kiss on 90210

For anyone missing those frisky Beverly Hills teens, 90210 will return with a hot new relationship!

Romance will bloom for Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) and Gia (Rumer Willis) as the two support each other in AA meetings, bond over old movies and share a kiss, all while Adrianna tries to rebound from her breakup with Navid (Michael Steger).

“Adrianna and Gia share a special bond,” Lowndes said. “My character starts questioning whether or not sexuality is measured on a spectrum, if it’s black and white or if it comes down to who you connect with and who you are compatible with. I’m excited as an actress to tell the story.”

Lowndes is also excited to share her voice on the show. Gia will get Adrianna to try out for the lead singer position in The Glorious Steinems, and all-girl band at West Beverly, and all the singing is done by Lowndes herself!

90210 returns March 9th at 8:00 pm (ET) on the CW.

Rob Estes Leaving 90210

Actor Rob Estes is following in his 90210 co-star Jennie Garth's footsteps by announcing he's quitting the show.

The actor, who plays Lori Loughlin's onscreen husband in the Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off, has confirmed he will not return to the next season of the program.

Estes says in a statement, "This is my final season on 90210 and I wish the show, cast and crew nothing but the best. I am looking forward to spending time with my kids and exploring other opportunities."

A representative for TV network CW insists Estes' departure will be explained in an upcoming storyline: "He's a talented actor and we couldn't have asked for (anyone) better. But if fans tune in, they'll understand why Rob's character is leaving."

The announcement comes just days after his co-star Garth decided to quit 90210 to spend time with her three daughters.