Fifty years ago, when homosexuality was illegal, Australians embraced sexual diversity on their TV. Leading characters were given gay story lines and those shows won the ratings. Having leading gay men, transgender and lesbian characters made your series popular and successful.
Every queer milestone happened on TV here, before the rest of the world, and Australian audiences embraced, loved and accepted it.
This is an UNTOLD story of our ability to lead the way by broadcasting groundbreaking TV.
In the 1970s, there were more LGBTQ characters on Aussie TV than the rest of the world combined.
Our originals weren't niche or one-off programs, buried outside prime time, they were TV's highest rating shows, screening 5 nights a week.
To put it in perspective while Americans were making safe family fare like The Brady Bunch and The Waltons, Australian TV was smashing taboos in hit shows like Number 96, The Box and Prisoner.
Even drag was mainstream here before the rest of the world. Several decades before Priscilla hit cinemas, Sydney showgirl Carlotta was already a household name. Carlotta was a transgender actor playing a transgender character on Number 96. That was a staggering 22 years before this type of authentic casting would be embraced by UK and US producers.
Tv historian Andrew Mercado explains: As a teenager growing up in the 70s, it is impossible to overstate how important this representation was. Television showed me who I could be. We'll hear from other well known identities to discover how TV impacted their coming of age, pride and success. The stories are diverse and powerful providing compelling evidence that representation is powerful!
Today, gay icons like Courtney Act, Kylie Minogue, Josh Thomas and Hannah Gadsby are known all over the world. So let's look back and investigate the trailblazers who paved the way for them.