'All in the Family' Was the First Show to Take on Gay
In its earliest days, one of the controversial topics 'All in the Family' tackled was Archie Bunker's view of gay representation. Back when I was growing up, All in the Family was tough for me. Every block of weekday afternoon cartoons segued into an early evening of syndicated sitcom reruns. Here's How 'All In The Family' Depicted Gender Nonconformity
Steve, a masculine ex–professional football player, was the first gay male character to appear on a sitcom, and likely the first gay man many Americans had seen represented on television. The all-American character stirred controversy. Carey was born in Hackensack, New Jersey. One of his earliest roles was at Lt. Philip Carey
On February 9, , just five episodes into All in the Family ’s first season, “Judging Books by Covers” turned Archie Bunker’s anger toward gay men — or as he calls them many times throughout the episode, fags. Watching this episode in , I was surprised how many times Carroll O’Connor’s character uses that word, even understanding that using slurs for any given group is. All In The Family premiered on January 12, , and by the end of the year would become the most watched television show in the United States. Steve, a masculine ex—professional football player, was the first gay male character to appear on a sitcom, and likely the first gay man many Americans had seen represented on television. 
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TODAY IN QUEER TV HISTORY ALL IN THE FAMILY: "Judging Books by Covers" - 2/9/, CBS The first openly gay character ever on a U.S. sitcom appeared 50 years ago today on ALL IN THE FAMILY. Join the HuffPost Community. Membership connects you to a movement of readers who believe good journalism builds a better world.
FLASHBACK
Philip Carey (born Eugene Joseph Carey, July 15, February 6, ) [1] [2] appeared as Steve, an old buddy of Archie's who comes out of the closet as gay in the Season 1 episode of All in the Family titled "Judging Books by Covers". .
All in the Family
CBS’ “ All in the Family ” was ahead of its time when it introduced a gender-nonconforming character ― and an inclusive plotline that unfolded over three episodes ― in Unfortunately, the character’s fate was not so radical. In the latest installment of his “Culture Cruise. . 
'All In The Family' Introduced A Relatable Queer Character
It was the late, visionary producer Norman Lear who broke the boundary of portraying an out gay man on television who wasn't a stereotype. That was in an early episode of "All in the Family" during its first season. When asked if including gay topics and other social issues to his sit-coms, the late visionary producer Norman Lear was clear-eyed: "If a couple thousand years of Judeo-Christian. .
Gayest Episode Ever
A year-old episode of the CBS sitcom featured Beverly La Salle, an empowered drag character, writer Matt Baume notes in his "Culture Cruise" series. .