Queer as Folk (2000-2005). Photo Credit: Showtime
Showing a same-sex couple as parents, and their realistic struggles
Despite being groundbreaking for their realistic, hyper-sexualized sex scenes and nudity from both male and female cast members, Queer as Folk was about more than just sex. On the show’s series premiere, we meet Melanie and Lindsay, a committed lesbian couple, and Lindsay just gave birth to the couple’s first child.
Lindsay and Melanie were mainly seen as the more domesticated, “boring” couple compared to the wild, party-crazy gay men, but they helped the show navigate some important storylines. First, the idea of them having a child together in the first place was practically unheard of on television. They also opted to have one of their gay friends — the sex-addicted Brian — be the sperm donor. Over the next few seasons, we got to see all three of them navigate the trials and tribulations of parenthood just like any other family would, but also with issues surrounding adoption and parental rights for LGBTQIA+ partners.
Due to the fact that they weren’t legally married, for example, Melanie had less rights over her son than Brian did, and he was hardly in the child’s life. They also faced judgment from others being gay parents, even from their own families. Years before Modern Family had Cam and Mitchell experiencing domestic situations as a gay couple, Melanie and Lindsay were paving the way, but unlike on the ABC sitcom, the lesbian couple was also able to be openly affectionate with each other (proved by many graphic sex scenes).
Lindsay and Melanie faced more than just parenting struggles during the run of the show, but more on that later. They weren’t the only characters to dabble in parenthood, either.