Tonight, for the first time* television history, a gay** high school student had his first kiss*** on network television. 

You probably don't watch "Ugly Betty" anymore, so I'm guessing you missed it.  But if you've ever seen the show, it's almost impossible NOT to root for Betty's younger brother Justin Suarez.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to see this scene on prime time TV when I was in junior high or high school.  Gay teen characters simply did not exist.  We were invisible and the absence of our stories in the media was just one more confusing part of growing up.  (Becuase high school wasn't awkward enough already.)

For all the GLBTQ young people who were watching "Ugly Betty" tonight - and for the thousands more who will see this episode online at some point - this was a simple message. 

Our stories are real.  There is nothing to hide.  We are not alone.



NOTE: Sorry about the low quality.  I'll update tomorrow with the link to the full espiode on Hulu.

More after the jump...  Including my notes on * and ** and ***!
Alright, there were a lot of *s in that first sentence, so let's get the disclaimers out of the way:

Since the beginning, Justin has been breaking barries on TV by, well, being pretty gay.  He loves musicals.  He loves fashion.  He gets picked on at school.  (He was even crowned Prom Queen, and graciously accepted - in front of his entire family.)  His mother worries about him, but not because he's gay - because she's worried they're growing apart. 

When I sat down to watch the first episode of "Ugly Betty" on ABC on September 28, 2006, I'd already been reading for weeks about the show for weeks.  It was one of the most highly anticipated new shows that year, with feature articles almost all focuing on the involvement of Executive Producer Salma Hayek.  The show was to be an American version of a worldwide smash - but was the country ready for a show centered around a Latino family?  Would people accept a female main character who was "overweight" and "ugly"? 

NOTE: In practice, "overweight" meant not quite as stick thin as the other series regulars and "ugly" came in the form of braces.  Oh, and a poncho.  GASP!

I was ready for something shallow but entertaining - sort of "Desperate Housewives" meets "The Devil Wears Prada."  But I wasn't expecting, well, nearly everything that the show turned out to be.

I wasn't expecting Vanessa Williams to turn in an Emmy-worthy performance as MODE Magazine editor-in-chief Wilhelmina Slater.

I wasn't expecting Marc and Amanda to turn into the best comic team this side of Jack and Karen.  (That may officially be the gayest sentence ever written.)  If you haven't seen the "MODE After Hours" websiode - and I'm guessing you haven't, stop being productive and check it out right now.  The Google is your friend.

I wasn't expecting Eric Mabius (at that point best known for his two scenes in "Cruel Intentions" as a closeted foorball player) to be able to act.

I wasn't expecting Rebecca Romijn to become a series regular as a transgender character.  (A role that was certainly problematic at times, but also pretty groundbreaking for prime time.

Mostly, I wasn't expecting to fall so totally in love with the entire Suarez family.  The writers managed to both take advantage of and subvert all the expected TV family stereotypes: the over-protective patriarch, the ditzy-pretty single mom/older sister, the obviously-destined-for-great-thigns-as-she-figures-out-how-to-become-an-independent-woman earnest younger sister.  And the probably-but-not-definitely gay kid, who bursts into song on the subway and knows exactly who he is.

Somewhere along the line, I stopped watching "Ugly Betty."  Like most shows, it became more uneven after a strong first season.  But for whatever reason I decided to jump back in for the final season, and I'm glad I did.  It's not the best show on television.  It's always a little campy and a little crazy, but that's part of the fun.

Tonight's episode reminded me that, at its best, television really can have an impact.  There are times we complain about all the gay stereotypes on TV, and sure it gets old after a while.  So it's nice to see a show treat its gay teen character as a character first.  Justin's sexuality is rarely talked about, but it has never been ignored.  It's just one thing that makes him interesting.  It hasn't defined him - and it hasn't defined the stories the writers of "Ugly Betty" have decided to tell about him over the last four years.

Tonight, on network television, Justin Suarez kissed a boy.  First crushes - and first kisses - can be scary for all of us.  Then, when the time is right, we face our fears and hope for the best. 

In some ways, I think I've been waiting to see this moment on television my entire life.  That it was "Ugly Betty" almost doesn't matter.  The scene itself wasn't that dramatic.

The kiss wasn't even a big deal - and that's the most important part.