My LGBT Hero: Russell T Davies

Russell T Davies
Screenwriter

When I was a teenager, slowly coming to term with my sexuality, a controversial new TV show hit our TV screens where all the lead characters were gay people: Queer as Folk had arrived.

I used to turn on the TV in my bedroom sneakily at night in order to watch this eye-opening TV show.  I grew up in a small south coast village and knew no gay people, so to follow the story of 15-year-old Nathan in the gay clubs of Manchester’s Canal Street opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed. In my dark bedroom, with the volume only on one bar, I was transported to a hedonistic northern gay scene. It was like nothing I had ever seen on TV before. Queer as Folk introduced me to gay culture and adult experiences which I had so desperately wanted to find out more about, but never knew how.

The man behind this revolutionary open and frank TV show is my LGBT Hero: Russell T Davies, one of the most influential gay men in today’s media.  Along with Queer as Folk, Davies’ CV credits him with shows such as The Second Coming, Casanova, and the holy BBC sci-fi trinity: Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. First aired in 1999, Queer as Folk couldn’t have been timed any better. LGBT equality high on the agenda in Parliamentary discussions at the time; coincidentally, the show’s series premiere coincided with the House of Lords’ discussion on a Bill that was to become the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, which reduced the age of consent for homosexual couples to 16.

Even with complaints to Ofcom, disapproval from outspoken conservative activists and controversy from show sponsors, the show went on to be a huge hit with over 3.5 million views; it also broke the transatlantic barrier with great success.  Queer as Folk USA ran for five seasons.

Davies’ work has always had a strong sense of gay themes and characters, most recently with Torchwood‘s lead Captain Jack Harkness being openly bisexual. Davies intertwines LGBT relationships alongside both his fantasy and real-life dramas.  His works have helped educate people and break stereotypes. He has created high profile role models in the media for gay people of all ages to look up to.  For all of that, he has to be my LGBT Hero.