June is Pride Month, the time when across the U.S and the world there are celebrations and commemorations to recognize all who identify as LGBTQ and their allies.

Daytime soap operas have had a rocky road when it comes to the representation of same-sex couples.  The soaps have been at one time leaders in portraying key social issues of our time, as well as treading lightly on other subjects, as to its concerns to ‘turn-off’ its core audiences.

When you look back at the groundbreaking first same-sex weddings, and the first gay kiss, the soaps have come far in some ways in their representations of gay characters, but there is always work to be done to serve and to shed light on the under-represented.

As we reflect back to the then and the now, which LGBTQ soap supercouple remains your favorite and had made a lasting impact? Let’s take a look at four duos who captivated many viewers.

Nuke  – Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer – As the World Turns

Van Hansis (Luke) and Joel Silbermann (Noah) were a key part of the evolution of, and representation of LGBTQ character on the soaps.  ‘Nuke’, as they were known as, became the first gay male soap couple to share an on-screen kiss back in 2007.  ATWT also became known as the first soap to depict a fully realized romantic male couple as an integral part of the show.  There was plenty of backlash along the way for the long-awaited kiss to happen, but when it did, the show moved forward to tell their love story.

Otalia – Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera Aitoro – Guiding Light

When Crystal Chappell (Olivia) and Jessica Leccia (Natalia) began to play the love story of Otalia, they had to show their affection by a kiss on the head, or holding hands.  It took quite some time for GL to move forward to have two women, two moms, no less, share a lip lock. The complicated love story featured Natalia being conflicted to face her true romantic feelings for Olivia, because of her value system and religions upbringing, and that made this all the more riveting and frustrating at the same time.  In the end, the rabid fan base for this duo was so great that Chappell wound up creating her own series, Venice, to honor and serve them, remaining one of the LGBTQ communities greatest allies.

Kish – Kyle Lewis and Oliver Fish – One Life to Live

In 2009, One Life to Live’s Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell) was an out lab tech in Llanview, who back in college had a relationship with Officer Oliver Fish (Scott Evans).  It imploded when Oliver denied he was gay.  For years, Oliver remained in the closet, before finally coming out to himself and Kyle.

Kish had been a big success with the media and One Life’s gay audience. LGBTQ-advocacy groups honored the couple and the story.  However, Kish was cut short when the network felt that the data showed that the storyline was not resonating with the show’s core audience.

WilSon – Will Horton and Sonny Kiriakis – Days of our Lives

Days of our Lives delivered daytime’s first-ever gay male wedding in 2014, between Will (then played by Guy Wilson) and Sonny (then played by Freddie Smith).

In an interview with EW, Days of our Lives executive producer, Ken Corday shared on the union, “Will and Sonny have been together for a while and it was the natural progression of their love story. We didn’t feel like there was anything we could or couldn’t do, we treated them like any other couple on the canvas and continued to grow their romance as such.”

In addition, the coming out story of Will Horton was critically praised and noteworthy for the performances of Chandler Massey, who won three Daytime Emmys for his work in the Outstanding Younger Actor category 2012, 2013 and 2014.  Freddie Smith also won in the same category in 2015.  Will has been played over the years by Chandler Massey and Guy Wilson, while Sonny has been portrayed by Freddie Smith and Zach Tinker.

There have been several other key LGBTQ couples throughout the course of daytime history including All My Children’s Bianca (Eden Riegel) and Reese (Tamara Braun). These two characters were involved in the first same-sex lesbian wedding on daytime. Problem was … Reese kissed Zach (Thorsten Kaye) before the wedding, making this infuriating for viewers at home.

Other notable LGBTQ couples through the years have included: Bianca and Maggie on All My Children, Mariah and Tessa of The Young and the Restless played bv Camryn Grimes and Cait Fairbanks, Maya and Rick on The Bold and the Beautiful, Lucas and Brad on General Hospital and others.

Which couple do you think has had the most lasting impact on the history of LGBTQ representation on daytime soap operas? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

The hottest young duo on daytime drama these days belongs to General Hospital.  The couple known as ‘Sprina’ played by Nicholas Chavez (Spencer) and Tabyana Ali (Trina), is being given plenty of non-stop intrigue and drama and romance, much to the delight of their fans, who just can’t get enough of them.

In the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest on newsstands everywhere Friday, Chavez and Ali weigh-in on all the latest developments and recent airshows including: the reading of Victor’s will, what to do about Esme and baby Ace, the action-adventure scenes in ‘Greenland’ and the Haunted Star, and most notably, that emotional leap from Trina into Spencer’s arms when he turned up alive!

Ali told SOD on her preparation for the moment: “I did a couple of jumps and held a baby, and that was about it!”

Courtesy/ABC

Chavez added, “That is my favorite ‘Sprina’ scene, Spencer is walking toward Trina and Trina breaks into a full sprint towards him, jumps into his arms and they kiss.  I’ve always wanted to do a moment like that, you know what I mean?” Ali said, “I really loved that scene, too. It was just so fulfilling.”

When addressing what each of them would like to say to their lively and constant fan base, Tabyana expressed; “I would just say we love you, we appreciate you, thank you for all of your support and thank you for not only being fans, but turning into family.”

Nick added, “I co-sign all of that. Every single word.”

Photo: ABC

So, if you are a ‘Sprina” fan, what makes this couple so special and swoon-worthy for you? What do you hope happens next for Trina and Spencer in story? Let us know in the comment section below.

On Wednesday’s episode of General Hospital, Trina (Tabyana Ali) opened the DNA test results that would conclude who is her actual bio-dad. Would it be the man who raised her, Taggert (Réal Andrews) or, the man she more recently has come to know, Curtis (Donnell Turner)?

At GH, Marcus, Curtis and Portia (Brook Kerr) gather to learn the results.  It turns out that Curtis is Trina’s biological father, not Marcus.

However, are these results, correct? Are DNA results ever correct on soaps? Did Selina Wu (Lydia Look) have something to do with switching these in favor of Curtis? Are we digging into this too much?

After the revelation, Trina tells Curtis. they will need to take some time need to figure out their relationship.  Trina makes it clear she’s not looking for a replacement father, and hopes he can understand and accept that.  Curtis promises he will let Trina take the lead on things.

Meanwhile, Taggert, who promised Trina no matter what happens that nothing will change between them, decides to take off and breaks down in the elevator.  Marcus is devastated and in tears, and is left using the elevator as a punching bag for his fists.

You can watch the final moments of the scene, featuring a heart-tugging performance by Réal Andrews below.

Now let us know, are you glad Trina’s bio-dad turned out to be Curtis and not Marcus … or were you hoping it would turn out the other way around? Share your thoughts in the comment section. 

“You could do worse having two dads” – watch an emotional Marcus breaking down in the elevator 😭💔 #GH #Sprina pic.twitter.com/OzejZKpsjm

— Panagiota Petrakos (@PamPetrakos) May 31, 2023