Soaps are failing LGBTQ+ viewers. With four network soaps, all of which have been airing for decades, the dearth of representation of LGBTQ+ storylines is disappointing at best. Looking back at queer storylines over the years, soaps seem to be moving backward, not forward, from some groundbreaking characters and storylines that debuted decades ago tolittle if any representationnow.Soaps have always had a complicated relationship with gay and lesbian characters. (Trans characters are fairly new to the soap landscape.) Often, characters are introduced only to have their queerness questioned, or they exist in isolation with no one to share their queer identity, regardless of how large their town may be. In some instances, plots have shattered gay and lesbian relationships in truly awful ways that have ruined the characters lives and resulted in them ostensibly being de-gayed: What has happened to them is too awful for them to consider being in a relationship again. And then the character fades away or just their gayness does.Thats what happened to one of the most iconic lesbian soap characters, Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) on ABCs All My Children. Bianca the daughter of the shows main character, Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and came out to her mother on Dec. 22, 2000 in a storyline widely touted as groundbreaking.But Biancas path did not run smoothly. First, the writers had her violently sexually assaulted and she became pregnant with her rapists baby, which she decided to keep. Then several years and a couple of complicated and damaging relationships later one of her lovers was murdered she was getting married in Connecticut (before marriage equality) to the love of her life, Reese Williams (Tamara Braun), with whom she had another child. But it was revealed that Reese had had a one-night stand with a man and the marriage was annulled. Bianca did seemingly have a happy ending when AMC concluded in 2011 as she was dating Marissa Tasker (Sarah Glendening) but in Prospect Parks short-lived 2013 online revival of the soap, Marissa was revealed to have died off-screen.Why couldnt Bianca just have a happily ever after for five minutes?As the World Turns inaugurated the first gay male kiss in daytime between Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) and Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann) on Aug. 17, 2007. The kiss made Luke and Noah the first gay male super couple on daytime television. The duo were named one of televisions top power couples by TV Guide and one of the great super couples by Entertainment Weekly.But all good gay things must end and Luke and Noahs relationship concluded with Noahs homophobic father trying to kill Luke, then Noah marrying a young Iraqi refugee to help her stay in the country and a series of other crises that include Lukes drinking and Noah still trying to come to terms with his gayness till the couple breaks up.Throughout the aughts and 2010s, there have been a series of gay male couplings on CBSsDays of Our Lives,a gay male couple onOne Life to Live,lesbian relationships onThe Bold and the Beautifuland Guiding Light and a gay male couple onGeneral Hospital.The Young and the Restlesseven had a brief gay male storyline with Victor Newmans (Eric Braeden) son, Adam (Michael Muhney), who was playing gay to get help from another man. But that died the quick death it deserved. And B&B had a brief and fraught trans storyline in 2015 when it introduced Maya Avant (Karla Mosley). Maya wasrevealed to be a trans womantwo years into her debut on the series.All these major front-burner stories took place a decade or more ago. Now, withGLAAD notingrecord representation in primetime, why is daytime lacking LGBTQ stories?On GH, Kristina (Kate Mansi) has been out as bisexual-now-lesbian for years in abusive relationships with both men and women and was even helming an LGBTQ+ center.In 2024, she became involved with Latina singer Blaze (Jacqueline Grace Lopez) and was caught in a scandal caused by Blazes homophobic mother, all while being a surrogate for her sister, Molly (Kristen Vaganos).Kristina had decided to keep the baby and raise her with Blaze when she nearly died in a freak fall out a window. The fall killed the baby and her relationship with Blaze, who left town to go on tour while Kristina grieved alone.Also on GH, Lucas (now played by Van Hansis of ATWT super couple fame) has returned, and his ex-husband Brad (Parry Shen) is trying to win him back. But Lucas isnt dating. Hes told Brad he doesnt want to get back with him, and his gayness is on the back burner to his work as a surgeon at the hospital.GH also has the sole trans character in daytime. Cassandra James plays Dr. Terry Randolph, chief of staff at GH. James is the first transgender actress to play a transgender character in a soap opera. While there is a wealth of opportunity for story here, especially as Terry is friends with Brad and also has a sexy Russian boyfriend, she is mostly recurring, with few in-depth scenes and none that address her transness. Couldnt she have been a spokesperson for Kristinas center?Y&R has a lesbian couple, Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) and Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks). In May 2022, the couple became the first to have asame-sex weddingon the show. The duo is the sole lesbian couple in daytime.And how is it possible that B&B, the show about the fashion industry which is also one of the top exports globally, has never had a gay storyline when so many top designers are gay? B&B is the most-watched soap opera in the world, with an estimated 300 million viewers daily and shown in over 100 countries across five continents.In 2025, LGBTQ+ viewers deserve better representation and its confounding that there were more pivotal, groundbreaking and front-burner storylines for queer and trans viewers 20 years ago than there are now. How and when will this change?The post Why arent soap operas more gay? appeared first on News Is Out.