GuysLikeU celebrate the people, cultural moments and events that shaped our lives.
There have been many great people and iconic moments that have inspired and changed the way gay, lesbian and transgender people live their day-to-day lives. And while the likes of Oscar Wilde, Alan Turing and Harvey Milk have been honoured many many times before, we decided to tip our hats at the folks, shows, films and cultural moments that have made us the boys and girls we are today!
First up, we take a look at the mighty Dynasty, the trashy 80s TV drama that focused on the extraordinary lives and loves of the super rich Carrington family!
Best known for its insane storylines and edge-of-seat cliffhangers – which included terrorists running amock with machine guns at a royal wedding, evil lookalikes trying to con the Carringtons out of their fortune not to mention an alien abdication in the show’s short-lived spin off series The Colbys – it was the most talked about show of the 80s.
We gays absolutely loved the show, drawn to it like moths to a lamp, savouring the quippy catty one-liners, dazzled by the sparkly gowns and dumbstruck by the energetic catfights.
Star of the show was acting legend Joan Collins DBE, who played the wicked bitch Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter who connived and manipulated everyone around her and yet still had time to pour herself into a lush gown and throw herself into a series of ridiculous cat fights in hotel foyers and lily ponds!
Dynasty also made history by being the first mainstream US soap to feature a gay character in a lead role. The character of Steven Carrington was played first by Al Corley and later by Jack Coleman. However, as the series progressed, Steven ended up ditching boyfriends for trashy vixen Sammy Jo, played by the brilliantly campy Heather Locklear!
But the gayest thing about the show – aside from the sassy, catty one-liners – has to be the fact it boasted a budget of $1million an episode for costumes alone, which were designed by legendary designer Mr Nolan Miller.
The entire nine series are available on DVD. But if you want to catch potential camp classics in 2016, try Empire and E! channel’s nonsensical The Royals, which, coincidentally, stars our Joan!
Season nine finale – Alexis and Dexter crash over the balcony.
Massacre at the Moldavian Wedding
Alexis and Dominique have a vicious catfight
Krystle has a catfight with herself!
The best of Alexis