How gay teenagers took over TV

In the US viewers have been weeping as they watched Justin Suarez, Ugly Betty's lovable teenage nephew, finally come out. It's been a long, four-season wait for American fans – and in the UK the episode won't be screened until later in the year. But in between Justin hitting our screens, and finally coming to terms with his sexuality, there has been a clutch of similar plots; from the love story between Skin's lesbian teens Emily and Naomi, to Kurt coming out in Glee, Gossip Girl's gay character Eric, and most recently Emmerdale's gay teen Aaron and Coronation Street's lesbian schoolgirls.

So is this a landmark moment? Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell thinks so, hailing it as "a sign of the huge social progress we've made". Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, isn't sure. "Broadcasters are being more liberal, yes, but I think the main reason is, sadly, more about commercial reality than high-minded principles. It's a trend."

And the trend is firmly for teens. While EastEnders' ongoing ménage a trois between Christian and married Syed has been praised for tackling an inter-racial relationship, plots among gay adults just aren't as common. By placing the focus on a teenager coming out, writers avoid having to show them engaging in actual sexual relationships.

Yet it's hard to argue that anything which brings such an abundance of great, diverse gay teenage characters on to our screens can be a bad thing.