My first introduction to a gay fictional character

I was a teenager in the 80's. With influences like Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Erasure (who, IMHO, give the BEST concerts) and the public outing of a few celebrities, I was certainly aware of gay people. Not to trivialize how courageous it is to come out (and it saddens me that it should ever be an ordeal) but I think it's probably easier to do so now than it was 15, 20, 30 years ago. So, to the best of my knowledge at the time, I did not know any gay people personally – I have since...