The original Queer as Folk was created in the U.K. How two versions of Queer as Folk were made Peacock’s reboot of Queer as Folk was released on June 9th. While the concept of “representation in media” is often paid ineffectual lip service, Queer as Folk was the real, ridiculous, sexy, messy, multi-faceted thing. and U.K., and provided many young queer people’s first exposure to gayness not framed as either a mildly interesting sideshow attraction alongside a straight person’s “real story,” or an abject tragedy. Queer as Folk also contributed to broader shifts in public sentiment toward the queer community in both the U.S. In doing so, it had a significant part in setting the stage for other quintessential queer dramas, including The L Word, the L Word reboot ( Generation Q ), Glee, Genera+ion, and even, yes, Euphoria.
So often called “ground-breaking” that the description might start to sound trite if it weren’t also true, Queer as Folk put gay people and queer storylines front and center in a way that even other media of the time prominently featuring gay characters, like Will & Grace, had yet to do.
