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About Us: History

IN THE LIFE's early team: (L.-R.) John Scagliotti, Pamela Jennings, Kevin McDonough, R. Katherine Brady, and Charles Ignacio.

For most of the history of broadcast television, gay men and lesbians were invisible. If they appeared at all, they were portrayed as effeminate, flamboyant "sissies" or depressed, depraved, dissolute sociopaths. There was no Will & Grace, Queer As Folk or The L Word. Print media wasn't much better. Most news reports focused on sting-operations of bathhouses, clubs, and bars, or on the growing AIDS pandemic.

Throughout the Reagan/Bush era, there were a few positive portrayals, such as Steven Carrington on Dynasty, and the first lesbian kiss on LA Law in 1991. Real gay men and lesbians on television were relegated to the spectacle of daytime talk shows, where they were seen through the lens of pseudo-psychiatry or staged drama. The situation was exacerbated by the AIDS crisis, and what many saw as the Reagan - Bush administrations' criminal negligence in not addressing the tens of thousands of gay men who were infected or dying.

In response, rather than retreating into their closets, gay people came out in force and brought with them energy, creativity and optimism. In this climate, John Scagliotti, producer of Before Stonewall, had a pioneering idea to bring real gay and lesbian faces to television. In pursuit of his vision, Scagliotti gathered friends and colleagues around his kitchen table, literally. The initial concept of IN THE LIFE was as a variety show, a vehicle to represent the diversity of the gay community. First titled Out On TV, the program was finally named IN THE LIFE.

In 1991, armed with only enthusiasm, energy, and a vision, Scagliotti began advertising for staff. Charles Ignacio, who was then working at HBO, responded to an ad in the now defunct magazine Outweek. Together, they searched the television landscape for an outlet that would air this first program by and for the gay community. They found it in public television, with its mandate to reflect diversity in our culture and reach underserved populations.

First funds for the show came from the gay community itself. Through bake sales, flea markets and dance-a-thons, Scagliotti and his friends raised the $10,000 needed to produce the first episode. The idea of having its own TV show excited the community, attracting 1,000 memberships within the first six months of operation. These members did more than just give money; they served as IN THE LIFE's first field "lobbyists," pressuring their local stations to agree to air that first episode.

While gay men and lesbians were thrilled at the prospect of their own show, few politicians and pundits shared their enthusiasm. Even before the first episode aired, IN THE LIFE was denounced from the Senate floor by Sen. Robert Dole (R. -Kansas). "Is this the kind of programming taxpayers and public TV contributors have in mind?" he asked. "It seems that the broadcasting apologists are hiding behind Big Bird, Mr. Rogers and Masterpiece Theatre," Dole charged, "laying down their quality smokescreen while they shovel out funding for gay and lesbian variety shows." Ignoring the fact that IN THE LIFE has never received funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Despite right-wing opposition, IN THE LIFE premiered on six public television stations on June 9, 1992 with comedian Kate Clinton as our first host. The pilot episode featured a diverse group of performers: dancers, comedians, folk singers and even the New York Gay Men's Chorus. Still, the program faced significant resistance from many local public television stations.

Shortly after it premiered, IN THE LIFE was pulled from two stations in response to right-wing objections. North Carolina's WUNC abruptly canceled the program after just one airing. In Pittsburgh, IN THE LIFE was removed before it ever aired. Yet despite prejudice, In the Life made it in some surprising places. Sen. Dole's ravings notwithstanding, it aired in Kansas City. Denver audiences have consistently given IN THE LIFE a strong response, and, in 1993, the program was accepted by the Nebraska PBS affiliate.

In 1993, IN THE LIFE traveled to Washington, DC to document the second March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights. The resulting show was hosted by comedian Lea Delaria, who scandalized many station directors by shouting "I'm a BIG DYKE!" and straddling a gun-turret on the Intrepid. Faced with mixed reviews and anxious to hone its information-as-activism mission, IN THE LIFE soon grew into a behind-the-news-desk public affairs program.

In our third season, it was Stonewall 25 that moved IN THE LIFE out of the studio and onto the streets, where the show found its true calling: on-the-scene reporting of the issues that matter to lesbian and gay audiences, and that ought to matter to everyone else. Coverage of the June 1994 celebration of the1969 Stonewall riots ushered in a one-hour magazine format, with segments on New York's cultural festivals and the athletes around the country gearing up for that year's Gay Games.

Produced at first under the fiscal umbrella of the Media Network, the series matured considerably in its first three years, moving from an independent film production model, with deferred salaries and pro bono work, to operating as a true television show. In 1994, In The Life Media was incorporated and in mid-1995, the organization received 501(c) 3 status, put together a real board of directors, began serious fundraising and made the paychecks reliable, reducing staff turnover.

In the next five years, the effort to reflect the cultural and geographical diversity of the gay and lesbian community became the key to the show's success, but this also meant encountering hostility. Out on the road, the show's camera crew wasn't always welcomed ?their presence having emptied out an autoworkers' union meeting in Detroit, for example.

When anti-gay sentiment runs high, the line between the reporters and their subjects can melt away. "I'll never forget the first Gay Pride March in Helena, Montana," recalled Katherine Linton, IN THE LIFE's host from 1993-2002. "The people marching were so brave because there were so many protesters yelling at them. They were really violent and drunk, and carrying horrible signs. They were driving by, yelling, `We're going to kill you!' and you really felt like they could."

Indeed, the staff recognized the value of giving homophobes just enough rope. Covering grassroots efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii, the show gave time to an antigay Catholic priest and a right-wing member of Congress. We realized the best way to do really responsible activist tele-journalism was to have people speak for themselves. In this way, the show has been able to document the valuable activism of the ordinary life lived honestly and openly.

From an all-volunteer staff in 1992, by 1997 IN THE LIFE had grown to a staff of nine, an annual budget of $750,000 and a national membership of more than 4,000. In addition to the creative funding exemplified in the early years, support grew to include foundations, videotape sales and benefits hosted by, among others, playwright Terrence McNally and author David Sedaris.

By 1998, IN THE LIFE was no longer the only gay and lesbian show on television. Will & Grace became an overnight hit. This opened, if not a floodgate, then certainly a steady stream of queer characters on the small screen. Similarly, the success of network and cable television programs, such as Dawson's Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Queer As Folk and The L Word, with gay, lesbian, bisexual or, transgender characters has increased the depth and range of LGBT characters in the media. The more recent arrival of the two "gay" networks, here! and LOGO, where encore presentations of IN THE LIFE episodes are currently aired, clearly demonstrates the continued demand for IN THE LIFE.

In February of 2000, we teamed with Gay.com, then the world's most visited gay and lesbian website, to offer audio and video-streaming on the Internet. This was IN THE LIFE's first foray into this new medium and the partnership represented the first of its kind in the history of gay and lesbian media.

Today IN THE LIFE can be viewed on our website 24/7 through video-streaming or downloadable podcasts. Not only does web-technology put the viewer in control of what/when/where to watch, IN THE LIFE viewers are no longer hostage to program managers who schedule our show at erratic times or not at all.

IN THE LIFE's 16-year history proves that whatever the story is, we will cover it, and our viewers will be educated, motivated and empowered.