One Lie to Live

Note: This free article is a part of my ongoing series of content in celebration of Pride Month. Pride Month is celebrated each year during the month of June in honor of those who fought for LGBTQ+ rights beginning with the Stonewall Riots in 1969.

Ryan Phillipe as Billy Douglas (One Life to Live 1992)  

Synopsis - One Life to Live 

Homophobia enters Llanview when a vengeful young woman claims that the local Catholic Priest (Father Carpenter) is molesting the new kid in Town (Billy Douglas) a clean, cut, all- American Boy who is harboring a secret that he feels could destroy his life. 

Commentary 

First of all, let us address the fact that they made a story about a young boy struggling to come out of the closet and attached it to a story about the sexual abuse of teenagers by Catholic Priests. They even tied it to the AIDS epidemic having Father Carpenter's own brother having died of the disease and the priest's efforts to bring the AIDS Quilt to Llanview. 

Let me be clear that pedophilia (in this case ephebophilia) and homosexuality are two separate things. However, this story arc aired from 1992 to 1993 when the Catholic Sex Abuse scandals were a hot topic as they received national and international media attention. For this reason, I feel like the story was a reflection of the times when even today many people still assume that homosexuals are pedophiles.  

In the summer of 1992 I was 18 years old, just one year older than the fictional character of Billy Douglas - a groundbreaking character who has gone down in history as the first gay teenager on television. I really identified with Billy because I was going through all the feelings and emotions that he was going through as well. In 1992 I was working second shift (4pm to midnight) in the Springs Cotton Mills so I was able to tune in to OLTV each day and follow Billy's story. 

Although the woman in my family were frequent viewers of Days of Our Lives, I'd never really watched or been interested in soap operas. However. I recall flipping through channels one day looking for something to watch when I came upon the scene where Billy comes out to Father Carpenter, who councils Billy to do what he feels is right for him. After that I watched the show every day to see how Billy's story unfolded. Ultimately, Billy was able to find friends, family, and community who loved and supported him. He even got a cute boyfriend before he character was written off the show in 1993 when Billy left town to attend Yale University. 

I think that it was appropriate that this story was broadcast on a television show called One Life to Live. Many closeted gay people often feel like they are living a double life. - one being the life where they try to be what everyone expects them to be and another life in which they are able to be who they really are. I am glad that Billy got the happy ending he deserved when many gay characters are hidden, made the villain of the story,  or end up insane or even dead (by murder or suicide). 

Billy's story arc taught me coming out isn't always easy, but it's always worth it. 

- Carolina