Posted in: ABC, Paramount+, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: ABC, mtv, my so called life, star trek: discovery, Wilson Cruz

My So-Called Life, Discovery Star Cruz Talks LGBTQ+ Activism & More

Actor Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery) on his LGBTQ support growing up & activism, and reliving his pioneering moment on My So-Called Life.

Wilson Cruz is accustomed to having to fight for his seat at the table, not only as a gay actor but also as an LGBTQ+ activist in a never-ending political battle. The Star Trek: Discovery star was already a pioneer on ABC's My So-Called Life, playing Enrique "Ricky" Vasquez, the first teen character to come out on television. While the actor was part of a watershed moment in pop culture history, it was a long way from his humbling roots growing up in Southern California.

"I don't even know what it was like not to be bullied," Cruz told Variety. "I was called f**** every day. It got to the point where I didn't even hear it anymore." The actor was fortunate to be surrounded by nurturing support from other LGBTQ students and faculty. "I went to high school in the late '80s and early '90s before there were gay-straight alliances. The only way I got through school was with my best friends –- the other four gays kids I knew at school. I know because I had them in my life that I had a sounding board and that there was someone who could reflect back on my own experience and make me feel like I was not not normal. They saved my life. We saved each other's lives."

Cruz became active in GLSEN, an organization that works to make schools safe for LGBTQ students and educators for over 30 years. He has been active with the group for more than a decade, currently in the chair role of the board. "Every student should have the ability to have the best experience in school where they can learn the most and feel the most supported," he said. "They shouldn't have to feel like they have to get out of there as soon as they can and by the skin of their teeth. If you believe that our schools are the place that our students need to feel the safest, this is the organization you need to be supporting." For more on Cruz's work in the organization, you can check out the report here.

There were dramatic differences between how Hollywood treated LGBTQ characters at the time of My So-Called Life and having a closeted character as Cruz's Ricky come out than what is accepted today from the start with Cruz's Dr. Hugh Culber who's already established in a relationship with Anthony Rapp's Paul Stamets on Discovery. Rolling Stone released an excerpt from Thea Glassman's book "Freaks, Gleeks & Dawson's Creek" about Cruz's character's moment in the series finale "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities," directed by Elodie Keene and written by Winnie Holzman.

The final episode would break television ground during a conversation between Rickie and Delia. Rickie knows Delia likes him and decides to bite the bullet and ask her out. Only, she's pretty certain that he's gay, which she gently asks him about. Moses sent me the script, with her carefully marked notes for each line in the scene, which you can see on the next page.

This was the first time a teen had ever come out on television. Holzman, Keene, [Marshall] Herskovitz, and [Edward] Zwick were determined to get that moment right. Keene had directed the first network kiss between two women on L.A. Law, and she knew how significant something like this could be. After that L.A. Law episode aired, total strangers came up to Keene at parties and asked: "Do you have any idea what you've done for our community?"

Herskovitz and Zwick had already had their own share of battles with ABC over a same-sex scene they shot on thirtysomething. Executives were OK with two men being in bed together but definitely not OK with them kissing. Five years later, Herskovitz could feel the culture changing — at least a little bit. This time there was no pushback from ABC higher-ups.

They shot that coming-out scene fifteen or sixteen times. At one point, when Cruz said the line, "Yeah, I'm gay," he flicked the pencil he was holding out

My So-Called Life ran for two seasons and also starred Claire Danes, Bess Armstrong, Devon Gummersall, Jared Leto, A.J. Langer, Devon Odessa, Lisa Wilholt, and Tom Irwin. You can check out the rest of the excerpt here. "Freaks, Gleeks & Dawson's Creek" is currently available in bookstores.

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