As the Supreme Court hears arguments on same-sex marriage, shows such as "Will & Grace" (which Vice President Joe Biden said "did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody has ever done") are just one example of the many TV programs featuring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters. Here's a look at some of TV's most memorable LGBT characters:
"Soap's" Jodie Dallas is one of TV's first LGBT characters. Played by Billy Crystal, Dallas was gay but had relationships with women throughout the ABC show's four seasons, which aired during the late '70s and early '80s. Dallas also fathered a child named Wendy.
"Modern Family's" Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) adopted a baby girl named Lily on the sitcom's pilot episode in 2009. The pair made plans to adopt another child during the third season of the show, which currently airs on ABC.
Dr. Callie Torres (Sarah Ramirez) and Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) were married during "Grey's Anatomy's" seventh season in 2011. The pair also have a baby girl they share with her father, Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane).
"True Blood's" Lafayette Reynolds, played by Nelsan Ellis, works as a cook and gay prostitute on the HBO series.
On "Brothers and Sisters," which aired on ABC from 2006 to 2011, Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) proposed to Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane). The pair had two children, Olivia and Daniel.
Wilson Cruz played Rickie Vasquez, a gay 15-year-old, on "My So-Called Life." Despite garnering a cult following, the show only lasted for one season on ABC.
After playing bisexual Alex Kelly on "The O.C.," Olivia Wilde played Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on Fox's "House."
"Happy Endings'" Max Blum, played by Adam Pally, is openly gay. His friends persuade him to come out to his parents during the show's first season.
"Greek's" Calvin Owens, left, played by Paul James, originally struggled to come out to his Omega Chi fraternity brothers on the show, which aired on ABC Family from 2007 to 2011.
A major storyline in "Pretty Little Liars" has been the discovery by Emily (Shay Mitchell) of her sexuality and her coming out to her family.
Gay characters Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) and Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) and lesbian character Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) are some shining stars on Fox's "Glee." The teens deal with bullies, coming out and dating on the musical dramedy.
"Glee" introduced its first transgendered teen character in 2012. "Unique," shown here singing, is played by actor Alex Newell.
Critics hailed the realistic portrayal of the relationship between David Fisher (Michael C. Hall, left) and Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick) on "Six Feet Under."
Michael K. Williams played "The Wire's" Omar Little, a renowned Baltimore criminal. In March, Obama told Bill Simmons that Little is his favorite "Wire" character: "I mean, that guy is unbelievable, right?"
Dr. Callie Torres (Sarah Ramirez) and Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) were married during "Grey's Anatomy's" seventh season in 2011. The pair also have a baby girl they share with her father, Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane).
"True Blood's" Lafayette Reynolds, played by Nelsan Ellis, works as a cook and gay prostitute on the HBO series.
On "Brothers and Sisters," which aired on ABC from 2006 to 2011, Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) proposed to Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane). The pair had two children, Olivia and Daniel.
After playing bisexual Alex Kelly on "The O.C.," Olivia Wilde played Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on Fox's "House."
"Happy Endings'" Max Blum, played by Adam Pally, is openly gay. His friends persuade him to come out to his parents during the show's first season.
"Greek's" Calvin Owens, left, played by Paul James, originally struggled to come out to his Omega Chi fraternity brothers on the show, which aired on ABC Family from 2007 to 2011.
A major storyline in "Pretty Little Liars" has been the discovery by Emily (Shay Mitchell) of her sexuality and her coming out to her family.
Gay characters Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) and Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) and lesbian character Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) are some shining stars on Fox's "Glee." The teens deal with bullies, coming out and dating on the musical dramedy.
"Glee" introduced its first transgendered teen character in 2012. "Unique," shown here singing, is played by actor Alex Newell.
Critics hailed the realistic portrayal of the relationship between David Fisher (Michael C. Hall, left) and Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick) on "Six Feet Under."
Michael K. Williams played "The Wire's" Omar Little, a renowned Baltimore criminal. In March, Obama told Bill Simmons that Little is his favorite "Wire" character: "I mean, that guy is unbelievable, right?"
