Sexuality in Star Trek - LGBT in Star Trek

LGBT in Star Trek

The Pocket Books 1992 guideline for story submission, "How to Submit Creative Material," states: "We are not interested in books that suggest anything other than friendship between Kirk and Spock or any other crewmembers." Except as indicated below, none of the Star Trek films or television series have had any characters officially identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT), nor have there been stories that directly address LGBT rights.

Controversy has surrounded failed attempts to have one of the Star Trek spin-off television series feature LGBT crew members and to air episodes that deal with LGBT-rights. In 1987, series creator Gene Roddenberry stated that there would be gay characters in The Next Generation. What has followed since then has been a controversy, among fans, as to how much of this promise has been fulfilled within the television spinoffs of the Star Trek world. However, LGBT characters and relationships have featured in non-canonical Star Trek spin-off media, including the Paramount licensed Star Trek novel line published by Pocket Books, as well as in a number of unlicensed Star Trek fan productions. The first Star Trek fan film to feature LGBT characters and themes was Star Trek: Hidden Frontier.

Star Trek's original series did not have any explicitly LGBT characters, although in 2005 George Takei, who portrayed helmsman Lt. Hikaru Sulu, became the first major actor on any Star Trek series to come out as gay.

Takei's coming out was followed 6 years later by Zachary Quinto's coming out. Quinto plays the rebooted Spock in the current movie franchise.