It has been eighteen years since the premiere of the Showtime hit series Queer as Folk (an Americanized remake of the British series of the same name).

 

It lasted for five seasons, and featured Michael (Hal Sparks) and his circle of friends -- Brian (Gale Harold), Emmett (Peter Paige), Ted (Scott Lowell), Justin (Randy Harrison), Lindsay (Thea Gill), Melanie (Michelle Clunie) and proud momma Debbie (Sharon Gless) -- as they struggled to live their lives faced with bigotry, love and love lost, drugs, and lots of sex.

 

The original cast members got together with Entertainment Weekly to talk about the groundbreaking series. 

 

“We saw it as an opportunity to address a lot of issues that had never been shown on American TV before,” executive producer Ron Cowen said. “That was very important to us because we, gay people, didn’t really see a true reflection of ourselves on TV very often. Back then, you couldn’t get married. There was Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the Army. In 14 states, there were still sodomy laws on the books. It was a very hostile atmosphere.”

 

Unlike other shows, Queer as Folk never shied away from exploring and actually showing the sex lives of its characters

 

“I can tell you what everyone here’s genitals look like,” Harrison joked. “I won’t, but I could.”

 

“I think the sexuality -- and the honesty of that sexuality -- propelled us throughout the whole series," Gill added.

 

 

“We thought the major backlash would be from right-wing religious people, but we never heard a word,” explained Cowen. “The show received criticism from gay people and gay organizations, but they never said we weren’t telling the truth. As we often said, ‘If you don’t like the reflection you see in the mirror, don’t blame the mirror.’”

 

The “Queer As Folk” reunion is featured in Entertainment Weekly‘s special LGBT issue for Pride month.

 

Check out some of the reunion in the video below (note: it takes a few seconds after hitting play to start).