ENRIQUE "RICKIE" VASQUEZ as portrayed by Wilson Cruz on My So Called Life (1994-1995).
Rickie was perhaps the first young gay person of color -- any color -- I saw on screen. This was a BIG DEAL because he felt immediately close to me, he felt real in ways that others couldn't since they were adults. And, the overall angsty tone of the series resonated with my so-called adolescent self. I didn't realize at the time, but the show only had one season, and was first run on ABC. But I remember watching on MTV. Some of yall will split hairs on what is "Black", but let's not forget there is indeed a diaspora, and Black folk were taken from the continent of Africa and dropped all over the Americas. .