As iconic British soap EastEnders celebrates its whopping 40th anniversary, we thought it only appropriate to take a walk down memory lane and spotlight some great examples of LGBTQ+ representation in the history of the show. Did we tell you we also can’t wait for the upcoming live episode? Let’s go!

An interracial lesbian marriage
Did the coupling of Suki and Eve tick all the boxes? Fans of the UK soap have watched the pairing come together and fall in love in a bit of a slow burner. Initially growing close as friends throughout 2022, the couple shared a powerful kiss, and it all grew from there. In 2023, the couple became engaged and, in 2024, went on to have EastEnders‘ first-ever lesbian, interracial marriage! Their landmark wedding was an exciting climax to almost three years of “Will she? Won’t she?”. Now, let’s just hope the couple will have a happy ever after in the rest of the series.

Take a look at Suki and Eve’s wedding BTS to see how it was all put together in a week – featuring an exciting stunt as well as Balvinder and Navin’s final scene together! #EastEnders pic.twitter.com/iAfeP3vsg3

— BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) January 2, 2025

Trans representation
The historic wedding of Suki and Eve was certainly not the first example of LGBTQ+ representation for EastEnders. In 2015, the legendary soap introduced the character of Kyle Slater (Yes, those Slaters!), the first trans male character played by trans actor Rylie Carter Millington. This was a history-making casting for not only EastEnders but for British soap television as a whole. The character of Kyle would go on to be nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2016 TV Choice Awards before departing the soap later that year. British media heavily praised the inclusion of Kyle, but not all press was good press. The soap received “a barrage of transphobic abuse” following the announcement of the casting, as EastEnders Producer Dominic Treadwell Collins told PinkNews at the time. Overall, it was another huge step toward trans representation and inclusivity in the media.

398 // Kyle Slater
Played by Riley Carter Millington, 2015-2016

The whole second family twist was always stupid, and I didn’t feel like Kyle added anything to the show once he arrived. He was a pure novelty, sad as that is to say.#EastEnders #EastEndersCountdown #EE40 pic.twitter.com/YRtKnMsZxU

— AJ (@LikeATattoooooo) January 11, 2025

Muslim queer character
Christian and Syed was a pairing that caused quite a stir when they began to fall in love back in 2009. Syed came from a devout Muslim family and was initially in a relationship with then-girlfriend Amira. As Christian and Syed started to fall in love, a completely new dynamic was introduced in the BBC soap, with then executive producer Dierdrick Santer stating, “EastEnders always tries to reflect modern life in multicultural Britain and (tell) social issue stories relevant to (its) diverse audience”. The couple would also have their onscreen happy ending, departing into the sunset in 2015, having made TV history.

manifesting a christian and syed return 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/NAqhu7v69T

— kim loves phil mitchell (@tbykim) February 17, 2024

Living with HIV
Now we know that the character of Mark Fowler was heterosexual, introduced as a series regular from the inception of the soap, but later on, it was revealed that he was living with HIV. This made him the first mainstream soap character to be diagnosed with HIV and helped raise awareness about the virus at a time when public knowledge was scarce. The importance of such representation in popular TV cannot be understated, with audiences getting a glimpse into the real-life implications of living with HIV, such as social fear, isolation, discrimination and even violence. In 2023, the soap introduced another storyline on HIV, with Zack Hudson’s character receiving news that he was positive. Sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust reported observing a 75% increase in traffic to the HIV content on their website after the episode aired.

2023 and #EastEnders continues to tell these stories with care and accuracy.
Zack Hudson’s HIV diagnosis reflects the realities of living with HIV today but also highlights the tremendous advancements that mean people on effective treatment cannot pass the virus on. pic.twitter.com/ta8XbJiP4w

— Martyn Butler OBE (@Martyn_Butler) February 17, 2025

These are only a few examples of LGBTQ+ representation in EastEnders, with the soap being known for breaking ground on some of the most talked-about social issues of the time. EastEnders Live! airs on Thursday, February 20, and the series is streaming on BBC iPlayer.