Start new search
Open AI Mode history
First Gay Kiss in film history - Wings 1927
While the 1927 silent film Wings is widely cited as featuring the first same-sex kiss between men in a mainstream Hollywood movie, the claim requires historical nuance. The scene in question features the film's protagonists, Jack (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) and David (Richard Arlen), sharing a kiss during a tragic deathbed sequence. Although modern audiences often view this as a queer moment, the scene was originally framed as a fraternal gesture of camaraderie between dying soldiers rather than a romantic union.
Wings (1927)
Dickson Experimental (1895)
Morocco (1930)
The Historical Timeline
1
1894-1895
The Dickson Experimental Sound Film
Often cited as the earliest example of same-sex intimacy on film (known colloquially as "The Gay Brothers"). It features two male Edison employees waltzing together while a third plays the violin. Historians debate whether this was a "queer" film or simply a test using available male staff.
Often cited as the earliest example of same-sex intimacy on film (known colloquially as "The Gay Brothers"). It features two male Edison employees waltzing together while a third plays the violin. Historians debate whether this was a "queer" film or simply a test using available male staff.
2
1922
Manslaughter
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, this film contains what is widely considered the first erotic same-sex kiss in cinema history, occurring between two women during a Roman orgy sequence.
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, this film contains what is widely considered the first erotic same-sex kiss in cinema history, occurring between two women during a Roman orgy sequence.
3
1927
Wings
Winner of the first Academy Award for Best Picture. The kiss between Jack and David occurs as David dies in Jack's arms after being shot down. It is a moment of intense emotional intimacy that predates the strict censorship of the Hays Code.
Winner of the first Academy Award for Best Picture. The kiss between Jack and David occurs as David dies in Jack's arms after being shot down. It is a moment of intense emotional intimacy that predates the strict censorship of the Hays Code.
4
1930
Morocco
Marlene Dietrich, dressed in a tuxedo, performs a song and kisses a female audience member on the lips. This is often cited as the first "lesbian kiss" by a leading lady in a Hollywood talkie.
Marlene Dietrich, dressed in a tuxedo, performs a song and kisses a female audience member on the lips. This is often cited as the first "lesbian kiss" by a leading lady in a Hollywood talkie.
Analyzing the Scene in "Wings"
- The Context: The characters are rivals for the same woman, Sylvia. They become friends during WWI training. In the climax, Jack accidentally shoots down David's plane, not realizing who is piloting it.
- The Action: Upon discovering David is the dying pilot, Jack embraces him. David forgives him, and in his final moments, Jack kisses him on the lips/cheek. The scene emphasizes tragedy and forgiveness.
- The Censorship: Because the film was released before the 1930 Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code), it depicted male intimacy in a way that would soon become forbidden. By 1934, such a scene would likely have been cut.
10 sites
Before Brokeback: The First Same-Sex Kiss in Cinema (1927)
Now we rewind the videotape and present the first same-sex kiss in film history (or at least one of the earliest known ones). This Brokeback-before-Brokeback moment took place in the 1927 film Wings — the first and only silent film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Open Culture
Show all
Thinking like a historian, investigate the background of this kiss and give us the context needed to understand it
To understand the kiss in Wings (1927) like a historian, one must separate modern identity politics from 1920s social norms. While often cited today as the first "gay kiss" in Hollywood history, the scene—where Jack (Buddy Rogers) kisses the dying David (Richard Arlen)—was originally crafted and received as a fraternal gesture of grief, not a romantic union. In the context of the "Great War," such intimacy between soldiers was viewed through the lens of the "Eros of Comrades"—a non-sexual, profound bond between men facing death, which had not yet been fully pathologized by the rigid homophobia that would characterize the later Hays Code era.
Visual Evidence: The Contenders
Wings (1927)
Dickson Experimental (1895)
Morocco (1930)
Manslaughter (1922)
.svg)
Historical Investigation: The Context of 1927
The scene in Wings is the climax of a tragic misunderstanding. Jack shoots down a German plane, only to discover the pilot is his best friend, David, who had stolen the enemy aircraft to escape. The kiss occurs as David dies in Jack's arms.
Historians emphasize that in 1927, physical affection between men—especially in military contexts—was socially acceptable and often expected as a sign of loyalty. It was the Production Code (Hays Code), enforced strictly after 1934, that retroactively made such intimacy taboo, forcing male friendships on screen to become more distant and stoic to avoid any "suspicion" of homosexuality. The Soviet Counter-Claim: While Wings holds the Hollywood title, the Soviet film Bed and Sofa (1927), released months earlier, also features a casual kiss between two male soldiers. Unlike the tragic farewell in Wings, this was a depiction of domestic camaraderie, further complicating the timeline of "firsts.".svg)
Timeline of Same-Sex Intimacy on Film
1
1895
The Dickson Experimental Sound Film
The earliest moving image of male intimacy. Two male Edison employees waltz while a third plays violin. Historians debate if this was "queer" or simply a technical test using available staff in an all-male workshop.
The earliest moving image of male intimacy. Two male Edison employees waltz while a third plays violin. Historians debate if this was "queer" or simply a technical test using available staff in an all-male workshop.
2
1922
Manslaughter
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Features the first erotic same-sex kiss (between two women) during a decadent Roman orgy sequence, used to symbolize moral decay rather than romance.
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Features the first erotic same-sex kiss (between two women) during a decadent Roman orgy sequence, used to symbolize moral decay rather than romance.
3
1927
Wings
The first Hollywood feature to show a kiss between men. It won the first Academy Award for Best Picture, proving that such scenes were not controversial at the time but seen as high drama.
The first Hollywood feature to show a kiss between men. It won the first Academy Award for Best Picture, proving that such scenes were not controversial at the time but seen as high drama.
4
1930
Morocco
Marlene Dietrich, dressed in a tuxedo, kisses a female audience member. This was a performative act of transgression that cemented her status as a queer icon.
Marlene Dietrich, dressed in a tuxedo, kisses a female audience member. This was a performative act of transgression that cemented her status as a queer icon.
11 sites
Show all
Dismiss
More input options
Microphone
Upload image
Send