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June Lockhart, best known for her roles in Lassie and Lost in Space, passed away on October 23, 2025, at the age of 100. As the tributes honor her lengthy career, numerous others are also recalling an important moment in 1970 that demonstrated her allyship with the LGBTQ+ community. Well before open discussions of sexuality were prevalent, Lockhart addressed live television to champion gay and lesbian individuals.
In an era when most celebrities steered clear of such subjects, Lockhart's actions were not only rare but also courageous. She voiced support for equality in an era when public opinion was not common. Her statements would come to define one of the earliest television's most honest demonstrations of allyship.
June Lockhart's very direct, yet plain-spoken, message expressed her sense that all people deserve respect. Her words, spoken well more than five decades ago, are today being seen as a model of early affirmation of the LGBTQ+ community on mainstream American television.
June Lockhart's 1970 Virginia Graham show moment
In 1970, June Lockhart appeared on The Virginia Graham Show with the Reverend Troy Perry. Perry founded the Metropolitan Community Church, an open-arms church for gay and lesbian Christians. This conversation occurred just a year after that infamous Episode 1 of Season One, marked by the Stonewall Riots, a turning point in the gay rights struggle in America.
Virginia Graham, the host of the show, made a few statements about homosexuality from conservative perspectives at that time during the interview. Lockhart, sitting beside her, interjected to come to the defense of gay people.
She was paraphrased as follows: “If you haven’t lived it, don’t moralize about it.”
Her firm yet peaceful assertion sent shockwaves among the viewers and the host. This was one of the early incidents where a popular public figure came to the defense of LGBTQ+ rights on live television. Lockhart's words were sympathetic when public sentiment was still firmly against the community.
The legacy of her support
The TV moment wasn’t June Lockhart’s last public defense of Reverend Perry, nor was it the LGBTQ+ community's. Over the decades that followed, Lockhart continued to demonstrate her commitment to equality. In 2005, she helped dedicate a Southern California housing complex for elderly gay and lesbian residents. Her being there indicated that her beliefs hadn't changed.
The historian and media scholar later described her 1970 statement as an early example of allyship in Hollywood. Steven Capsuto, author of Alternate Channels, said moments like these cleared the way for more varied and positive depictions of LGBTQ+ characters on television.
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June Lockhart’s humble activism was just one of many signs of progress in the film business. Today, her words are remembered as a reminder that it doesn’t take much to make a difference. It was brave of her to say it on live TV, even if just for a bit, at a point when speaking out would have hurt her career. It opened the door to more candid and respectful conversations in subsequent years.
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