Manhattan Cable Television's Channel J was a public-access television channel broadcast from New York City from 1976 to 1990. It became famous and controversial for its lack of censorship and its depiction of marginalized communities and taboo themes. As a public access channel, every subscriber to cable television in Manhattan received the channel as part of basic cable service.
Channel J distributed The Emerald City, one of the first television series created by and for LGBTQ people. It also aired straight and gay pornography on shows such as Midnight Blue, The Robin Byrd Show, Men and Films, Blurbs, and Interludes After Midnight, a nude talk show. The channel's robust LGBTQ representation led to the saying "Gay on J."
