Lets go back to 2006, a year when our TVs introduced us to the gritty world of high school football on Friday Night Lights, the insanity of a writers room on 30 Rock, cold killers like Dexter and a young Mexican American woman whom we began to know and love as Ugly Betty.

Fans of the show, which ran on ABC for only four seasons, from 2006 to 2010, will fondly remember the shows outrageous looks and punchlines as Betty Suarez, played by America Ferrera, attempted to climb the ladder of the glossy world of fashion magazines. But while Ferreras Betty captured our hearts in so many ways, she was far from the only standout on the show.

Enter Mark Indelicato, who graced our screens at the mere age of 12 when he appeared on the show as Justin Suarez, the ultra-chic and queer nephew of Betty. Justin started out as a side character likely intended to add another element of comedic flair to the ensemble comedy. But Indelicato evolved his character into a groundbreaking role that was widely lauded by LGBTQ awareness groups such as GLAAD and was considered one of the best queer characters on television. Most notably, Justins coming-out moment and subsequent kiss with a male teen on the show marked the first time two same-sex minors kissed on network TV.

I do still feel very warmed by kids around the world who are just now watching Ugly Betty that are teenagers, especially in places where they are not as welcoming to LGBT bodies as they should be, he recently told HuffPost. I find that to be very inspiring to me to go on to play queer characters because thats really what I think that I want to do in my career: to continue to play as many queer characters as I can and to bring as much nuance to them as I can.

Indelicato is now 27, and, despite his long hiatus from a consistent role on the small screen, he is immediately recognizable to those who were introduced to him 15 years ago: His boyish looks have remained seemingly untouched as well as his still impeccably thick head of hair. And he reads just as approachable in person as he does on TV. Importantly, showing the many facets of the queer experience on screen is not only still part of his work but also arguably the driving force.