Michael Delaney was a respected veteran of the Marines, a basketball coach, and high school history teacher. He was loved by nearly everyone in town, until they found out more about his sexual preference. Michael "came out" about being gay to his history class and found that the citizens of Pine Valley were not as accepting as he thought they would be. With the help of his brother-in-law, Trevor Dillon, Michael successfully won a court case against the Pine Valley School Board, who wanted him off the job because they feared that he would "teach" his lifestyle to his students.

The furor over Michael's sexual orientation heightened when one of Michael's student, Kevin Sheffield, also came out. During a taping of the Cutting Edge talk show, a drunken Jason Sheffield, Kevin's older brother, aimed a gun at Michael and attempted to kill him. Jason believed that Michael had "made" Kevin gay. Sadly, when Jason's gun discharged it took a life, the life of Michael's sister, Laurel Dillon.

At last reference, Michael was currently living happily with his boyfriend, Brad Phillips, and remained on staff as a teacher at Pine Valley High School.