Faithless
02-28-2005, 02:01 AM
On the one hand you have this article --
Article (http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/02/24/421dd416f0727)
By Jeff Miller * U- WIRE * U-WIRE SERVICE *
February 24, 2005
For the first time that I can remember, an episode of "The Simpsons" wasn't started with the familiar theme song. Instead, it was preceded by a parental advisory, stating that the episode would deal with same-sex marriage.
The episode involved Marge's sister, Patty, announcing she was gay, and then eventually getting married after the town of Springfield legalizes gay marriage.
Now I could easily go on a big tirade about "The Simpsons" -- not necessarily about the show, where they seemed to represent both sides of the same-sex marriage argument pretty proportionally -- but more about their decline as a sitcom and these political jabs they call episodes are like watching a loved one slowly die as you stand by helpless.
What I do think is important is the warning before the episode. Now for children, this may be understandable. Children may need time to deal with issues like this rather than watching cartoons dish out both sides. But this warning seems to be a microcosm of current American culture in regard to homosexuality on television.
The comfortable hetero-social relationship showcased on "Will & Grace" is what Americans like to see. Although he is gay, Will is a masculine man living with a beautiful girl. The effeminate and promiscuous Jack is the embodiment of every gay stereotype imaginable, and his flamboyancy is easily dismissible.
No real homosexual relationships are shown or explored in great detail, and the main relationships are between men and women, all to the tune of self-deprecating camp humor to appease all the homophobes out there and slowly integrate American society with homosexual culture.
When it comes to homosexual relationships on television, it seems the public keeps a blind "out of sight, out of mind" attitude.
Ellen has too much of the show revolving around her same-sex relationship? Cancel it!
People want to see a guy and a girl living together happily. Even if he's gay? Sure, okay!
Just recently the PBS children's show "Buster on the Town" had to cancel an airing of an episode where Buster, a talking white rabbit, goes to Vermont and visits kids making maple syrup.
The only problem U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings had was that the episode showed two same-sex couples who were the children's parents. They were all women and although their involvement was minimal in the show (the only remark Buster makes is "That's a lot of moms!"), Spellings withheld the episode from more than 300 stations nationwide.
This comes in the wake of people accusing SpongeBob Squarepants of ingraining a sense of homosexuality in children today.
What can be done by showing normal kids as they are with their parents that just happen to both be women?
It seems that the sense of homosexuality acceptance that was sparked by the likes of Ellen DeGeneres is beginning to subside into a sense of uncalled for censorship and overprotection by government officials.
The only way for homosexuality to be seen as something normal is for it to be shown just as that. And if people like Spellings keep attempting to have it drawn and quartered before it hits airwaves, then society is just breeding ignorance, all buffered with enough warning to change the channel.
.
Then you have this:
Sweeps Lesbianism a Mixed Bag (http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2005/2/sweeps2.html)
by Malinda Lo, February 23, 2005
February sweeps, running from February 3 to March 2 this year, is one of several periods throughout the year in which programmers try to generate blockbuster ratings to lure advertising dollars. Ever since L.A. Law aired the first kiss between women on primetime television in 1991, sweeps has been known for packing in lesbian kisses to generate ratings. Even the New York Times weighed in on the time-worn trend earlier this month, outlining several characteristics of sweeps lesbianism: it’s visual, inexpensive to produce, controversial, and reversible.
Although sweeps lesbianism took a bit of a breather last November, when the only lesbian kiss occurred between two cartoon characters on Comedy Central’s Drawn Together, this February the lesbian kiss sweeps stunt has returned with a vengeance.
In case you’re keeping score in the kissing game, so far it’s Lesbians: 5, Fake Lesbians: 1, Man-Disguised-as-Lesbian: 1—and that’s not including coming-out storylines or Melissa Etheridge's appearances on the Grammys and Dateline.
All My Children kicked off sweeps a couple of days early when Maggie (Elizabeth Hendrickson) kissed Bianca (Eden Riegel) on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Look for some last-minute lesbianism this week as Bianca and Maggie prepare to depart the show.
The O.C. also entered the sweeps fray a bit early with Marissa’s (Mischa Barton) coming-out storyline, which began in late January when her love interest, Alex (Olivia Wilde), came out as bisexual. Their romance—which is scheduled to wrap up right at the end of sweeps—escalated to a chaste but romantic kiss on a moonlit beach on Feb. 10. That same night, Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) came out on ER to her long-lost biological mother. Although Dr. Weaver didn’t get to kiss anyone, she did get to refer to the late Sandy Lopez as “my lover, my wife, the mother of my child.”
But just when you thought sweeps lesbianism was getting all realistic, Jack and Bobby swooped in on Feb. 16 to deliver a classic sweeps stunt. Trapped in a restaurant with no electricity, Jack (Matthew Long) and his friends played a game of truth or dare, which resulted in the girl he’s currently dating, Katie (Kate Mara), kissing the girl he secretly wants to be dating, Courtney (Jessica Pare). Although the girls didn’t look like they hated it, it’s highly unlikely that either of them are going to be turning gay anytime soon.
Sweeps lesbianism peaked this month on Feb. 20 when The L Word premiered on Showtime, featuring a grand total of four lesbian couples kissing: Bette and Candace, Alice and Dana, Shane and Carmen, and Shane and some random chick in a club. Although The L Word’s representation of lesbianism is no stunt, it deserves inclusion in the kissing count because of its premiere date. In addition, there’s no doubt that some viewers tuned in precisely to catch the girl-on-girl action.
Feb. 20 was also notable for the much-publicized Simpsons episode in which Marge’s sister Patty Bouvier came out as a lesbian. She even got to kiss her lover, Veronica, on Marge’s couch, but because Veronica was later revealed to be a man disguising himself as a lesbian, it’s unclear whether that kiss counts as a lesbian one.
Last night on the WB's One Tree Hill, bisexual teen Anna (Daniella Alonso)—who kissed her friend Peyton on Jan. 25—came out to a friend as bisexual.
But while these numbers make it appear as if girl-loving, full-on lesbians are winning the battle for visibility, lesbians are far from winning the battle for acceptance. A sweeps episode of ABC’s Wife Swap included a Christian Republican mom accusing a liberal lesbian mom of being a sexual predator, giving voice to the majority of Americans—55% according to the Pew Research Center in 2003—who believe that engaging in homosexual behavior is a sin.
The Wife Swap episode clearly exploited the controversy for ratings, but it also illuminated the great divide that became unavoidable during the last election, when the issue of gay marriage was partially blamed for the Democrats’ defeat. That divide was widened when Education Secretary Margaret Spellings recently objected to an episode of PBS’s Postcards from Buster that featured a girl and her real-life lesbian moms. Spellings’s influence was obvious when PBS decided to not distribute the episode out of fear that federal funding would be pulled.
Wife Swap and the Postcards from Buster controversy show that while Americans may be relatively comfortable with two women kissing on a fictional TV show, lesbian parenting is a totally different story. This is particularly interesting given television’s over-usage of the lesbian motherhood storyline, which has afflicted numerous lesbian characters on TV and has even been featured for laughs on mainstream shows like Friends. It seems that the one thing that’s more controversial than two girls kissing is two girls married and raising a child together.
But while the hate-filled backlash toward real lesbian moms illustrates the one-step-forward, two-steps-back dance that the gay rights movement has experienced for decades, there are a few positive signs that emerged from this month’s sweeps lesbianism. Only one pair of girls (Katie and Courtney on Jack and Bobby) kissed each other purely for titillation. All of the other kisses occurred between acknowledged lesbian or bisexual characters.
It’s too bad, though, that The O.C.’s lesbian storyline has coincided so closely with sweeps dates, because the Marissa-and-Alex relationship has been one of the best coming-out arcs to be seen on network television. The romance, which has appeared to be sincere, marks a major step forward for lesbians on network television.
The next step, though, would be to have the relationship continue past sweeps period. Now that would really be revolutionary.
.
Funny, that's what I thought I saw in the O.C. promos. But that still wasn't going to get me to watch -- what is seemingly another rehash of 90210 / Melrose Place / etc.
If religious Christians are supposed to have had their influence, they must not be working hard enough.
Article (http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/02/24/421dd416f0727)
By Jeff Miller * U- WIRE * U-WIRE SERVICE *
February 24, 2005
For the first time that I can remember, an episode of "The Simpsons" wasn't started with the familiar theme song. Instead, it was preceded by a parental advisory, stating that the episode would deal with same-sex marriage.
The episode involved Marge's sister, Patty, announcing she was gay, and then eventually getting married after the town of Springfield legalizes gay marriage.
Now I could easily go on a big tirade about "The Simpsons" -- not necessarily about the show, where they seemed to represent both sides of the same-sex marriage argument pretty proportionally -- but more about their decline as a sitcom and these political jabs they call episodes are like watching a loved one slowly die as you stand by helpless.
What I do think is important is the warning before the episode. Now for children, this may be understandable. Children may need time to deal with issues like this rather than watching cartoons dish out both sides. But this warning seems to be a microcosm of current American culture in regard to homosexuality on television.
The comfortable hetero-social relationship showcased on "Will & Grace" is what Americans like to see. Although he is gay, Will is a masculine man living with a beautiful girl. The effeminate and promiscuous Jack is the embodiment of every gay stereotype imaginable, and his flamboyancy is easily dismissible.
No real homosexual relationships are shown or explored in great detail, and the main relationships are between men and women, all to the tune of self-deprecating camp humor to appease all the homophobes out there and slowly integrate American society with homosexual culture.
When it comes to homosexual relationships on television, it seems the public keeps a blind "out of sight, out of mind" attitude.
Ellen has too much of the show revolving around her same-sex relationship? Cancel it!
People want to see a guy and a girl living together happily. Even if he's gay? Sure, okay!
Just recently the PBS children's show "Buster on the Town" had to cancel an airing of an episode where Buster, a talking white rabbit, goes to Vermont and visits kids making maple syrup.
The only problem U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings had was that the episode showed two same-sex couples who were the children's parents. They were all women and although their involvement was minimal in the show (the only remark Buster makes is "That's a lot of moms!"), Spellings withheld the episode from more than 300 stations nationwide.
This comes in the wake of people accusing SpongeBob Squarepants of ingraining a sense of homosexuality in children today.
What can be done by showing normal kids as they are with their parents that just happen to both be women?
It seems that the sense of homosexuality acceptance that was sparked by the likes of Ellen DeGeneres is beginning to subside into a sense of uncalled for censorship and overprotection by government officials.
The only way for homosexuality to be seen as something normal is for it to be shown just as that. And if people like Spellings keep attempting to have it drawn and quartered before it hits airwaves, then society is just breeding ignorance, all buffered with enough warning to change the channel.
.
Then you have this:
Sweeps Lesbianism a Mixed Bag (http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2005/2/sweeps2.html)
by Malinda Lo, February 23, 2005
February sweeps, running from February 3 to March 2 this year, is one of several periods throughout the year in which programmers try to generate blockbuster ratings to lure advertising dollars. Ever since L.A. Law aired the first kiss between women on primetime television in 1991, sweeps has been known for packing in lesbian kisses to generate ratings. Even the New York Times weighed in on the time-worn trend earlier this month, outlining several characteristics of sweeps lesbianism: it’s visual, inexpensive to produce, controversial, and reversible.
Although sweeps lesbianism took a bit of a breather last November, when the only lesbian kiss occurred between two cartoon characters on Comedy Central’s Drawn Together, this February the lesbian kiss sweeps stunt has returned with a vengeance.
In case you’re keeping score in the kissing game, so far it’s Lesbians: 5, Fake Lesbians: 1, Man-Disguised-as-Lesbian: 1—and that’s not including coming-out storylines or Melissa Etheridge's appearances on the Grammys and Dateline.
All My Children kicked off sweeps a couple of days early when Maggie (Elizabeth Hendrickson) kissed Bianca (Eden Riegel) on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Look for some last-minute lesbianism this week as Bianca and Maggie prepare to depart the show.
The O.C. also entered the sweeps fray a bit early with Marissa’s (Mischa Barton) coming-out storyline, which began in late January when her love interest, Alex (Olivia Wilde), came out as bisexual. Their romance—which is scheduled to wrap up right at the end of sweeps—escalated to a chaste but romantic kiss on a moonlit beach on Feb. 10. That same night, Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) came out on ER to her long-lost biological mother. Although Dr. Weaver didn’t get to kiss anyone, she did get to refer to the late Sandy Lopez as “my lover, my wife, the mother of my child.”
But just when you thought sweeps lesbianism was getting all realistic, Jack and Bobby swooped in on Feb. 16 to deliver a classic sweeps stunt. Trapped in a restaurant with no electricity, Jack (Matthew Long) and his friends played a game of truth or dare, which resulted in the girl he’s currently dating, Katie (Kate Mara), kissing the girl he secretly wants to be dating, Courtney (Jessica Pare). Although the girls didn’t look like they hated it, it’s highly unlikely that either of them are going to be turning gay anytime soon.
Sweeps lesbianism peaked this month on Feb. 20 when The L Word premiered on Showtime, featuring a grand total of four lesbian couples kissing: Bette and Candace, Alice and Dana, Shane and Carmen, and Shane and some random chick in a club. Although The L Word’s representation of lesbianism is no stunt, it deserves inclusion in the kissing count because of its premiere date. In addition, there’s no doubt that some viewers tuned in precisely to catch the girl-on-girl action.
Feb. 20 was also notable for the much-publicized Simpsons episode in which Marge’s sister Patty Bouvier came out as a lesbian. She even got to kiss her lover, Veronica, on Marge’s couch, but because Veronica was later revealed to be a man disguising himself as a lesbian, it’s unclear whether that kiss counts as a lesbian one.
Last night on the WB's One Tree Hill, bisexual teen Anna (Daniella Alonso)—who kissed her friend Peyton on Jan. 25—came out to a friend as bisexual.
But while these numbers make it appear as if girl-loving, full-on lesbians are winning the battle for visibility, lesbians are far from winning the battle for acceptance. A sweeps episode of ABC’s Wife Swap included a Christian Republican mom accusing a liberal lesbian mom of being a sexual predator, giving voice to the majority of Americans—55% according to the Pew Research Center in 2003—who believe that engaging in homosexual behavior is a sin.
The Wife Swap episode clearly exploited the controversy for ratings, but it also illuminated the great divide that became unavoidable during the last election, when the issue of gay marriage was partially blamed for the Democrats’ defeat. That divide was widened when Education Secretary Margaret Spellings recently objected to an episode of PBS’s Postcards from Buster that featured a girl and her real-life lesbian moms. Spellings’s influence was obvious when PBS decided to not distribute the episode out of fear that federal funding would be pulled.
Wife Swap and the Postcards from Buster controversy show that while Americans may be relatively comfortable with two women kissing on a fictional TV show, lesbian parenting is a totally different story. This is particularly interesting given television’s over-usage of the lesbian motherhood storyline, which has afflicted numerous lesbian characters on TV and has even been featured for laughs on mainstream shows like Friends. It seems that the one thing that’s more controversial than two girls kissing is two girls married and raising a child together.
But while the hate-filled backlash toward real lesbian moms illustrates the one-step-forward, two-steps-back dance that the gay rights movement has experienced for decades, there are a few positive signs that emerged from this month’s sweeps lesbianism. Only one pair of girls (Katie and Courtney on Jack and Bobby) kissed each other purely for titillation. All of the other kisses occurred between acknowledged lesbian or bisexual characters.
It’s too bad, though, that The O.C.’s lesbian storyline has coincided so closely with sweeps dates, because the Marissa-and-Alex relationship has been one of the best coming-out arcs to be seen on network television. The romance, which has appeared to be sincere, marks a major step forward for lesbians on network television.
The next step, though, would be to have the relationship continue past sweeps period. Now that would really be revolutionary.
.
Funny, that's what I thought I saw in the O.C. promos. But that still wasn't going to get me to watch -- what is seemingly another rehash of 90210 / Melrose Place / etc.
If religious Christians are supposed to have had their influence, they must not be working hard enough.