Have the Simpsons been banned in Texas yet?
Simpsons' same-sex wedding annulled by plot twist
CTV.ca News Staff
Millions in North America tuned in prime time on Sunday expecting to watch a much-hyped same sex wedding on The Simpsons.
In true sitcom style, however, the anticipated marriage was annulled -- by a plot twist.
Patti Bouvier, one of the chain-smoking, gravel-voiced sisters of Marge Simpson, is the first openly gay character on the cartoon.
She was set to marry "Veronica" -- a golf pro on the LPGA tour.
On the alter, however, after guests were asked to speak or forever hold their peace, Marge tore Veronica's dress at the neck and revealed a large Adam's apple.
It turned out Veronica was a man in disguise, who took up the ruse in order to play on the professional women's golf tournament.
Marge found the faker out by spotting him lifting a toilet seat, and belting out rock and roll band Aerosmith's "Dude looks like a lady" while shaving.
The show dealt with many of the issues that Canadians have been grappling with over same-sex marriage.
Homer Simpson debated the issue with the town's pastor, Reverend Lovejoy, on a local Springfield television show. He asked the reverend, "If you love the Bible so much, why don't you marry it?"
After the city legalized same-sex marriage in order to boost tourism, Homer erected a chapel in his garage and received an instant ordainment over the Internet.
He even renounced his own negative views on the issue by throwing a "Death Before Gay Marriage" placard into the trash.
He married Julio and Thad, pronouncing their union legal in
"Massachusetts, Vermont, maybe Canada," but advised them to "stay out of Texas."
Upon learning that her sister is gay, Marge struggled at first but eventually came around, proclaiming that "Just because you're a lesbian doesn't mean you're less of a being."
Speculation on who the first openly gay character would be on The Simpsons has been going on for months, since show creator Matt Groening announced at a convention in the U.S that he was planning a gay wedding for the show.
In the long-running series, which had its first season in 1989, the character of Waylon Smithers has long been portrayed as a closeted gay character.
In previous episodes, the assistant to millionaire nuclear-plant owner Montgomery Burns was shown with a shirtless Burns screensaver on his computer, and dreamed of a naked Burns jumping out of a birthday cake.
The Boston Herald handicapped a list of likely candidates who would come out of the closet, with Smithers being the favourite with odds of 1,200,037 to 1.
The show has often addressed gay and lesbian issues.
It won an Emmy for an episode called "Homer's Phobia," in which Homer worries about the influence a gay antiques dealer was having on his son Bart.
Online TV info site TV Tome claims the episode was the most controversial in the sitcom's history, saying thousands of people wrote in to complain to the network.
The Media director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Stephen Macias, has been quoted as saying The Simpsons "have consistently done a smart and fair job with controversial topics."
"What I like about The Simpsons is they use humor as a tool to educate as well as entertain. They also reach millions of people across the country, and that cannot be underestimated," said Macias. |
