not that i support Wendy's, but...
rebecca, the loquacious one brought my attention to this "moral authority". they're talking about last thursday's episode of Will & Grace. apparantly, TWO BOYS KISSED! holy crap. actually, i watched the show, and missed the kiss, because i blinked, or looked at my dinner, or something that managed to avert my eyes for a fraction of a second.

"Will & Grace has not shied away from the subject of homosexual sex, as the main characters have frequently talked about male genitals, homosexual promiscuity and even anal sex. The two main male homosexual characters, Will and Jack McFarland, did share a kiss in a previous episode, but it was merely an attempt to get the attention of a television camera crew. Other network sitcoms have occasionally shown a same-sex male kiss, but the context made it clear it was for the purpose of generating laughter - and not as an expression of homosexual affection."

today's big controvercy is that a) will kissed another guy, and b) it was just a casual kiss that generated no laughter. the fact that it was heartfelt and affectionate is apparantly a big No-No for this organization, "OneMillionYouth," or "OMY." they're calling on their members and supporters to flood Wendy's, a fast food company that aired advertisements during the episode.

the one thing that bothers me about Will & Grace is that homosexuality is often just the butt of jokes. (yes, no pun intended). rather than tackling a serious social issue, they're just joining the ranks of the intolerant as they make fun of gay people too. so when there was actually an affectionate gay scene in the show, i was impressed, and OMY was outraged. Oh My. the kiss was nonchalant, and uneventful. it was a peck. the kind of kiss that married people share every day after 20 years of marriage. this should be great. this should be a wonderful step for gay rights movements. but instead, organizations like OMY are fighting it, threatening the advertisers. it's only okay if we're making fun of it, because man, we all know that sort of behavior is moral.

advertising should not dictate our social and political climate, nor should it dictate what sitcom smut we choose to pollute our brains with. knowing that the prospect of advertising backlash had kept something like will and barry's kiss off the airwaves would inflame me much more.

while i'm still disgruntled by the influence of television on our lifestyles and opinions, i'm happy that sitcoms are not dumbing down their portrayals of life for fear of losing sponsors. keep it up.

read what bitch magazine has to say about buffy's willow and tara (lesbians) HERE.

gay people kiss, too. get over it.