The same-sex wedding bells Sunday in Springfield were only make-believe, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t cause for a real celebration by some Chicagoans.
Gays and lesbians pushing for the right to marry say the cartoon weddings and the outing of Marge’s sister, Patty, offer an easy way to get people talking about the issues of gay rights and same-sex marriage.
“I think it’s cool the imaginary Springfield is tackling same-sex weddings,” said Robert Castillo, an activist with the group Equal Marriage Now. “I just wish the real Springfield would do the same.”
Castillo and other Equal Marriage Now members gathered Sunday night to watch the episode.
Castillo and his longtime partner John Pennycuff traveled to San Francisco in March to get married when Mayor Gavin Newsom began issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples. A California court later ruled them invalid. The couple is actively fighting to make gay marriage legal in Chicago and Illinois.
Before the episode aired, Castillo–a “Simpsons” fan who said he hoped the episode would cause him to “laugh like hell”–tried to guess which character was gay.
“I’m just curious who’s coming out,” he said. “I’m hoping it’s Lenny and Carl. If it’s Smithers–what a yawn. Same with Marge’s sister. It’s like Rosie O’Donnell announcing she’s gay.”
Michelle Baladad and Jennifer Widd, a Skokie couple who are activists for gay marriage, planned to hold a viewing party Sunday at their home for both “The Simpsons” and the second season premiere of “The L Word.”
“It’s one big gay day,” Baladad said. “It’s a very good thing.”
Rick Garcia, head of the gay rights group Equality Illinois, said having a gay wedding on a show as popular as “The Simpsons” helps to increase visibility and acceptance of gays and lesbians in society.
“It’s just a cartoon, but it’s an icon, and it does shape our attitudes as well as reflect our attitudes,” Garcia said.
Peter LaBarbera, head of the conservative Illinois Family Institute, wasn’t too riled up about gay marriage and a gay character coming out on “The Simpsons.” LaBarbera believes the public may be fatigued of seeing gay characters and gay situations on so many TV shows.
“Every TV show has to have the ‘gay episode,'” he said. “I just think the ‘all-gay-all-the-time’ is generally wearing on people.”
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Kiss or miss
Same-sex kisses are nothing new to prime-time television, and some say they are little more than ratings-grabbers now. A few scenes that have pushed the TV envelope:
Feb. 10, “The O.C.”
A much-anticipated matchup between Mischa Barton’s character, Marissa, and Olivia Wilde, who plays Alex, sparked intrigue for fans of the Fox drama. But when Marissa and Alex kissed on the beach, few were surprised by the scene.
2001, “Friends”
In a heavily-promoted episode, guest star Winona Ryder plays Rachel’s old college roommate and plants a big kiss on the lips of Jennifer Aniston at the end of the show.
1999, “Ally McBeal”
A flirty “date” between Ally and her legal nemesis Ling turns hot and heavy on the dance floor and ends in a juicy, lingering smooch.
Ally had already kissed women in previous episodes, but this was the one that took it to a new level.
1997, “Ellen”
Ellen DeGeneres came out in real life as her character, Ellen Morgan, came out by sharing a kiss with Laura Dern. Her show was canceled the next year.
1991, “L.A. Law”
A year after Amanda Donahoe joined the cast as bisexual C.J., she shared a congratulatory kiss with her friend Abby in a parking lot. Hardly romantic, the kiss was a taboo-breaker and set off a storm of controversy.
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kmasterson@tribune.com
