The Simpsons has come out of the closet, addressing the issue of same-sex marriage while announcing that Marge’s chain-smoking sister Patty is a lesbian.
In an episode called There’s Something About Marrying, screened in the US last night, Homer Simpson became a minister on the internet and conducted dozens of same-sex weddings, charging $200 dollars a pop.
This prompted Patty Bouvier to explain how she fell for professional golfer Veronica. But love was not to be. Veronica turned out to be a man, betrayed by a protruding Adam’s apple and unmasked at the altar.
The heavily promoted episode had attracted widespread publicity with bookmakers taking bets on which character would be revealed as homosexual, and whether there would be a kiss.
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The episode, which was preceded by a parental advisory warning, was hailed a “ray of light” by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
But L Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council, criticised the show for addressing the issue of gay marriage, although he said he had not yet seen the episode.
“At a time when the public mood is overwhelmingly against gay marriage, any show that promotes gay marriage is deliberately bucking the public mood,” he told the New York Times.
“I’d rather them not do it at all. You’ve got a show watched by millions of children. Do children need to have gay marriage thrust in their faces as an issue? Why can’t we just entertain them?”
The Simpsons is no stranger to controversial topics. Another character, Smithers, is gay while the show features one of the few born-again Christian characters on television - Ned Flanders, Homer’s neighbour.
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Britsh viewers will have the chance to see the episode in May on Sky One.
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