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Why the ACLU Is Trying to Influence the Storyline on a Major TV Sitcom

May 16, 2013  •  Post A Comment

The American Civil Liberties Union is lobbying for a storyline on a major television comedy series. The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed reports that the advocacy group wants the characters Cam and Mitch from ABC’s "Modern Family" to get married.

The group launched a website, ModernFamilyWedding.com, which includes a petition to alert the producers that Americans will watch if Mitch and Cam — played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, respectively — exchange vows. The effort is a bid by the ACLU to raise awareness for marriage equality.

"We’re doing this not just because we love ‘Modern Family,’ but because we are at a watershed moment when the Supreme Court is considering two cases regarding the freedom to marry; when states are passing marriage equality laws with increasing frequency; and a majority of Americans support marriage equality," the ACLU said.

Gay characters on TV have helped generate support for same-sex marriage, according to a Hollywood Reporter survey in November.

The report notes: “The ACLU’s move comes after a particularly rough week for LGBT characters on TV. Following a 2012-13 broadcast season that featured a record number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters, this past week’s wave of cancellations — which included ‘The New Normal,’ ‘Smash,’ ‘Go On’ as well as ‘Southland’ and ‘Happy Endings’ — will drastically change those results.”

2 Comments

  1. Middle America supports gays, but doesn’t like it forced on them in the TV shows they watch to get away from the daily news. Smash and The New Normal often used plot lines that really forced gay political issues into the show. People see all of this on the evening news already. Modern Family’s success has been because they have mostly avoided turning the program into a political platform (also it is very funny). If the show becomes political it will lose viewers quickly.

  2. Concur with your take Digital Guy. Seems like the producers have made pretty good decisions so far. They have the full vision of program that’s helped make it a huge success. Let them entertain us–not politically guide us.

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