Network TV Not Gay Enough? And Gays Want to be Treated Equally?

So in this article, it appears network TV doesn't have enough gays. Now, I don't know about you, but when I turn on the TV, I don't target shows that have gay people. Frankly, I don't care. Now, I do watch shows with gay characters, but depending on how it is handled, it usually makes me uncomfortable. (For example, the TV show "Greek" this week, while trying to show gays in a positive light, still cram it down our throats. The only good thing is that they cram everything else down too so it isn't as bad.)

Now, here is my question. If gays are supposed to be the exactly the same as straights, how come we keep having to focus on how many gays we have? Quotas only reference differences. Equality doesn't come from having one gay per show or even more. Equality isn't a whole channel devoted to gay people. (Yep, they have Logo.)

I have read advice on how to persuade someone and convince them of your ideas. The one big no-no is to bash them over the head with your idea. First, you must find common ground and then introduce your argument. Thus, if I want to introduce a limited government argument, it works best if I find out what government programs the person I am trying to persuade is annoyed by. Do they have to stand in long lines to renew their driver's license? Are they angry at the cost of prescription drugs? Pick some government failure and then go from there.

So how would that work for gays? Well, first off, stop focusing on gay characters. Most importantly, if the only gay character is a stereotype, use that as an opening for discussion, not a point of attack. Most importantly, gay lobbyists need to stop pushing homosexuality and just let people get used to it first. Get rid of the show where the queer guys change the straight guy! (And yes, queer is acceptable because that is the name of the show. Hehe, I love using so-called offensive names simply because the would-be offended do it themselves.) Stop trying to make everybody gay and let TV adapt on its own. For example, take an older family sitcom, like "Home Improvement." Now, no matter what the gay lobby says, there could never be a gay character on that show that would allow it to be the same show. The most important thing is don't force a gay character into a situation simply for a gay character. Remember, the goal is equality, not the token gay.

Now, will some people never accept gay people? Yep. Then again, there are quite a few Hollywood Nazis that don't accept fat people or people who smoke. Remember, a lifestyle choice is just that, a choice. Realize that your choices may not be acceptable to everybody. But that is the great thing about America, live and let live. By allowing people their non-gay character shows, they are more likely to not care about an all gay network.

Ultimately it comes down to this. The only way a show will have a gay character is if the character is a stereotype. So, should that be the goal? Should the character be included in the show by force? I say no, simply because I don't like force. Let the people decide what they want to watch and leave them alone. If they choose to avoid gay characters, let them be and create shows for people who want gay characters. Maybe some day Logo will be no more and gays will be a part of every TV show; then again, with the current gay lobby, that isn't very likely. Resistance to an idea, even if it might be a completely sensible idea, is a heckuva lot stronger when people are forced to accept the idea rather than allowed to accept it.