Same-Sex Excitement On Wheel Of Fortune... Part 2
A lot of gay bloggers are pointing to this...
...as evidence of progress and cultural change and the integration of gays and lesbians into the mainstream of American life. And it is all of those things. But I don't remember ever hearing a straight guy introduce his fiance on a game show without the audience responding with an "awww" and an ain't-love-grand round of applause. Don't get me wrong: this was an exceedingly sweet moment, props to these guys for being out and engaged, and the kind of people who watch game shows—middle Americans, older Americans—are exactly the kind of people who need to be exposed to non-threatening gay couples in ugly sweaters. But the audience's silence is just as revealing, I think, as this Wheel of Fortune contestant's casual introduction of his fiance. We are outer than ever, more open than ever, and more integrated into the mainstream of American life than ever. But the mainstream—that studio audience—doesn't quite know how to respond to us yet.
