This week the ACLU jumped into the marriage equality debate with a call for ABC’s Modern Family to tie their popular gay couple’s knot. The “Cam & Mitch Get Hitched” campaign debuted Thursday with an online petition declaring, “it’s time for America’s biggest, red-beard-iest prime-time couple to get hitched in front of millions of American viewers.”
Citing polls that show that show a clear majority of Americans now support marriage equality, American Civil Liberties Union communications strategist Alicia Gay (yup) makes a compelling argument for fictional characters playing a powerful role in shaping public opinion, from Ellen’s coming out to Will & Grace’s influence on Smokin’ Joe Biden’s thinking the gay marriage thing.
At ABC’s upfront this week, MF patriarch Ed O’Neill said his fictional son’s wedding wouldn’t be “a bad bet.” In fact, Jesse Ferguson (Mitchell) is a real-life groom-to-be with plans to marry longtime boyfriend Justin Mikita. Too late for a summer special with the show’s season finale already in the can, but a Supreme Court decision on California’s Prop. 8 in June means marriage equality will be headline news as writers sit down to pen Modern Family’s season 5 premiere.
Ms. Gay’s pitch got us thinking: which of our favorite gay couples could use a petition to get them to them to the altar, or the marriage clerk’s office, or a beach on Maui? Check out our suggestions on the following pages.
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
We just want these two to get it over with after a five-year engagement and rumors of breakups and Twitter denials. Do it for the twins
Elton John and David Furnish
The 20-year couple entered a UK civil partnership in 2005, but any excuse to throw another party stateside should be reason enough for Sir Elton.
Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry
The Talk creator revealed in April the two had become engaged during a romantic picnic in the park, but a petition might be in order to have Perry remove that prison tattoo.
Christian Siriano and Brad Walsh
We love Christian almost as much as the wardrobe he’d put together for his wedding to longtime boyfriend Brad. He’d make it work!
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent
We’d love to see how Nate would design his own wedding. And we will! He popped the question in April and Jeremiah said yes. Yay. We love projects!
Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson
Are they still together? A gay wedding following court-mandated rehab could be the PR perfect distraction/career boost for our Lindsay. C’mon, Meryl Streep called her a great actress!
Rosie O’Donnell and Michelle Rounds
A rep for the former TV host confirmed O’Donnell and Rounds “are engaged, but no date has been set.” What’s holding Rosie back? Fear of commitment, or cancellation? (Hi, Kelli.)
Cam
How about if for a start Mitchel and Cam actually once in a while act as if they like each other.
Frankly I would rather have them break up, have Cam take that horrible child actress with him and leave and have Mitchel start dating somebody that he actually likes. I’ve seen enough plotlines along the lines of “Cam has a hissy fit about nothing”.
sfbeast
@Cam: I agree. They should separate and find different partners. Never understood how Michael could put up with Cam.
Kieru
@Cam: Their relationship strikes me as one that is rather… honest. Relationships aren’t all “Oh we get along fabulously and agree on EVERYTHING and have all the same hobbies!”. My partner does things that drive me crazy, and vice versa.
Cam
@Kieru:
Koeru,
Your partner doing things that drive you crazy occasionally is normal. Never ever having anything resembling like, or any kind of fondness pass between a couple is not. They come off as co workers or roomates who run a daycare together, not as a real couple.
tazz602
@Cam: Exactly!!! You beat me to the punch on this – they at least need to act like they actually care for one another. The New Normal might have not been what we hoped for but one thing they did do was show a couple that actually displayed some tenderness and affection for one another – slept in the same bed and showed them IN BED and actually touching each other as opposed to this asexual over the top comic relief joke with a child actress that is so horrible that I wish they would just give her back.
Homophile
I was just watching Modern Family last night and it hit me, the only chars are really like are Phil’s kids and Manny.
Homophile
I was just watching Modern Family last night and it hit me, the only chars I really like are Phil’s kids and Manny.
Fast fingers.