With CNN.com now reporting about this major event, it seems like this is becoming bigger news. I thought some of you might be interested since it's a first for TV. ABC's soap opera All My Children took another big step today 2/16/09 in TV history by showing the first daytime TV marriage between two women. The characters on the show are Bianca Montgomery (daughter of the much loved and hated Erica Kane) and another lady character, Reese Williams. Bianca is played by Eden Riegel and Reese is played by Tamara Braun. Some more thoughts and reflections follow below the fold and video...
Here's some recap on the story and of course, the drama on the show...
Now, I have to admit that I don't follow All My Children all that often, but I am moved by this next step towards equality for gay marriage. It suggests the American people are getting there...
I'm interested in this for a few reasons. For one thing, I believe in the importance of getting some gay & lesbian visibility on TV. I find this visbility of gay weddings and family to be valuable because it gets the dialogue going. It opens people's eyes to the fact that regular, ordinary families do have gay and lesbian family members, who are also ordinary and regular people. In a way, it teaches people that queers are normal people too, who want to marry and share tax credits on homes :)
Of course, there are some things I'm also critical of here. This is not to say that I'm hating on my fellow queers, nor am I hating on All My Children. But this is what you get when you watch mainstream TV. For one, you have to look at how this version of gay & lesbian life is being shown. What you see here are - 2 beautiful, gorgeous lesbian women. Now, I'm not complaining about how beautiful they are, but I have to say, that the way it's done is very typical of the mainstream TV world. Of course, we're not seeing the lesbians dressed in leather on motorcycles, nor are these brides transgender ladies. Nor is one bride Latina and one bride White. In many ways, this kind of TV image is a very safe (i.e., almost conservative) way of showing gay and lesbian life in the USA.
Updates: Yes, well, I realize that this "love story" probably won't lead to utter bliss on behalf of the lesbian brides, but it's the idea that counts. I wouldn't expect anything less from the show anyway since that's where the drama comes from. And if you look at most marriages between straight couples today, a big number of them don't end up working out. Isn't there like a 40% divorce rate in the US? Also, thanks to llbear for pointing out the question of when this took place. It seems that this actually storyline started on Friday 2/13/09 and went until today ...
That being said, I'm still excited that millions upon millions of viewers saw this wedding today (if they didn't run screaming). It opens a door to new possibilities and discussions. It provides a means to think more about what same-sex marriage means for queers in the USA. It shows that marriage is important to all people and that this is something that many Americans want, regardless of their identities. But what do you think? I'm curious of your reactions. Thoughts?