Gay jokes have lingered as entertainment material, internet trolling fodder and day-to-day banter long since we deemed it inappropriate.
There are people that make gay jokes because they either intend to cause offence to the LGBTQI+ community or just don’t care that that’s a secondary outcome to whatever or whoever they’re trying to insult. Essentially, those people suck, and need to find some empathy and change who they are as a person.
But then there are people, a lot of people, that know gay jokes are wrong, that don’t want to cause any offence or hurt to anyone, but just let the occasional gay joke slip.
As we move into 2019, it’s high time we made a proactive effort to squash and remnants of acceptability that that kind of humour still enjoys.
If even a show like Family Guy, that is renowned for getting away with both the risqué and the outright wrong, can own up to the fact that gay jokes are just not acceptable, then surely letting it slide is not an excuse for anyone.
In an interview with TV Line, Family Guy‘s executive producers Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin discussed the evolution of the show’s comedy to fit with cultural changes.
Specifically, TV Line referenced a moment in a recent episode when Peter told Donald Trump that Family Guy has been “trying to phase out” gay jokes, and asked the producers if it was true?
“Kind of, yes.” Sulkin replied. “If you look at a show from 2005 or 2006 and put it side by side with a show from 2018 or 2019, they’re going to have a few differences. Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable.”
Rich Appel added, “It’s almost unique to Family Guy, though I can think of one other show that’s been on the air longer. But if a show has literally been on the air for 20 years, the culture changes. And it’s not us reacting and thinking, “They won’t let us [say certain things].” No, we’ve changed too. The climate is different, the culture is different and our views are different. They’ve been shaped by the reality around us, so I think the show has to shift and evolve in a lot of different ways.”
Family Guy has regularly indulged in gay jokes and that kind of cheap humour that makes it appear edgy. However the show demonstrated an ability to self-correct when they released a surprisingly nuanced episode in March last year, ‘Send in Stewie, Please’.
From the show’s conception, Stewie has been overtly coded as queer, and this episode finally addressed his sexuality in a meaningful way – suggesting that he does identify at least on the spectrum of homosexuality.
It looks like Family Guy is cleaning up its act, and owning where they were wrong in the past. If a show that literally relies on risqué humour can recognise that making fun of queer people just isn’t OK, then anyone and everyone else can cut the crap and cut it out too.