Changing the Culture: When Sitcoms Addressed Homosexuality Properly (Mr. Belvedere)

 I found this episode of Mr. Belvedere on YouTube some time ago.

This sitcom was quite funny, very witty, and charming. This kind of programming we no longer see on television, or even on social media much anymore. Most broadcast television stations have to play reruns of older sitcoms, TV shows that were actually funny.

And which oftentimes conveyed a serious message. Conservatives have to shape the culture in a real way in the United States.

In this episode, Heather Owens falls for a football player named Dwight who is also taking ballet. Every time she wants to make a move, or rather wants him to make a romantic move on her, he doesn't seem keen or interested. He likes to eat, watch sports, or play football. Finally, in frustration, Heather shouts at him: "What's the matter? Are you gay or something?"

The football player is not very bright, and he just assumes that since Heather thinks he might be gay, then he must be gay … or something. There is a more serious undertone to this scene. Dwight is not interested in girls, throughout the segment to that point. He wants to eat or watch sports. He is not interested in kissing Heather or with making out with her.

Does that make him gay?

Not at all.

However, the plot advances with Dwight exploring his new life as "a homosexual."

At one point, Mr. Belvedere confronts Heather: "What did you do to that boy?"

That kid of a pointed push-back is needed now more than ever. Just because there are men or women who are not actively interested in the opposite sex when they are younger does not mean that they are homosexual. In fact, it's perfectly normal and even beautiful if men and women reach adulthood and choose the single life. There is nothing wrong with that at all.

At the end of the episode, Heather tries to turn Dwight on with erotic dancing on the ballet dance floor. Then Mr. Belvedere comes in, and he gives Dwight some confronting and comforting truth:

"First of all, Dwight, just because somebody tells you something doesn't necessarily mean it's so."

He then shared, "Has it ever occured to you that your lack of interest might mean that you're just not ready? Some people aren't ready for sex at 16. Some aren't ready at 20. The point is people grow and develop according to their own timetable. Sex is a normal, natural thing, but it is not automatic. It takes learning and maturity."

What's really compelling about this scene is that Mr. Belvedere did not try to normalize homosexuality. He did not try to induce the kid to "accept himself." Instead, he pointed out that just because was not sexually active or drawn to Heather, that did not mean that there was something wrong or different about him.

This episode was pretty mature for its time. It's unfortunate that similar kinds of content do not exist in the social media sphere. But there was a time when public media did not allow sexual perversion or profligacy to be commonplace.

And "Mr. Belvedere" was a great sitcom, anyway.