First Gay Couple on “The Newlywed Game” | Warp Speed, Sulu!

Takei and Altman first gay couple on “The Newlywed Game”

Live long and prosper, straight or gay. (Photo: wikipedia.org)

Ever since “The Newlywed Game” debuted in prime time on ABC television back in 1967, the game show has prided itself on realistically depicting how marriage mates relate to one another. In asking all of those juicy “making whoopee” questions and getting some wacky answers, the creators hoped that couples viewing across America would find something that struck a chord, something to which they could relate.

The years rolled on and social norms changed in America. Now, gay and lesbian marriages are legal in some states and jurisdictions. “The Newlywed Game” took a while, but they’ve finally taken the plunge. Former “Star Trek” and “Heroes” star George Takei and his partner Brad Altman will appear as contestants on the game show, which currently runs on the Game Show Network (check your cable or satellite listings, call payday lenders if you can’t afford to add the channel to your package). Mr. Sulu and Brad will beam into homes this October.

Yes, that Mr. Sulu. He’s a homosexual rights activist

Yahoo! News reports that even though Takei and Altman have been together for 22 years, they qualify for the show because they are legally married. Having lived together first isn’t foreign territory for “The Newlywed Game,” as show experts indicate that couples who lived together first have appeared on the show before. Older couples and interracial couples have also been a part of this show that has tried to accurately depict the times when it comes to marriage mores.

“What we want is to display the normality and the joy of having a happy union,” Takei told the Associated Press.

Why hadn’t gay couples been included before?

Kelly Goode, the programming chief of the Game Show Network, claims she could not speculate as to why past producers hadn’t gone in that direction. GSN has only had the program for two years. It is in the rules of “The Newlywed Game” that couples must be legally married, but gender requirements are not specified. Goode did recognize that booking George Takei and Brad Altman was “good” for GSN and reflected the times in which we live.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: We live in an age of payday lenders, too. Make sure to tell Mr. Obama)

Current host Carnie Wilson is excited. The AP indicates she’d been campaigning behind the scenes for it to happen. It is what she considers a “necessary step.”

“To me, this is not anything political. This is not a political statement. This show has always been about couples and how well they know each other,” she said.

Of course there are marriage Klingons out there

Dan Gainor of the Culture and Media Institute claims it’s all a publicity stunt to get people watching. Really, Dan? What a shocker this is: a television show promoting itself! And completely within the bounds of the laws of the land and the show’s own rules, no less. Oh, the humanity!

On an interesting note, “The Newlywed Game” is produced in California, a state that banned same-sex marriage just months after the George Takei-Brad Altman wedding. Proposition 8 passed in a recent election, upholding the gay marriage ban. Gainor is certain that Takei and Altman’s appearance is politically motivated.

“They’re trying to use TV and the movies to set the gay agenda and make it mainstream,” he said.

Know what else is interesting about the Prop 8 vote?

Next to contributions from anti-gay marriage groups in California – the state where the election was held – Utah contributed the most money to the Prop 8 support vote. And not by a little – by far. According to the Salt Lake City Tribune, Utah contributed $2.7 million in support of maintaining a gay marriage ban… in California. $1.1 million in contributions came in from Utah against Prop 8, incidentally.

It is widely believed (if not concretely proven as yet) that the National Organization for Marriage which spearheaded Prop 8 support was formed by members of the LDS Church, which is based primarily in Utah. As a result, the California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating the LDS Church’s financial involvement in the matter. There are allegations of the church underreporting campaign contributions, which they deny.

This is a game show, not your own bedroom

Mr. Gainor’s allegation that Mr. Sulu is going to make some kind of gay “agenda” mainstream by appearing on a game show is ridiculous and betrays illogical, child-like thought patterns. Spock would be able to spot that kind of thing a mile away. Religion’s view of homosexuality ranges from outright brutality/bestiality to a “you do what you do, but keep it away from me” view. Precious few are openly accepting (sophisticated enough to understand that ANY kind of sexuality is a private matter that doesn’t require someone else’s approval). By becoming the first gay couple on “The Newlywed Game,” George Takei and Brad Altman aren’t forwarding an agenda. They’re having fun on a game show like any other couple that has participated over the years.

I wonder how many people who boiled over with hate during the Proposition 8 debacle actually enjoy happy unions in their own lives? Heterosexual and homosexual alike, I’d guess that the number is relatively low.

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