When South Park first premiered on Comedy Central on August 13th, 1997, those tuning in received, what was for some, the shock of their lives. This "cartoon show" was smutty, filthy, politically incorrect, and gross. In other words, South Park was a breath of fresh air in a stale television landscape. That first episode was called "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" and while the show was definitely something ground-breaking, that title didn't necessarily bode well for a gay audience looking for a few laughs that weren't at their expense.

South Park was, and still is, unapologetically rude, crude and not afraid to offend. But it also turned out to be something else: one of the most gay-friendly shows ever seen on TV. Not in a sappy, mawkish, "give a gay person a hug today" kind of way. But in a way that cuts right through the hypocrisy and nonsense that enemies of gay rights embrace. With every episode now available online, AfterElton.com thought this a good time to look back at how the show has handled its gay content.

The question that's hard to answer about Cartman and his friends is "does the gay acceptance message in the show — sometimes hidden very deeply — reach its core demographic of adolescent straight boys?" It's hard to say. Certainly they enjoy the gay stereotypes and love being appalled by the gay sexuality, but whether the part about tolerance gets through is another matter.

Whether or not straight teen boys get it, at the center of South Park is an undeniable decency displayed in characters like Big Gay Al, and a message of pro-gay acceptance that comes through loud and clear. Here are ten episodes from the series that exemplify that message. Oh, and they're pretty damn funny, too. And please keep in mind that we're talking about South Park here so some of these clips are NSFW and might offend some readers, especially the one about Lemmiwinks the gerbil.

SEASON ONE

Episode #4: "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride"

Original air date: 9/03/97

Synopsis: "When Stan discovers his new dog Sparky is gay, he becomes so confused he loses his will to play in the big Homecoming Football game against Middle Park."

In a nutshell: "That dog is a gay homosexual!"

This is the episode that introduced us to the iconic Big Gay Al. Even though Al is one of the kindest, most good-hearted gay characters ever seen on television, he somehow missed making our list of the Top 25 Gay TV Characters, although Waylon Smithers did make the list (which boggles the mind).

The episode revolves around Stan's realization that his dog Sparky (voiced by none other than George Clooney) is gay. In desperation, Stan turns for advice to his teacher, Mr. Garrison, who issues this helpful Clarence Darrow inspired warning: "Gay people are evil. Evil right down to their cold black hearts, which pump, not blood like yours or mine, but rather a thick vomitous oil that oozes through their rotten veins and clots in their pea-sized brains which becomes the cause of their Nazi-esque violent behavior."

Stan is crestfallen by the news, and in a fit of rage, declares he "doesn't want a gay dog!" Sparky overhears, and in a scene that I'm not embarrassed to say still gets to me, decides to run away. Stan starts searching for Sparky, and in the middle of the woods comes across "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary," which is like the "Island of Misfit Toys," but without the little gay dentist. Al explains that the sanctuary is a place where gay animals can "be themselves."