"South Park": A Milestone in Gay Visibility

Al decides it's time for Stan to learn a lesson in gay history, and they both board Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride, which turns out to be the gayest cruise we've seen on television since Ethel Merman and Charles Nelson Reilly set sail on the same episode of The Love Boat. During the cruise, we 're treated to images of gays throughout history, culminating in the ultimate gay acceptance song, which I recite to myself every morning as a mantra.

Stan now fully accepts Sparky, and makes an announcement that it's "okay to be gay." The gay animals are reunited with their now accepting owners, and Al declares that his work is done, and disappears into his magic suitcase.

It's true that Big Gay Al is a Big Gay Stereotype, but he's not the butt of the joke, and is in fact, the hero of the story. As strange as it may sound, even with the "homo" references and the jokes about Sparky the dog "pounding ass," this is one of the greatest episodes about gay acceptance that's ever been shown on television.

Ratings (on a scale of 1 to 10 Cartmans and 1 to 10 Big Gay Als):

Funny rating: 7 Cartmans

Gay rating: 10 Big Gay Als

SEASON TWO

Episode #9: "Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls"

Original air date: 8/19/98

Synopsis: A film festival comes to South Park.

In a nutshell: Lots, and I mean lots, of poop jokes, plus one classic line.

A film festival has arrived in South Park, and the kids are instructed to watch at least one independent film. Cartman is less than thrilled, because according to him, all independent films are about . . . well, see for yourself.

The film festival starts, and sure enough, Cartman is right. If you get really drunk and squint your eyes while you watch, you'd swear it was a scene from a certain other movie.

Even though there's nothing especially gay positive about this episode, I'm including it because of its iconic status. When Brokeback Mountain (2005) came out, there were endless references to this episode, and I have to admit, the only thing that could have made that movie even more special would have been if Jack and Ennis had shared a pudding cup.

Funny rating: 5 Cartmans (depending on your tolerance for scatological humor)

Gay rating: 7 Big Gay Als (only two very brief scenes, but they will live forever in infamy)