Culture Cruise: ‘Homer’s Phobia’

Every once in awhile I see a video that gives me an entirely different perspective on something, and the video above is one of those times. It’s the latest episode of Matt Baume’s “Culture Cruise” series in which he looks at the 1997 Simpsons episode “Homer’s Phobia”. In the video, he says the episode:

…doesn’t just mark a turning point for queer characters on television, it’s a turning point for homophobia on television as well.

I vaguely remember seeing the episode, but I have to admit that I’ve seldom given the show that much detailed analysis—I’ve always just taken it as it was. But I think Matt makes really good points about that episode, and its place in American pop culture. The thing about pop culture is that it’s often a subversive force for change because it normalises things that were once shunned (or worse). This is why it matters so much for TV shows and movies to have fully formed LGBT characters, and not—ahem!—mere cartoons.

I didn’t know that Matt was making these videos, mainly because I haven’t been on YouTube much lately. Fortunately, he shared this one on Facebook, where I saw it early today. I’m glad he did. I always like getting an entirely different perspective on something.