The One with the Lesbian Wedding

Infobox Television episode
Title = The One with the Lesbian Wedding
Series = Friends
Season = 2
Episode = 11
Airdate = January 18, 1996
Writer = Doty Abrams
Director = Thomas Schlamme
Prev = The One with Russ
Next = The One After the Superbowl, Part One

"The One With the Lesbian Wedding" is the eleventh episode of season two of the television situation comedy Friends. It attracted mild controversy and censorship as a result of its portrayal of same-sex marriage.

First aired: January 18, 1996

Plot

Ross's ex-wife Carol announces her plans to marry her lesbian life partner, Susan; Ross' sister, Monica caters the wedding. Reflecting the larger controversy surrounding gay marriage, Carol's parents refuse to attend the wedding, causing Carol to second-guess her decision, but Ross finds himself in the position of being the one to encourage her to go ahead with the ceremony despite their opposition.

Joey makes his first appearance on the long-running soap opera "Days of Our Lives" as Dr. Drake Ramoray.

One of Phoebe's massage clients, Rose Adelman, dies on the massage table and her spirit gets stuck in Phoebe.

Meanwhile, Rachel's mother, Sandra, makes a major life decision after seeing how Rachel has learned to fend for herself: she is divorcing Rachel's father.

Reception

As a result of its portrayal of a lesbian couple marrying, the episode attracted some controversy across the United States. Two network affiliates refused to air the episode - KJAC-TV in Port Arthur, Texas and WLIO in Lima, Ohio - citing objectionable content, although the decision drew little press attention, partly due to the small size of the markets in question.Ron Becker. [http://books.google.com/books?id=lOAbET1QUDMC&pg=RA2-PA161&lpg=RA2-PA161&dq=%22the+one+with+the+lesbian+wedding%22+-buy+-purchase+-order+-dvd+-summary+-russ&source=web&ots=mZWtS4BFuV&sig=L8cQ8qlv27EvKNiwS4honNx0Uvk#PRA2-PA161,M1 "Gay TV And Straight America"] ] , Rutgers University Press, 2006, pp. 161-163.] Gay and lesbian groups - notably GLAAD - decried the censorship of the episode. [ [http://www.glaad.org/media/archive_detail.php?id=231 GLAAD: ] ] While the episode was one of the first mainstream portrayals of gay marriage on US television, it was the second gay marriage on a sitcom that season; the show "Roseanne" had aired an episode just five weeks before in which the title character coordinated a wedding for her co-worker Leon and his lover Scott. "The New York Times" claimed "The biggest news about the wedding on "Friends" was that it was almost no news at all." However, the fact that Carol and Susan's ceremony was officiated by Candace Gingrich, a gay-rights activist and sister to conservative Congressman Newt Gingrich did draw some media attention, as the casting was perceived as a comment on the Republican Party's anti-gay rights stance and the "Contract with America" platform.Ron Becker. [http://books.google.com/books?id=lOAbET1QUDMC&pg=RA2-PA161&lpg=RA2-PA161&dq=%22the+one+with+the+lesbian+wedding%22+-buy+-purchase+-order+-dvd+-summary+-russ&source=web&ots=mZWtS4BFuV&sig=L8cQ8qlv27EvKNiwS4honNx0Uvk#PRA2-PA161,M1 "Gay TV And Straight America"] ] , Rutgers University Press, 2006, pp. 161-163.] A writer with the Associated Press noted in an article that week that the ceremony would not include a kiss by the newlyweds, including the episode as part of an observed trend of portrayals of gay characters while skirting controversy by avoiding or minimizing physical contact.Lynn Elber (Associated Press). "TV gays avoid the physical stuff," "The Plain Dealer" (Cleveland, Ohio), January 15 1996, page 11D.]

The episode was the highest rated television program for the week, with 31.6 million viewers. [cite news|last=Staff writer|title=Here come the brides|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,291219,00.html|work=Entertainment Weekly|date=1996-02-02|accessdate=2007-08-14]

Notes