On regular TV as well as cable programming there has been an increase in the amount of shows that include not only sex but sexuality. It is not uncommon to see gay or lesbian characters displaying affection. But one show that premiered this month on the FOX network is causing controversy.
The show is called “The Mick” and is billed as a sitcom that features an overworked millennial who suddenly has guardianship over her estranged sister’s three children. One of the children is a 7-year-old boy that is suggested to be transgender. The boy is scseenn the show wearing dresses and makes the statement in one scene about how the dress he’s wearing “kind of breezes on my vagina.”
In a blatantly sexual scene, the show has the boy wearing an S&M bondage gag in his mouth. He is wearing the gag after burning his tongue after licking a hot grill at a Benihana style restaurant in exchange for $1,000 from his older teenage brother. While the scene may be funny for some, to others seeing a child wearing a sex toy is a pornographic image and is never suitable for TV even if it is FOX. The show continues the not so subtle attack on the sexual innocence of children. LGBT issues received heightened attention in the new year after gospel singer Kim Burrell made anti-gay statements during a church service.
In her now infamous video she spoke about the “perverted homosexual spirit.” Burrell stated “The spirit of delusion and confusion, it has deceived many men and women”. Her comments have caused a backlash that included being dropped from an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show. In addition, Texas Southern University also announced that her show “Bridging the Gap” would no longer be airing on its airwaves, a show that Burrell debuted on the station seven months ago.
