Fans of ABC's
Brothers & Sisters will get to see
series regulars Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty
Wandell (Luke MacFarlane) tie the knot in the season
finale airing Sunday night, May 11, at 10 p.m Eastern
time. While there have been other same-sex weddings on
network TV -- from B&B owners Ron and Erick on
Northern Exposure to Carol and Susan on
Friends -- Scotty and Kevin's ceremony is the
first of its kind in that it represents series regulars
whose story line is an integral part of the show,
according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation.
"We applaud ABC
for highlighting Kevin and Scotty's declaration of
commitment to each other in the presence of their family and
friends," said GLAAD president Neil Giuliano in a press
release. "Kevin and Scotty's ceremony reflects
Brothers & Sisters' and ABC's ongoing
commitment to making visible the multidimensional
lives of gay characters."
In his October 23, 2007, cover story for
The Advocate, Rhys said of his character,
"Kevin learns from his mistakes. Under the dry sense of
humor and the caustic repartee, he just wants to meet
that one partner, and he hopes that'll complete
everything." And as it turns out, that one partner is
the only out gay actor playing a gay character in network TV
today. MacFarlane came out last month in The
[Toronto] Globe and Mail, telling the paper,
"From a standing-outside perspective, and also as someone
who is gay, I think that it's a very exciting time.
How exciting that we're saying, 'This can be part of
the cultural fabric, now,' because it is two series
regulars, two people that you invite into your home and you
see every week."
Keep in mind,
however, as you raise a champagne toast to the happy
couple, that Kevin and Scotty's California wedding
represents at most a domestic partnership, which while
affording them some of the rights accorded straight
married couples, does not give them any of the
federal-level rights that come with marriage -- inequities
we just might see Kevin and Scotty dealing
with in season 3. (John Jameson, The Advocate)
