Jeopardy! pokes fun at opponents of same-sex marriage

American quiz show Jeopardy! has mocked opponents of marriage equality, with a quietly subversive question.

The long-running game show – which gives contestants an answer and invites them to guess the question – included a jibe at opponents of same-sex marriage in an episode of the show that aired this week.

In a category called ‘Civil’, the clue was: “Some opponents of same-sex marriage say, hey gay folks, how about these? Wouldn’t these be good enough?”

The question for $800 was ‘what are civil unions?’.

Slate wrote: “The clue writers’ flippant tone in the rhetoric attributed to gay marriage opponents is clear evidence of how they—like most gay people—feel about civil unions as an alternative to full marriage equality: They are a weak attempt at placation that suggests second-class citizenship, if not a kind of segregation.”

Civil unions are recognised in a number of states, while same-sex marriages are performed in a total of 37, to date.

The Supreme Court has already agreed to take up a same-sex marriage case which could bring equal marriage to all 50 states – with a ruling anticipated by the summer.

Earlier today, a judge in the US state of Alabama stuck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Judge Granada – who was appointed by George W Bush – wrote: “If anything, Alabama’s prohibition of same-sex marriage detracts from its goal of promoting optimal environments for children.”

• Dec 01 2023

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