Heterosexism: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

The producers of the TV show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" made a bold and daring move by focusing one of the episodes' plot on homosexuals and the running of a gay bar. The show is about three guys and a girl: Mac, Charlie, Dennis, and Deandra all of whom co-own a bar in Philadelphia and how their self-centered personalities often land themselves in unusual conflicts and predicaments. While the show traditionally has the "gang" run a regular Irish pub, this particular episode, "the gang gets racist" focuses on the gang turning their bar into a gay bar.

During this episode the gang's bar is making very little money, so in order to get more people to come to the bar, they hire Deandra's friend Terrell to promote the bar. When Terrell tells the gang stories that hint at the possibility he is gay, the gang finds other reasons to believe Terrell is not. They come up with these reasons because the gang doesn't believe a cool normal black guy can be gay. Later in the episode Charlie, Mac, and Dennis meet other guys from Deandra's theatre class, all of whom are revealed as gay. This episode perpetuates the stereotype that all guys who are involved in theatre are homosexual, a stereotype that is very untrue.  

When Terrell begins to promote for the gang's bar, the bar turns into a gay bar because everyone Terrell invites is gay. All of the gay men who attend the bar are portrayed in a very stereotypical manner; all of these guys are seen as acting very flamboyant: limp wrist, tight clothing, died hair, and other stereotyped gay mannerisms. The way the gang acts when they bar-tend this new crowd also perpetuates many gay stereotypes. Dennis tries to act gay in order to earn tips from the gay guys at the bar. In order for Dennis to appear gay he dresses in tight clothes, dances around, and leads the men on in order to earn the tips and satisfy his vain self by winning the affection of the gay bar goers. 

 This show, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia usually is very heterosexist as it follows the lives of three bachelors living in Philadelphia pursuing girls. While the show is normally about this, this episode breaks the mold and focuses on the gay men who live in Philadelphia and how Dennis, Mac, and Charlie interact with them.