The popular comedy show has crushed queer parents, according to conservatives. Except that it's not at all
First impressions are tricky
At first glance, the sketch might have seemed to be making a very unpleasant joke about progressive parents. But the joke was something else entirely - the sketch showed how absurdly often mainstream society reacts to anything that deviates from traditional ideas about parenting, education or family. By exaggerating some of the stereotypes associated with LGBT parents, Bowen Yang actually showed them as caricatures that have virtually nothing to do with real queer families. Thus, the entire skit was immediately hailed by conservative commentators as a "critique of progressivism." How ironic.
One of those who immediately seized on the sketch was Charlie Kirk - an American conservative political activist who co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012. His main goal is to spread conservative values among young people, especially on college campuses.
Kirk is known for his extreme positions - he opposes same-sex marriage, criticizes gender affirmative care for trans people, and his statements often polarize society. In response to the skit, he said it was "an admission that progressive parents are a disaster." But in doing so, he probably only revealed his own inability to understand satirical humour.
YetBowen Yang is not someone who would take up similar themes casually. He's one of the first openly gay members of the main cast of SNL, and his humor often comes from his own experience. He has spoken openly in the past about the conversion therapy he went through while growing up, making his work not just about having fun, but also about processing pain and the struggle for acceptance. His sketches mirror the reality of queer life - with exaggeration, humor, and empathy. So the sketch, whose title is "New Parents," was definitely not meant to mock LGBT parents, but rather to make fun of the caricatures that people like Kirk make of them.
After all, Bowen knows how important it is to show queer life in its entirety. Even LGBT parents can be overly awkward, anxious... in short, just like everyone else. And above all: they have the right to be parodied - because parody is proof of acceptance. We laugh at what is part of society, for the most part. Not what's on the fringes.
When conservatives cheer that SNL is "making fun of its own" yet applaud it as revealing some truth, they are really just confirming that they have a problem understanding humor. They also see any hint of an LGBT issue as an attack - even if it's just a skit. And a pretty hilarious one at that.
So, yes. SNL made fun of queer parents. And it was actually pretty funny. But more importantly: queer people were once again on prime time television as an equal part of society. And that's something to celebrate. Even if it still annoys some people.
