Soraya Pashaei-Marandi ENGL 1301-12060 August 1, 2017 Facing Homosexuality In Today’s Society One of the most controversial social issue common in today’s society, is that of homosexuality. In the past couple decades, society has come more to terms with the idea of homosexuality, however, it is still seen as topic of taboo. For this very reason, very few television show couples are viewed in this light. Most television networks and producers would rather stick to the ‘norm’ by having a heterosexual couple. Aziz Ansari, in his television show “Master of None,” decided to go against this norm in order to bring to light the truths behind dealing with homosexuality. This is very different to the scene set up in 90’s sitcom, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” where the main character Hilary is in a heterosexual relationship with her boyfriend, Trevor. Having a social issue addressed in one series and not having one addressed in the other, provides different narratives and characterizations that propel the episodes. The acceptability of homosexuality within society has been a topic of discussion for countless years, and continues to be one that people have their disagreements about. Until recent years, homosexuality was viewed as strictly taboo. There was no such concept of ‘coming out’ to society, your friends, or even your family. However, with time comes change, and there is a tremendous change in the way society has started to accept the lifestyle of homosexuals. With that being said, homosexuality is not taken well by all people. This can clearly be seen in Ansari’s television show, “Master of None.” In the series, Ansari portrays many social issues through the life his characters are living. 1In one particular episode called, “Thanksgiving,” the realm of homosexuality is discussed. The episode consist of the main character Denise spending every Thanksgiving throughout the years with her all female, African American family, and her Indian best friend, Dev. The episode begins in 1995, when Denise is just a child. It is evident that there is something out of the ‘norm’ with her. When asked by her mother to wear a dress for dinner, she disobeys and wears baggy clothing with Jordan’s and a snapback instead. While showing a full view of her room, Ansari makes sure to point out that instead of having boy band posters plastered all over her walls, she had posters of female actresses. Even with all these hints given to Denise’s mother, she is still oblivious to the fact that her daughter may not be who she thinks she is. Her mother even makes heterosexual assumptions by commenting, “Denise is upstairs with her little boyfriend” and points out that Denise is “staring at the boy on tv,” when in reality it is girls she is looking at (“Master of None”). Since Denise is considerably young, her mother like “some parents, may be tempted to deny that their children have same-sex attractions or same-sex orientation” (“How Should I Respond if My Child Comes Out To Me?”). In 1999, Denise decides to tell Dev that she has a crush on a girl named Erica and this was her coming out as “Lebanese”(since she is uncomfortable with the term lesbian). Dev completely accepts her as she is, and even figured she was lesbian all along due to the way she dressed and the posters in her room. So why could her mom not see the same signs? Was her mother in denial? Denise explains that she was not even coming out to her mother because “being gay isn’t what black people like to talk about. They think being gay is a choice and when they find out their kid is gay they try to figure out what they did wrong” (“Master of None”). Denise, like other children in today’s society, did not want to be a disappointment to her mother; therefore, 2she stayed in the closet and hid her sexuality from the world. However, in 2006, with an increased understanding of sexuality with age, Denise figures it is time to come out to her mother about her sexuality. Just like in real life, children wait to come out to their parents when they have a better understanding of just what it means to be gay instead of going off of senseless feelings. Her mothers reaction is that of surprise and confusion. Even after Denise claims, “I’m still your same daughter. Nothing has changed,” her mother replies with her not wanting life to be hard for her her child since it is already hard enough being a black woman (“Master of None”). This is a very common reaction among parents, even in this age when being homosexual is more acceptable. Parents just have a sense of fear in their child “getting hurt and being condemned by society” (“When You Think Your Son or Daughter is Gay”). Denise makes it very clear to her mother that being homosexual is just who she is and that it was not her choice to be this way. This is a controversial topic within the realm of homosexuality; some believe people have a choice to be gay, while others believe they are born that way. Through the character of Denise, Ansari states his beliefs on this topic by the way she expresses how she is the way she is to her mother. Although, it is interesting how Ansari also exhibits a broken family with all females to possibly suggest that that environmental factor could have caused her to become gay. Another aspect of being gay, is not being accepted by those close to you or even society. This is displayed in the show when Denise’s own aunt did not have an understanding about the complexity of homosexuality and called her a “butch queen.” The cold shoulder of being gay continues when people want to introduce their new significant other to their family. Ansari does a great job of portraying this in the Thanksgiving of 2015 when Denise brings home her girlfriend, Michelle. Even when introducing Michelle to her 3family, it was evident that she was not welcomed. Instead of giving Michelle a hug like she was going in for, Denise’s mother stopped it cold with a handshake. During the dinner, Michelle received aloofness when discussing aspects of her life, as if the family were not interested in what she had to say. It is obvious that the only reason that Denise’s mother is not fond of Michelle as a person, is due to the fact that she is gay. With this kind of reaction from a family, no wonder homosexual couples would rather stay hidden behind closed doors instead of facing the