‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Fans Celebrate Pride Month With the Gang’s Gayest Moments
It’s officially Pride Month, which means that, until the end of June, the boys will be out tonight, every night.
One of the best creative decisions that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was how they established that, although The Gang emulates almost every facet of bigotry and small-mindedness present in American culture, from racism to sexism to xenophobia, everyone on the show is staunchly and comfortably LGBTQ-friendly — well, everyone except for the gay one during those early seasons. As the son of a lesbian mother and the brother to two gay men, McElhenney says that he has “always been part of the gay community,” and his series’ endearing tolerance for the one marginalized group whom cable sitcoms could still consistently rag on during the mid-2000s has earned the respect and adoration of so many queer comedy fans.
Don't Miss
As the LGBTQ community kicks off its month-long celebration of community and identity during a tumultuous time for human rights in America, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans are honoring Pride Month with their favorite times when the The Gang Got Gay:
As long-time fans will know, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s fondness for gay-friendly comedy started in the show’s first-ever episode, “The Gang Gets Racist,” in which the sitcom established its aforementioned selective tolerance from the jump. When Paddy’s Pub unintentionally becomes the hottest gay bar in town, Charlie and Dennis are all for the new clientele with only Dee and Mac dissenting, as the former saw a drastic drop in her tips and the latter still had his internalized, Catholicized homophobia intact long before he would come out of the closet.
But the pièce de résistance of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s gay-friendliness would come in the acclaimed Season 13 finale, fittingly titled “Mac Finds His Pride,” when McElhenney’s character finally comes to with his sexuality in an emotional dance scene that remains the most daring, inspired and artistically powerful moment in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia history.
While half the country fights to bring America to the level of homophobia that Mac once had toward himself, real It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans know that even the most degenerate citizens can find beauty in pride:
