There’s a new threat in America’s neighborhoods, according to a PSA produced by the folks at Funny or Die: People who don’t support marriage equality.
The satirical PSA is narrated by Star Trek’s George Takei, and stars Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson as a resident of a typical American neighborhood with “quiet streets and friendly faces.”
“George and Jesse are hoping a little humor might soften the opposition to marriage equality,” said Lawrence O’Donnell in the Rewrite segment on Wednesday.
In the spot, Takei warns of “one person living on this street whose orientation threatens to destroy civilization.” And “there’s Dale Wilson, struggling with his lawnmower,” says Takei. “What you can’t tell about Dale is that he’s sick; he opposes marriage equality. Dale looks normal, but he gives off clues of his prejudice with buzzwords like ‘pro-family,’ ‘traditional marriage,’ or ‘pole-smoker.’”
The video uses the familiar trope of fear-mongering PSAs–it’s called “Beware Gays”–which were notoriously used in the 1950s to scare people away from “sick” homosexuals. The satirical video was made to support Tyler Ferguson’s LGBT rights fundraising group, Tie the Knot, which advocates “for a more stylish and equal America” by selling bow-ties and other clothing to raise money for gay rights organizations.
“The most important thing to remember when dealing with people who don’t support marriage equality, is to be kind,” instructs Takei. “They are most likely hiding their own homosexuality. Besides, these people don’t know: they’re being a**holes.”
Evan Puschak