This is now at least the third season (I'm also considering BB2 and BB8) where the BBUSA team have marketed the eventual clash between a gay housemate and a super-religious or otherwise housemate as a way that drama may be found. It's actually really annoying and a little bit infuriating - not to mention puts people in possibly dangerous situations. Would they put a Black housemate and a racist housemate together just to let the sparks fly? Sonething tells me no. Sorry, just had to get it off my chest.

Homophobia is FAR more publicly acceptable in the United States than in other countries. The debate there is a good 20 years behind western Europe and Canada. The idea that gays and lesbians are human beings with equal rights to others is simply NOT an accepted concept there. For heaven's sake, these people are still SERIOUSLY debating whether or not dinosaurs roamed the earth a few thousand years ago.

And during the 1960s, if reality TV had been around, you can bet they would have done just what you suggest with a Black housemate and an ardent segregationalist.

I thought BB2 handled it really well though, and it was a nice showcase where Kent became friends with Bunky and really worked through his homophobic issues. But I do agree with NewbieCanuck, we're far behind where we should be on the issue. We're young, but we're slowly getting there.

In my opinion, BB should continually be about people from different backgrounds learning to know each other in an extreme situation.. people who normally would never have met otherwise. While I don't agree that exploiting the situation should be done for reality tv, I don't see a problem with people from different backgrounds being in the house together and potentially opening their minds to make them better people (like Kent). Unfortunately, the latter turns into the former most of the time.

I agree with what you are saying and do think it reflects a lack of progression on the part of the US as a whole -- I think the part that bugs me is how they are setting it up as a meltdown instead of possibly being a point of growth or understanding. "Watch the fireworks as the gay guy and the homophobe confront each other!" I'm talking about how they advertise it, being in the commercials. I saw one which had the gay guy and the "I think gay people are going to hell" and then it was the 75 year old guy and a woman who says she doesn't think she could ever get married for the rest of her life. So...... ok.