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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that will be there for you. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out and talk about why the older-millennial-favorite, Friends, Should’ve Been Gay. 

Although Friends is problematic for so many reasons (and time has not done it any favors), there were still moments in the series that were groundbreaking for the queer community. In 1996 Carol and Susan’s wedding was the first lesbian wedding ever on American tv and, unsurprisingly, 2 network affiliates refused to air the episode. But even a lesbian wedding could not save the show from being aggressively heteronormative in ways that we truly believe make our whole generation eligible for compensation.

There really is no bigger example of a show just overflowing with comp-het energy than Friends. You’re expecting us to believe that there exists a group of six friends in New York City and not one of them is gay? One of them is quite literally a soap-opera actor with a live-in longterm boyfriend, but somehow even he is not gay? We could’ve had the ultimate “and they were roommates” of shows, but instead we got a full decade of being gaslit into thinking Ross was a “nice guy”. And don’t even get us started on how dirty they did Janice. 

We know one thing for sure, Friends Should’ve Been Gay.

Give us your own answers to our Q & Gay on Instagram and follow along on Facebook, TikTok, and BlueSky @lezhangoutpod. Email us @lezhangoutpod@gmail.com. Connect with us individually: Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster).

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