A Gay Commitment Ceremony on ABC's 'Brothers & Sisters'

I can already hear the rantings and imagine the flying spittle as the Christianist mouthpieces go into absolute convulsions when this episode of Brothers and Sisters airs. God forbid that gays be shown as loving, commited individuals entitled to stable relationships like everyone else and - oh the vapors -perhaps adopting children. I applaud ABC for having the guts to do this show which will no doubt get homophobe bigot Don Wildmon wetting himself as he treatens a boycott against the shows advertisers. Here are some highlights from USA Today:

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BURBANK, Calif. — After much anticipation on the set of ABC's Brothers & Sisters, a wedding cake has arrived. The four-tier creation — adorned with flowers and blackberries — is locked in a freezer, out of sight from the curious cast members, who are wondering what the cake topper looks like. Spotting a prop woman with the topper in her hands, Matthew Rhys — whose character, Kevin, weds Sunday (10 p.m. ET/PT) in the show's Season 2 finale — calls her over. "Is it a man and a woman?" he asks. Getting a closer look, Rhys smiles and says, "Oh, it's two men. Fantastic. There were jokes made that they wouldn't be able to find two men, so they'd have to doctor the woman by adding a moustache."

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This is no typical TV wedding. It's a gay commitment ceremony — the first same-sex union on American network TV between series regulars. "It's all very progressive, evolved and about time," says Rhys. . . . The Walker family and guests have gathered in the living room to watch Kevin exchange vows with longtime beau Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane). Flockhart's character will officiate at the ceremony while her husband (Rob Lowe) ends up playing a key role — significant because he's a Republican senator opposed to gay marriage. During a break, Lowe waltzes off set. "It's pretty romantic in there," he notes, greeting his visiting kid brother, actor Chad Lowe, who explains, "I'm here to witness history."

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Conspicuously absent from the gathering is Sarah's (Rachel Griffiths) love interest (Steven Weber), who will not return for Season 3. But her character's two young kids are there, and Griffiths wonders if some viewers will "have a problem with that." She hopes not, but the liberal-leaning show does attempt to recognize those who oppose gay marriage by introducing Scotty's disapproving parents, who skip the ceremony. That volatile relationship is expected to be explored in Season 3. Another possibility: children.

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Executive producer Monica Breen assures, "They will be a family. Kevin deserves a stable relationship in the same way that Kitty, Sarah and all the others deserve it. He will be facing many questions in his life — but now he has someone to share that with."