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\\u201cCan\\u2019t Help Loving That Man\\u201d (October 20, 1991)

Looking at the various 90s-era Fox shows that focused on black characters, Roc was the one with the reputation for tackling social issues with the most gravitas. Early in the show\\u2019s run, Richard Roundtree \\u2014 Shaft himself! \\u2014 guested as the title character\\u2019s uncle, who comes bearing the news that 1) he\\u2019s gay; 2) he\\u2019s getting married; and 3) his beloved is a white man. To discuss the various layers of this Roc episode, Drew and Glen are joined by University of Iowa professor Dr. Alfred L. Martin Jr., whose field of study includes a focus on the depiction of gay black men on sitcoms. Alfred\\u2019s forthcoming book is titled The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom. Yes, we would love to interview him when his book comes out.

Read more about Alfred\\u2019s work on his faculty page.

We mention the episode of Golden Girls that was recently pulled from Hulu for its alleged use of blackface, and Alfred mentions the larger racist implications of that episode that were not discussed and may not be discussed as a result of being pulled. This week, Steven W. Thrasher wrote an excellent piece for Vulture on various moments on the show in which the central characters display racist attitudes and why the show\\u2019s fans are better off acknowledging these failings.

Lisa Simpson singing \\u201cGod Bless the Child\\u201d on The Simpsons Sing the Blues.

Also Glen\\u2019s favorite song, \\u201cMacho Duck.\\u201d

The book Alfred brings up is Fade to Black and White: Interracial Images in Popular Culture, by Erica Chito Childs. It\\u2019s about the depiction of interracial couples on TV and in other media. And the book Drew brings up is Queering the Color Line, by Siobhan B. Somerville. It\\u2019s about the intersection of racial and queer identity.

Buy Gayest Episode Ever shirts, totes and more on our TeePublic page.

Buy Glen\\u2019s movie, Being Frank.

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Follow: GEE on Twitter \\u2022 Drew on Twitter \\u2022 Glen on Twitter

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This is a TableCakes podcast.

This episode\\u2019s outro theme is \\u201cColor My Love\\u201d by Fun Fun (Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music)