As I think I said earlier, I've been watching "Little Mosque of the Prairie" again. For those unfamiliar, it's a Canadian comedy that came out in 2007. It's been interesting. As you can probably tell by the title, it's a rather progressive show, for the time, and certainly came across that way, with the stated goal to help mend bridges between Muslim and non-Muslim populations in Canada post-9/11.
What's been particularly interesting, though, are the ways in which the show is not progressive at all by today's standards. In particular, around gender and sexuality. This was at a time when homosexuality was a hotly contested topic, and same-sex marriage, while legal in Canada, was still only performed in a few churches and occasionally protested. It was also a time when the idea that there are two genders and never the twain shall meet was not even questioned, and the notion of men being feminine or women being masculine was still a source of uncontroversial humour.
Nevertheless, it was a progressive show. Does the fact that it treats homosexuality and gender in these ways make it less so? I don't think it does. When looking back at yesteryear's actions, we need to always keep in mind the cultural contexts they existed in and read its intentions, not just its presentation on its face.
