I managed to catch several episodes of season six of The Simpsons during the wildly successful FXX marathon these past few weeks. Season six is my personal favorite of The Simpsons lengthy canon for such episodes as “Lisa on Ice” and “And Maggie Makes Three” with countless others to mention as well. There is one particular episode that I had not remembered until I watched it during the marathon. This episode, entitled “Sideshow Bob Roberts” is a brilliant satire of the entire American political process and aired on the eve of the 1994 midterm elections. It also contained an extremely distinguishing political announcement concerning the rights of homosexuals in America. And yet, this message is largely ignored in many respects concerning The Simpsons.

In the “Simpsons Wiki” specifically devoted to all-things Simpsons related, a page exists entitled “LGBT-Themed episodes” which directs the audience to episodes specifically concerning LGBT issues. On this page, there are six entries with four airing during season 14 or later. The first episode in the series mentioned is “Simpson and Delilah” which aired during season 2 (1990). In this episode the character of Karl (voiced by Harvey Fierstein) kisses Homer after spending most of the episode obsessing over him. This episode did little to depict a character as “coming out” or as openly gay. With the familiar voice of openly gay Harvey Fierstein portraying Karl, some might intrinsically label Karl as gay. Furthermore, while the kiss may demonstrate a facet of Karl’s homosexual leanings, little else depicts Karl as openly homosexual. If anything, the episode merely resorts to Karl as having an over-the-top obsession with Homer, not a homosexual crush. Karl is a character very much still “in the closet.” It’s difficult to categorize “Simpson and Delilah” as an LGBT-Themed episode because there is no clear evidence Karl is even homosexual.

While not an “LGBT-Themed episode,” the episode “Sideshow Bob Roberts” which aired during The Simpsons sixth season on October 9, 1994, and contains its first important message regarding homosexuality. This episode satirizes the electoral process by referencing Watergate, Rush Limbaugh and other elements of American electoral politics. America in October 1994 was only a month away from elections that would witness the Republican Party sweeping the midterm elections following Newt Gingrich and others’ crafting their “Contract with America.” With conservative politics sweeping America, clearly The Simpsons knew it was a suitable time for parody. If you haven’t seen the episode, you should really check it out ASAP. The episode features a return of Sideshow Bob and concerns his run for mayor of Springfield as the Republican Party candidate backed by Birch Barlow (parody of Rush Limbaugh) all in attempt to again harm the Simpsons. With razor-sharp jokes and excellent writing, The Simpsons skewers American electoral politics. And while the majority of the jokes may be aimed at the Republican Party, that majority is indeed slim with no punches being pulled for either parties.

As the episode concludes it evolves into a parody of Watergate as Bart and Lisa investigate how convicted felon Sideshow Bob was able to beat incumbent Mayor Quimby. Eventually, the scene features a parody of the famous “Deep Throat” whistleblower meeting that occurs in a parking garage referencing the very same interaction that occurred in the actual Watergate investigation. The whistleblower in this investigation is a character familiar to all fans of The Simpsons, Waylon Smithers, who reveals the misdeeds that Sideshow Bob’s campaign committed from his place in the top ranks of the Springfield Republican Party.

Waylon Smithers is an interesting character when it comes to The Simpsons. In his first appearance, he was portrayed mistakenly as being black. Smithers is best known for being the groveling assistant of Mr. Burns, the ruthless owner of Springfield Nuclear Plant who adheres to every whim of his boss. The most interesting character trait of Smithers that the writers have played with frequently concerns his sexuality, most specifically focusing on his love of his boss Mr. Burns. One such instance of this involves a dream sequence where Mr. Burns enters his bedroom through the window and Smithers appears to be sporting an erection. Another concerns his computer’s log which features a nude Mr. Burns stating “Hello Smithers. You’re quite good at turning me on.” A debate between fans concerns whether Smithers is homosexual or merely, as Simpsons writer Al Jean refers to his sexuality, “Burns-sexual.”

In my mind, there is no question that Smithers is supposed to represent a homosexual resident of Springfield. This lack of doubt comes from Smithers appearance as the “Deep Throat” character in “Sideshow Bob Roberts.” Smithers is aware of the illicit activity occurring in Sideshow Bob’s campaign because Mr. Burns is a high-ranking member of the Republican Party. If Smithers was a “Burns-sexual” he would never have betrayed the most important person in his life to bring down Sideshow Bob. Instead, Smithers motivation came from something far greater than his lust for Mr. Burns. Smithers states his reason for revealing the conspiracy when he states: “I’ve never gone behind Mr. Burns’ back before but Sideshow Bob’s ultra-conservative views, er, conflict with my…choice of lifestyle.” Smithers’ sexuality is not mentioned or brought up at throughout the course of the episode except for this one specific scene. Instead of referencing Smithers’ sexuality merely in a humorous manner, Smithers’ becomes a character that almost assuredly is homosexual and fears his rights among a Republican dominated Springfield government. For the first time, sexuality becomes overtly political in The Simpsons according to Matthew Henry who argues that the episode demonstrates that conservative policies and homosexuality “cannot coexist….”

“Sideshow Bob Roberts” decrees that extreme conservative views do not support the natural rights of homosexuals in America. The Simpsons argues that the conservatism of the Republican Party, Newt Gingrich and co. stand on the opposite ends of the spectrum in response to the pursuits of rights for homosexuals. On the eve of the 1994 election, The Simpson makes a political point, inherently arguing that the rights of homosexuals will be negatively affected by conservative lawmakers coming to power in America.

The much more famous episode of The Simpsons that deals with homosexuality is “Homer’s Phobia” which received support from GLAAD after its initial airing. This particular episode deals with Homer’s fear that Bart will turn gay after spending time with the character John (played by John Waters). “Homer’s Phobia” is a brilliant satire on the belief that homosexuality is somehow contagious. I’m in no way arguing that this episode isn’t a brilliant commentary on homosexuality as well. Much has been written and uttered that praises the merits of this episode. Yet, I think it’s important to note that “Sideshow Bob Roberts” aired roughly two years before “Homer’s Phobia” and made an overtly political point at the time regarding the divergent futures of LGBT rights with conservative policies. Smithers’ revelation comes as a dismissal of the “Log-Cabin Republicans” by denying that homosexuals can truly support Republican policies without sacrificing their own individual rights.