You might have noticed, if you were feeling festive, that the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade (a customary ritual to summon a turkey) featured the case of the Broadway musical The Prom closing their stupendous number with leads Isabelle McCalla and Caitlin Kinnunen sharing a kiss on live television. The first same-sex kiss ever to occur in the Parade’s history, at least to be captured by the cameras.
Televised LGBTQ moments of jubilation and joy are usually a cost-sensitive analysis dilemma. Measuring whether the sly risk of such a visual when churn someone’s stomach or cause them to spurge with elation. Either way, it’s not an out-of-the-ballpark suggestion to act as if these sort of things aren’t typical. But with this passionate expression, joining the likes of Jack and Will on Will & Grace and Willow and Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it was a beautiful moment to be thankful on the gratitude-driven holiday.
Cast member Josh Lamon took to the Twitter feeds to celebrate the monumental moment, exclaiming: “The first #LGBTQ kiss in the Parade’s history,” he tweeted. “We here at @ThePromMusical have never been so proud. #LoveIsLove.” The moment was followed by pallets of praise from the audience, dubbing it as a celebration for the LGBTQ community.
The premise of the musical is centered on highlighting the LGBTQ community and discrimination they face from society. In the show, Alyssa (McCalla) and her girlfriend Emma (Kinnunen), two Indiana high schoolers, wish to go to prom together but soon learn that the PTA canceled the dance altogether after having issuing a protest over their relationship. Soon the story makes national headlines as their stand-up to the PTA’s ban becomes a national sensation, a theatrical event earning numerous stars from New York critics.
I know, I know, this isn’t exactly the TV news were accustomed to digesting. But there’s something special that occurred on the waves of the basic cable channels that needed to be shared and appreciated by us all. The Prom debuted in New York in October, and hopefully, you get a chance to make to the show. Television isn’t always about fiction mirroring reality, everyone in a while, in rare spurts now and again, there is something beautiful occurring here in the real world. A rare feat, I know.