Buck away

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Simpsons outs its first gay character
'The Simpsons' has outed its first gay character - Marge's sister Patty Bouvier. The husky voiced driving instructor has been revealed as the show's closet homosexual ending months of intense speculation among fans. Last year, it was revealed the programme was set to feature a gay marriage in the animated series for the first time, resulting in fans and websites across the globe believing Mr Burns's faithful assistant Waylon Smithers was finally going to "come out".

But the latest episode of the hugely popular series, which aired with a parental advisory in the US on Sunday, revealed it was the formerly celibate Patty. In the episode, Springfield legalizes gay marriage with Homer obtaining a permit to conduct ceremonies at $200-a-time, prompting his sister-in-law to tell him she has fallen in love with a professional golfer called Veronica. However, Patty's big day is ruined when her "bride" is revealed to be a man when her large adam's apple is unveiled at the alter.

Despite the episode being praised by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in the US, L Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council, has slammed the creators' decision to tackle the controversial subject. Bozell said: "At a time when the public mood is overwhelmingly against gay marriage, any show that promotes gay marriage is deliberately bucking the public mood."