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Arranged marriages for ratings? Yes. Gay marriages for love? Still no.

Marriage is a sacred institution. Or, at least, that’s why they keep telling us gays and lesbians we can’t get married. So, then, how do you explain CBS’ newest sign of the apocalypse reality TV series Arranged Marriage? As the name suggests, the show will feature straight singles who enter into arranged marriages for the cameras.

How, exactly, does this not undermine the institution of marriage? How does turning marriage into a spectacle for the masses not erode the foundation of the family? Because the message this sends gay and lesbian Americans is loud and clear.

This is totally OK.

But this is still not OK.

WTF, universe?

While I have serious issues with the concept of arranged marriages as a whole, I’m not here to disparage cultures where the practice has traditionally been followed. Likewise, it would be very different if the show was about observing a cultural tradition rather than a show about using a foreign concept as a publicity stunt.

The series comes from successful reality executive producers Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth. The duo has hits like Top Chef and Project Runway under their belts, so you’d think they’d know better. While those shows have been wildly popular, their latest is considerably more controversial. In Arranged Marriage four singles, ages 25 to 45 will let their family and friends select their spouses and have cameras follow their subsequent marriages.

You know, instead of creating an entire series based around marriage as a sensationalized stunt between strangers, how about a series that explores the loving, committed relationships between gays and lesbians who actually know each other before they make a life-long commitment?

Call me crazy, but I always thought marriage was about love. I guess I should have known it was really all just about the ratings. Hey, America, looks like you don’t need us gays and lesbians to destroy marriage after all. The straight folks are doing just fine demeaning the institution on their own.

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