There's Something About Marrying

"At last I have found the yin to my...yin."

- Patty

"There's Something About Marrying" is the tenth episode of season 16.

Plot
Looking for someone new to prank, Bart and Milhouse find a naive-looking man named Howell Huser, who has been roaming the United States. Huser turns out to be a professional tourist who works for a TV station, rating towns for tourism. He says just how terrible Springfield is. Within a month, the Springfield tourism business is in a state of collapse. As a solution, Lisa suggests they legalize same-sex marriage.

Soon, hundreds of gay and lesbian couples come to Springfield. However, Reverend Lovejoy still holds the view that marriage is only between a man and a woman and refuses to join any same-sex couple. Marge tries to argue that certain parts of the bible conflict about same sex coupling, but Lovejoy starts ringing the church bell to drown her out. Homer overhears that ministers get paid $200 per couple and decides to become a minister himself by getting ordained online through a questionable website. Shortly afterwards, he marries every gay couple in town. When there are no more gay couples in town to marry, a money-hungry Homer puts up a sign saying "Will marry anyone to anything." Homer literally accepts the marriage of anything, even the Sea Captain who weds his mermaid figurehead, an inanimate object.

During this time, Patty tells Marge that she herself is a lesbian and is in love with a pro-golfer named Veronica. Marge is extremely uncomfortable, although she has been supportive of same-sex marriage. Marge recalls through flashback indications of Patty's homosexuality. On the day of the marriage, Marge discovers that Veronica is actually a man disguised as a woman to get on the women's tour. Marge is at first delighted that Patty will unknowingly marry a man. But during the ceremony, Patty's sincere happiness guilts Marge into revealing the truth. Veronica admits the truth and reveals his real name is Leslie Robin Swisher. He asks if Patty will still marry him, but she absolutely refuses, reaffirming that she likes girls. Patty and Selma go to leave a bag at the airport unattended, as a way to meet security personnel of both genders.

Production
The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns and directed by Nancy Kruse.

The episodes' plotline involves homosexuality (this time, centering on the right for homosexuals to get married); the third time for the show (the first being "Homer's Phobia", and second being "Three Gays of the Condo").

Reception
The episode attracted both praise and criticism. Positive reviews came from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, who described this episode as a "ray of light". However, the American Family Association claimed the presentation of same-sex marriage was "one-sided".

The episode was also criticized for promoting gay marriage, adding "At a time when the public mood is overwhelmingly against gay marriage, any show that promotes gay marriage is deliberately bucking the public mood."

On the premiere in Australia, on May 17, 2005, the airing gathered 1.5 million viewers on Channel Ten, outranking every other show that night.