THE GOLDEN GIRLS On Marriage Equality  This was 22 years ago,
mind.  And herein lies the reason I've always loved The Golden
Girls. Forget that it's hilarious (it is), remarkably feminist
(that too) and far ahead of its time in terms of writing (yep) -
this show was decades ahead of itself on social issues, standing
up in its own quiet, funny way for women's rights, racial
equality and LGBT tolerance, with plotlines on abortion,
menstruation, cross-dressing, gay marriage and far more, all
masked in a cozy, nonthreatening humor that never alienated
audiences.  Today the Supreme Court hears arguments on Prop 8,
the California referendum that banned same sex marriages, and
tomorrow they'll hear arguments on DOMA, the federal law
defining marriage between a man and a woman. We likely won't
hear the court's rulings until June, but it's still a big week
in the fight for marriage equality. It's March 26, 2013, and
that fight is still an upward battle.   The episode from which
this clip hails, "Sister of the Bride,"