"Michelle Obama Praises Movie-TV Industry for Promoting Same-Sex Marriage"

cnsnews.com Speaking to a group of television and screenwriters in Washington, D.C., on Friday, First Lady Michelle Obama praised the movie and television industry in the United States for promoting same-sex marriage. “Every day, through the movies and TV shows and ads you all create, you have the power to shape our understanding of the world around us,” said Mrs. Obama.  “You challenge our most strongly held beliefs. You influence our opinions on current events.” “So the fact is, in many ways, you all are in a unique position to help us address some of the most challenging issues that we face as a nation,” she said. “Just take an issue like gay rights.  It wasn’t all that long ago that this was a third-rail kind of issue, not just in politics, but in entertainment as well. It was considered sensitive, even controversial. “But in the early ‘90s, that started to change,” said Mrs. Obama. “Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his portrayal of a gay character in ‘Philadelphia.’ ‘The Real World’ included an openly gay cast member.  And over the years, there was ‘Ellen’ and ‘Will and Grace,’ ‘Milk’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain.’ “And today, ‘The Imitation Game’ is up for Best Picture at the Oscars, and Cam and Mitchell--two of my favorites--are raising their daughter on ‘Modern Family,’ one of the top-rated shows on TV,” said Mrs. Obama. “And at the same time, we’ve seen gay rights advance in real life as well,” she said. “As my husband said, we’ve seen gay marriage go from a wedge issue into a civil right in states all across this country.And that’s just one issue.” The Cameron and Mitchell characters on “Modern Family” are a same-sex married couple with an adopted child.