The Golden Girls Go Lezby, But First Have To Figure Out What "Lesbian" Means [A Very Special Episode]

Last night I was jogging away on the treadmill at the gym--this is going to need sound effects: "do dodo dodoooo!"--trying my darndest not to fall off as I flipped through the channels on the attached TV screen, when I flipped onto an episode of The Golden Girls: "ohh... jackpot!"

It was mid-episode and Dorothy and Blanche were having some sort of heart-to-heart about Dorothy's "odd" friend Jean who had come for a visit. "La la la... jog jog jog... mis en scene..." when suddenly I pay attention again and their "odd" friend Jean is having a heart-to-heart with Dorothy (because, duh everything is heart-to-heart on Golden Girls). And then Jean confesses she is a (gasp!) lesbian and (double gasp!) has the hots for Rose!!

"Jog jog jog... jigga, whaaa?"

Lesbianism on The Golden Girls?!?!

It's a good thing I was running indoors because my mouth would have caught flies at that point.

Apparently, I was not the only one shocked the topic came up in the episode, as The Golden Girls themselves seemed a little unsure as to what a "lesbian" actually was.

And because I can never suffer the abuses of popular culture alone, I now give you the fantastic clip where Dorothy and Angela (hello, mother and daughter sharing a bed!!) discuss with Blanche what "lesbian" even means. Nooo not Lebanese, or an actress...

As cringe-y as some of their comments make me, it was 1986 so ah, brava Golden Girls for handling such a sensitive topic. Though for all her trouble and forthrightness, poor Jean gets the "I like you, but I just want to be friends" treatment in the end. (Girl, I feel your pain! Stay strong, my brave fictional-friend geriatric Sista!)