By BRITTANY WALL

Staff Writer

Every Thursday night at 8, students rush to their dorm rooms, turn on their televisions and smile in delight as they listen to the piano keys play the theme song to Will and Grace.

To most people, this obsessive ritual may be amusing, but not unlikely. It doesn't matter to them that the show is about the relationship between a woman and her gay male friend. It doesn't even bother them that the show's two- sided characters are a flamboyant gay male and a promiscuous female who is a self-titled "fag-hag."

It is not hard to find a follower of shows like Will and Grace or Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Not only are these shows popular, but they also transcend race, gender and culture lines. So when did the media moguls and America decide that homosexuality was suitable for entertainment?

The recent passage of laws banning same sex-marriages has sparked controversy.

The country has been thrown into a debate on whether certain issues are constitutional or unconstitutional and moral or immoral. All the news coverage that follows these events makes it almost impossible for Americans to not be tuned in.

"I think that we're just more aware of the issues," Dr. Frances Kelley, a psychology professor, said. "Because of current amendments being dealt with on a state and federal level, people have become more aware of this particular subject matter."

Even musicians are starting to use lyrics relating to homosexuality in their songs. Rapper T.I. has a verse in his song, Let's Get Away in which he says, "I love chillin' with women who like women."

"I don't like to see homosexual people exploited, but I am glad to see them more on television," Ashley Griffin, a sophomore medical technology major, said. "I think it adds a bit of reality to the programs."

However, some people believe that the media are taking advantage of homosexual people and the recent political issues surrounding their everyday life.

"The media does whatever they can to catch people's attention," Gerald Dyer, a sophomore biology major, said. "It's such a big issue, so they do whatever they can to exploit it and bring controversy."

Yet whether or not media are scrambling for ratings, the impact of adding homosexual characters to family television night is apparent. People are less likely to be shocked when they see a man hugging a man or two women kissing.

The development of organizations like the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, as well as gay magazines and newspapers seem to have helped homosexuals who may feel mistreated or violated ban together to fight for their rights.