Kathy Griffin - Mariska Hargitay "Law & Order" Lip-Lock: FAIL! (video)

In an upcoming episode of Law and Order: SVU, scheduled for March 3rd, Kathy Griffin plays a lesbian activist, named Babs Duffy,  involved in the investigation of the death of one of her group's members. As the investigation moves along, Griffin's character works closely with Detective Olivia Bensen, played by lesbian icon, Miriska Hargitay. Naturally, Babs gets "mixed messages" from Bensen and plants one on her.
It looks like the "mixed-messages" tradition continues in Hollywood. SVU has done a really good job over the years in portraying LGBT stories in a fairly realistic manner without resorting to stereotyping. Why then are they now falling back to the tired old scenario where the only way a lead character could have a same-sex encounter is through a misunderstanding? Why is the gay character once again portrayed as the predatory aggressor? The fact that Kathy Griffin reportedly had some creative input in the story is the really confusing part.

When are we going to see some really bold moves in prime time TV when it comes to telling our stories? We all know people who came out later in life after years of marriage and raising kids.

Why not have Detective Eliot Stabler (played by hottie Chris Meloni) realize that he can't live a lie any more? It would certainly fit his brooding, moody character who can't seem to manage a happy home life for more than a few weeks at a time. Melonie has already played gay in the HBO series "Oz", so it wouldn't effect his career in any way. It would certainly be a breath of fresh air to TV franchise that is beginning to show its age.

Here's a clip of the kissing scene between Kathy and Mariska that could have been written by anybody anywhere that had never met a gay or lesbian person. Sure, Kathy is her usual sarcastic self, but this was not worthy of her efforts, especially with Olivia's slightly (?) homophobic parting remark to a coworker at the end of the scene.