The Simpsons: 12 Things You Missed If You Stopped Watching in 2000

3. Patty Coming Out Of The Closet

Patty is gay. And that's okay. With Homer, the kids, and eventually Marge, though despite her support of gay marriage (which Springfield has decided to cash in on, especially Homer, who starts preforming gay weddings in his garage for cash), she's taken aback when her sister comes out of the closet, and we learn that Marge might not be as accepting as we think - at least when it comes to her own family. Marge's reaction to her sister's announcement that she would marry her girlfriend (who turns out to be a man, causing Patty to dump him because she only likes girls) in season 16's "There's Something About Marrying" is actually pretty realistic. She makes the right choice in the end, and it's one of the times when the show managed to take Marge and give her an interesting dilemma. For as good of a person as Marge is, she was still raised religious, which means she's more than likely going to have some bias against gays. Sure, when it's not her family, she can accept them - but when it is? Looking back, we've warmed up to this character turn. It seemed gimmicky at the time, but in retrospect, it really makes Patty stand out. It's still Patty and Selma as a unit, but now each character has something distinctive going for her (Selma's many marriages being the other).