snl glaadBy now, when you hear the words “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”? you know you're in for an hour of satirical comedy ruthlessly aimed at every segment of society -- politics, religion, pop culture, all of it. You probably expect to be offended at least once during the night, because that’s what Saturday Night Live does. Obviously, GLAAD (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) can't take a joke.

A recent skit centered around transgendered men speared the pharmaceutical industry – but GLAAD claims it was offensive to transgenders and actually fosters a hurtful environment. It has taken to its website to demand apologies from both the show and NBC and is circulating a petition asking for apologies as well. I, for one, won't be signing it.

Watch the video for yourself.

What I see is a sketch that skewers all those ads peppering television these days – especially the ones like Boniva (an osteoporosis medication). SNL isn’t making a comment about transgenders at all. It's merely using them as a vehicle to deliver a bigger message about our society.

We want everything in a little, easy-to-swallow, once-daily pill. One tiny capsule to cure obesity, a pill for osteoporosis, a patch to quit smoking. We want little single servings that don’t require us to do any work. The use of transgenders is just a fantastically attention-getting way to deliver this message.

SNL is one of the last great bastions of social commentary on television. It's known for creating controversy (remember Sinead O’Connor?), and has never shied away from delivering a message and they should be rewarded for that, not censured.

 

What do you think? Is the video that offensive?

 

Image via Hulu