Trinity Mirror, Gay Comedian & Policeman

As laughter is heard in the background, British comedian Graham Norton is shown hosting his television show while the narrator speaks: "It's ok to be a gay comedian who gives us a lot of laughs."

Now, the upper half of a police officer is superimposed above the image of Graham Norton. The narrator continues, "So why not a gay policeman who solves a lot of crimes?"

"The Mirror, Think Again."

This ad earns a "Positive" rating because it challenges modern perceptions of gay people. The value of this commercial is that it acknowledges the importance of gay visibility on television, but it draws attention to the lack of social space for gays in traditionally male-dominated careers.

In other words, gay tolerance is conditional. Gays deviate from heterosexual gender expectations, and they are tolerable as long as they fit within society's homosexual expectations.

Since homosexuals cannot occupy the same social space as heterosexuals, gradually, a new social space has been paved for them. It is when a homosexual does not fit into this newer, assigned category that makes people uneasy.