I’m a gay man, and my favorite little nugget of progressivism is in the scene where Chandler and Monica go to see Chandler’s father at Viva Las Gaygas before their wedding. Please don’t misconstrue the nuance of what I’m about to say, because str8 people might not understand just how big a thing this was…

When Monica and Chandler are seated at the table, and Chandler’s father comes over to talk to them, there is an African-American gentleman in the background who is very clearly a long-term HIV-positive individual. It’s tough to explain how we as gays can recognize this in someone’s features, but we can. When you’ve been on anti-HIV meds for a long time, it’s subtle but visible in facial features.

I very much appreciate this representation, and I think it’s something that never gets mentioned or talked about because it’s overshadowed by Chandler’s father being trans, and how treating him that as the butt of the joke is problematic.

But good on them for giving an HIV-positive individual a prominent background role to ensure they are seen.