Believe it or not, there’s a far more nefarious force workingagainst same-sex unions than President Bush.

It’s hard to trump a president calling for a constitutionalamendment that would ban same-sex marriage. But Bush — love him orhate him — openly embraces one side of the conflict, therebysparking controversy and igniting debate.

The evil of which I speak is an entirely different breed.

Sneaking past preconceived notions of homosexuality, thispop-culture earwig snugly imbeds itself in the unconscious of theindividual, dumbing down society’s mental functioning to theabsolute lowest common denominator and altering perceptions ofhomosexuality from the inside out.

The parasite is the new Fox reality show “Play It Straight.”

The premise is simple: One sweet, sheltered,bred-in-the-Bible-Belt type of girl signs on for a reality showthinking she’s simply choosing a potential husband. Fourteenpotential suitors try to woo her. But here’s the catch: Althoughall the guys are acting straight, some of them are gay.

The female contestant eliminates the two contestants each weekshe thinks are gay and ultimately hopes to end up with one finalheterosexual suitor. If she chooses correctly, the newly formedcouple splits a million dollars and lives happily ever after.

If she chooses incorrectly, the gay guy makes off with the moneyand our adorably na�ve female is left with nothing but abroken heart and a burning hatred towards that damn homosexual whorobbed her for a cool million.

According to the Fox Web site, “This show isn’t about love orfalse hopes of a long-term relationship, it’s about ‘Gaydar.'”

I swear to God, “Gaydar” is spelled with a capital “G,”catapulting it into the elite ranks of vernacular previouslyoccupied by proper names and places.

In the first episode, one contestant made the mistake of pullingout a hair dryer. He’ll be gone by tomorrow.

“Play It Straight” is more damaging than anything Howard Stern,Rush Limbaugh or any other controversial figure says in the publiceye. The overwhelming danger with “Play it Straight” is that itrewards the ability to correctly act and judge others based solelyon prejudice.

The woman on “Play it Straight” acts on nothing but preconceivedgay characteristics, thereby acknowledging, rewarding and,ultimately, proliferating any predjudices against homosexuals.

The root cause for the current gay marriage struggle isequality. Marriage legitimizes of a relationship, and homosexualsbelieve their same-sex relationships deserve equivalent recognitionunder the law.

But a show dedicated to honing a country’s collective “Gaydar”does nothing but continue to polarize and marginalize thehomosexual community and encourages an entire country toparticipate.

A group of people is more than the sum of its stereotypes. It’sa shame that Fox is advocating that people should thinkotherwise.

Daniel Magliocco is a Weinberg sophomore. He can be reached [email protected].