It seems like there has been as much news about LGBT issues on TMZ as there has been in the New York Times. At least if you take the view that what happens in the entertainment industry is relevant to the political struggle for equality.

I happen to subscribe to that view.

I think that Shanna Moakler’s resignation over the ridiculous actions and offensive speech given by Carrie Prejean on Tuesday marks an important step towards equality. I also think that the announcement today that Wanda Sykes’s wife has given birth to twins presents an important opportunity to get the notion of loving, stable, LGBT families out into the American mainstream.

I was watching Ellen at the gym the other day (she makes me laugh while I run which somehow makes running seem not quite as bad as it really is). There was an adorable segment about her and Portia trying out a new game for the show. Portia cheats, Ellen falls over and they both end up cracking up on their back lawn.

The functional display of LGBT couples on television – like Ellen and Portia – is essential if we want popular culture to support the recognition of our relationships.

But Ellen and Portia are animal obsessed, fairly apolitical and childless. Ellen, especially, talks more about kittens than equal rights.

Wanda Sykes, on the other hand, has appeared in commercials supporting equality aimed at teenagers, often addresses LGBT issues in her comedy routines and gave a brilliantly political presentation at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Now she is the mother of twins, is in a stable relationship and is all over the entertainment news.

This is part of the struggle, and it’s publicity we need. Congratulations to Ms. Sykes and thanks for keeping the image of LGBT families in the mainstream media.