What If Sookie Was Gay On 'Gilmore Girls'?

We all know Gilmore Girls. It's a modern-day classic. But what if the show had a few changes from the one we know and love? Not a small change, like making Lorelai's truck blue or changing someone in Stars Hollow's last name, but a big change. Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman Palladino dropped a fascinating tidbit at the ATX Television Festival on Saturday night when she explained that originally Gilmore Girls' Sookie was supposed to be a lesbian, but the network executives didn't go for the idea. But, what if the network had agreed to this character change: How would it have affected the show?

It's no surprise that making Sookie a lesbian was a no-go when Gilmore Girls was first premiering. When the show first aired in 2000, there had really only been about four gay kisses shared onscreen. The first occurred in 1991 between two women on LA Law, a kiss that had absolutely no ramifications as the characters didn't end up together and one of them was written off the show. The most recent was homosexual kiss had just aired on The WB on Dawson's Creek's Season 3 finale, when Jack finally shared a gay kiss with his then love interest Ethan. But what changes would have been made to the whole series if Sookie was a lesbian?

1. No More Jackson

If Sookie were a lesbian, we wouldn't have the glorious relationship between Sookie and Jackson. In fact, maybe Jackson wouldn't have even been a character on the show, just an extra who provided the Independence Inn and the Dragonfly with their vegetables. Jackson quickly became a fun, loving, and quirky character that I enjoyed, so it is sad to think he basically wouldn't have existed in the same capacity as he did. But then again, perhaps we could have been introduced to a different significant other in Sookie's life that could have provided the show a different, yet equally great feel. It would be interesting to see what kind of woman Sookie would have gone for if she were a lesbian. Maybe she would have had a lot of same qualities as Jackson.

2. The Wedding Would Have Been Next To Impossible

Considering Sookie and Jackson's wedding took place in 2002 and the first state to actually legalize gay marriage was Massachusetts in 2004, Sookie couldn't have gotten married in Stars Hollow, Connecticut in 2002 to her alternate partner. Not being able to get married could actually have made for an interesting problem addressed on the show, which leads to another change, but a positive on potentially.

3. The Show Could Have Explored Different Issues

Listen, I love Gilmore Girls. Always have, always will. And this is no indictment of the show, but making Sookie a lesbian character would have eventually brought up deeper, complex, and controversial issues the show would have had to explore, much like some of the issues that came up in Dawson's Creek. I appreciate the style, the atmosphere, and the tone of Gilmore Girls so much, so it's not like the show would have had to turn into a soap opera. But it would have been fascinating to see how the show would have handled homophobia, the gay marriage issue, how the town in general would have treated Sookie, and more.

I truly believe she would have still been the same Sookie we all know and love. She just would have had a few different plotlines here and there. Either way, the show would continue to be the Gilmore Girls we will love for life.

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