WASHINGTON -- If the American Civil Liberties Union gets its way, everyone in the country will get to witness perhaps the most high-profile same-sex wedding yet: the union of gay dads Cameron Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett on the popular ABC comedy "Modern Family."
On Wednesday, ACLU Action -- the advocacy arm of the civil liberties group -- launched a campaign calling on the show's writers and producers to let Cam and Mitch get hitched, complete with a website letting supporters RSVP for the wedding.
Besides just rooting for a new plot development, the ACLU wants Americans to remember what's at stake as the country awaits the Supreme Court's decisions in the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 cases.
“The freedom to marry is being advanced in American living rooms as much as in court rooms," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero in a statement provided to The Huffington Post. “As we wait for the Supreme Court to rule, we want to keep this issue on the minds and screens of Americans everywhere."
Pop culture has certainly played a pivotal role in helping change the conversation about equal rights. Vice President Joe Biden even cited the influence of "Will and Grace" when he came out for marriage equality.
And many "Modern Family" fans are eager for the nuptials. In a column last month, TV writer Gail Shister declared, "I, for one, am ready for a big old homo wedding."
"Afraid to alienate mainstream viewers, Modern Family producers have thus far kept Mitch and Cam virtually sexless. That’s unconscionable, given that the show is set in California, a haven for heathens. Also, gay marriage was legal there for a brief time, pre-Prop 8," she wrote. "If Mitch and Cam marry, they can have a wedding night, with at least a hint of homosexual consummation. Four years of foreplay is too much for any man."
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitch, told Larry King in March that he believed there was a good chance there would be a same-sex wedding on the show when marriage equality was legal in California, the state where the show takes place.
"They live in the real world. ... When marriage equality is legal in California, I can only imagine [they will get married]," he said, predicting a one-hour special.
And in February, Ferguson tweeted out a picture of himself with fellow actor Eric Stonestreet -- who plays Cam -- urging their followers to support marriage equality.
ACLU intends to deliver the "guest list" to Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, the producers of "Modern Family," as the crew comes up with the script for next season. The campaign, the organizers hope, will show them that a wedding for Cam and Mitch would be a ratings hit.
Twelve states and the District of Columbia have marriage equality laws, with Rhode Island, Delaware and Minnesota passing legislation in the past two weeks.
“The ACLU has been working since 1936 to guarantee the rights of lesbian and gay people," Romero said, "and we see sending Cam and Mitch down the aisle before 13 million American viewers as the perfect next step."
This article has been updated to incorporate comments on the potential for a same-sex marriage on "Modern Family" from Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitch.