A perfectly serviceable wagon story

Why is it that the simpsons is only mentioned in the news when it deals with "gay issues." Homer's Phobia in the eighth season won some kind of an award that year... I think it was an emmy or something. Anyway, in it, Homer makes friends with some guy, but unbeknownst to him, he's gay. So for a while, Homer's disgusted but then learns a valuable lesson about equality. Then, a couple of years ago (season 14), Three Gays Of the Condo comes out in which Homer has two gay roommates and kisses one of them. That got nominated for some kind of award. Now, they're taking it to the next level, by legalizing gay marriage in Springfield! And of course, the news is all agog, and Christian Conservatives are screaming "Who will think of the children!?" And the circus has begun.
I've never considered The Simpsons to be a South Park-type show where they're pushing all sorts of boundaries, and trying to incite shock. The Simpons has been good, but only because it's a good show. Why can't the media get excited by a solid, good episode? Why does it have to be gay? The show certainly did not pioneer that lifestyle, so why is it getting all this attention? I wanted headlines when Lisa the Vegetarian came out. Or what about Cape Fear? These were classics!! They deserve the real attention. Not fake, gay attention. Gee wiz.