When I first heard about the new MTV show, “Faking It”, where two straight girls pretend to be lesbians for popularity, I was outraged, as were many in the gay community. The whole premise of the show seemed to trivialize the issues and prejudice that LGBT teenagers have to endure on a regular basis.

I was pleasantly surprised by how wrong I turned out to be.

Amy and Karma are best friends attending a very liberal high school in Austin, Texas. Being socially inept and obscure, Karma is desperate to be noticed. So, when someone mistakes her and Amy to be a couple and starts their campaign for Homecoming royalty, Karma jumps at the chance for popularity, much to Amy’s disdain.

The best part about “Faking It” is how blindingly obvious it is that Amy isn’t faking anything. By the end of the pilot episode, it was so clear that she is gay that I wanted to cry tears of relief. It is just like a romantic comedy! Unless Karma is straight, but only time will tell. Karma was pining after the most popular guy at school, however, so this might be an indication of her heterosexuality. One can dream, though.

This show definitely deserves a chance, even if the way it was advertised made so many people cringe out of mortification. There is such a severe lack of lesbians on television that this could very well be the answer to my prayers. Let us just hope that the whole thing does not take a turn for the offensive. I do not think my heart could take it.