A reader writes:
Isn't it possible that the gay couple on Modern Family don't kiss because they're in a public space? How many of us who are gay do the same - we're affectionate at home or at our friends' homes, but when we step outside our doors into the world where straight is the status quo, we hold back. Sure, there are times and places we let lose, but generally speaking, many of us still feel uncomfortable being as open as our straight brothers and sisters. This is a sad admission, but it is still true.
Another writes:
In the episode last night, everyone is vacationing in Hawaii. I noticed a great shot of one of the men in the same-sex partnership (Cameron) very reassuringly pat his partner on the bare leg right around his knee as they were both sunning themselves by the pool. Intimate and touching moments between loving adults don't always have to include smooches.
Another:
By contrast, the ABC melodrama “Brothers and Sisters” regularly shows the male couple kissing on the lips, in bed with only boxers on, and talking about their sex life. Makes me wonder if that’s due to the fact that “Modern Family” is a comedy and they fear that such PDAs would interfere with the comedy, whereas they feel it enhances the drama on “Brothers and Sisters.”
A statement from MF's producers:
Cameron and Mitchell are a loving, grounded, committed, and demonstrably affectionate couple and have been from the beginning of the series. It happens that we have an episode in the works that addresses Mitchell's slight discomfort with public displays of affection. It will air in the fall and until then, as Phil Dunphy would say, everyone please chillax.