‘Game of Thrones’: So Joffrey Hates Gays, On Top of Everything Else

We knew Joffrey Baratheon was a pint-sized bully, prone to beheading good men and removing the tongues of singers. But as we learned on Sunday's "Game of Thrones," he's also a raging homophobe, who has toyed with the idea of making gay sex punishable by death.

"Game of Thrones" executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have told TheWrap that they don't inject modern-day politics into the show. But if they intended to with Sunday's episode, their timing couldn't have been better.

It aired as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to legalize same-sex marriage, and amid national campaigns against anti-gay bullying.

While courting Margaery Tyrell, young Joffrey pressed her on why she never had children with her former husband, Renly Baratheron. Because he was gay, you dope, she essentially said, leading Joffrey to call him a "degenerate" and pontificate about the death penalty. Then he shows her his not-at-all phallic new weapon, which fires very short arrows.

The show has been accused of delving into politics before: A prop head of former President George W. Bush was once shown on a spike, though Benioff and Weiss said it was only used because the prop was available, not to send a message.

Bush supporters were offended, but a few took the opportunity to point out that anyone Joffrey took the time to kill would have to be a pretty decent person.

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