Did the gay episode seem manipulative?

I mean they knew the show was being cancelled, so it seemed like a last ditch effort to get all political. I don't hate the gays or anything, but my main question is was it really necessary? It seems like a trend they wanted to follow. Let's have another gay character on yet another tv show. Sort of like when everyone was doing the Macarena back in the 90s. Its a fad and its kind of sad.