Is Glee good for gays?
Benjamin Riley
Over the past two years, Glee has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning more than 100 iTunes singles and turning its young stars into household names.
None of the actors has experienced quite so dramatic a rise to stardom as 20-year-old Chris Colfer, who plays gay teen Kurt Hummel.
The significance of the character has not gone unnoticed in the media, with American GLBTI media monitoring organisation GLAAD praising Kurt’s storylines in the show for contributing positively to the visibility of gay characters on television.
However, while queer teenage characters on television are few and far between, those who do feature prominently in mainstream shows are often desexualised, with storylines focusing exclusively on homophobia-related issues.
For the last two years of the show Kurt has fit this bill, and although the character’s sexuality has never been shied away from in Glee, up until recently he was one of the only main characters in the show never to have been in an on-screen relationship.
The introduction of openly gay character Blaine (played by Darren Criss) in the show’s second season raised hopes that this might change, and tonight it finally does, when Kurt and Blaine share a passionate on-screen kiss.
Same-sex kisses on commercial television are rare enough, let alone those between teenage men.
The much publicised kiss comes on the heels of last week’s episode, which tackled gay teen sexuality in a sex talk between Kurt and his father Burt, a role which garnered actor Mike O’Malley an Emmy nomination.
The frank father-son talk dealt with the emotional ramifications of sex for gay teens, a bold topic for prime time television.
As with the kiss, Glee pulls it off.
While the show is clearly invested in tackling some very serious issues facing queer youth head on, it is finally addressing concerns that it had largely failed to acknowledge its gay male characters as sexual people.
We can only hope that these developments in Glee may be a sign that gay visibility in mainstream media is becoming about more than just homophobia.
info: Tune in to Channel Ten tonight (Monday, March 21) to watch Glee at 7.30pm.
Glee is such a mixed bag. The creator, Ryan Murphy, has said that he sees a lot of himself in Kurt, and it shows, with a sensitively handled storyline and every opportunity for the amazing Chris Colfer to earn those future Emmys! However, the same cannot be said for Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester or most of the other cardboard cutouts on the show, excepting the odd plot lines that jerk the characters from farce to something more meaningful and back again. It’s a fascinating hot mess, not for young kids, but hot with young kids thanks to the youthful, talented cast. I’m figuring that Glee does much good for the kids Murphy wants to reach out to with this plot line, but I also expect that Glee will eventually get yanked off the air because it is walking a too-fine line between really dark, mature adult farce and Important Messages for the Junior Set.
I’m sorry, Glee to me is spuriously superficial. I personally prefer the way Degrassi and Queer as Folk dealt with queer youth issues- both explored queer youth relationships without reserve or pretense ten years before Glee put a toned down, rather trite gay stereotype on screen. But at the end of the day, the makers of Glee are generally on a good track, and Degrassi and QAF might have been progressive but they were hardly mainstream and had comparatively small impact. Commercial TV shouldn’t be rejected for trying to create a better, more equal society in the process of making profits. I know many straight people have been touched and informed by this show- and this cannot hurt.
It is cheesy tacky and sometimes annoying, however it its pros far outweigh the cons and the show is doing much for gay and lesbian rights IMHO
Glee is tacky, no story line and is Brady Bunch meets Degrassi High.
I love Glee, but it’s hardly one of the only shows tackling the subject of gay teens and their struggles. I grew up watching shows that featured just that and most of their storylines were not focused on dealing with homophobia, in fact some shows didn’t even address homophobia at all, they were more focused on their love lives and just treated them like they did everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that Kurt can be a role model for some gay teens who may be struggling with the issues presented on the show, and that he is featured on a tv show that’s been such a hit. I’m just saying, this show isn’t really breaking any new ground there, it’s just got a bigger audience.
Glee is really a good show. Despite having consistency issues (that I will admit) , their numbers are amazing, they have a fantastic cast, and Chris Colfer is really doing a great job telling those gay peeps out there that they are just as good as everyone else and they shouldn’t be afraid of who they are. Happy endings do exsist too ^^ cheers to Blaine. I’m still very young, never actually met a gay person before, but I am in no way a homophobe. We should embrace everybody ! Whether or not they like guys or girls (I’m talking about the lesbians too) is not important, it’s the personality that counts. :) To those who say, ‘Glee is getting too gay’, seriously, is there something wrong with showing more storylines about the gay characters? Think about it, would you be complaining if it was just another straight couple? Probably not. It’s the norm. So it still comes down to the fact they are gay huh? Be more open-minded. Then there would be less arguments and debates and everyone can just continue living their lifes happily. :)) gleek <3 haha
glee does not suck
I am a total Gleek and love warching this with my kids, for all it’s American corniness, it tackles some big teen issues, and it has encouraged great open discussion in my home about relationships coming in many forms
glee…….. is for gleeks!
glee is bad!
I do think Glee is good for gays. But I think it’s also good for the rest of society. Tolerance is a lesson everyone needs to learn and Glee gives us that medicine with more than a teaspoon of sugar. The music is great, the comedy is broad and the drama is right on. But what really makes Glee soar is the cast. No one but Chris Colfer could bring all the colors of being a gay teen. He is so charming that mothers adore him as they watch Glee with their kids. I think Glee and Ryan Murphy hit all the right notes not only in their music but in most of their scripts and casting. There are a few clunkers now and then (the Justin Beiber/Sue – i – cide episode didn’t work at all. I can’t remember the title and don’t really want to) but they are more than made up for with the gems. Wonderful recent episodes included “Silly Love Songs”, “Blame it on the alcohol”, “Sexy” and “Original Songs”. These were among the best. They were so funny, so musical, but also moved the plot forward. The sex talk between Burt and Kurt Hummell will go down in history as some of the best moments in TV …. ever!