'Glee' 'Raised the Bar' For TV Inclusiveness With Gay Kiss

By John Mitchell Posted Mar 16th 2011 10:50PM

On last night's 'Glee,' the New Directions won regionals after hitting the stage with a pair of original songs -- a first for the series -- but that isn't what anyone is talking about this morning. After months of hints and winks, fans of FOX's hit musical finally got what they've been waiting for: The characters of Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss) kissed for the first time. And it wasn't a peck. It also wasn't overtly sexual or desperate, it wasn't rushed or clouded with turmoil, and it certainly wasn't played for laughs, the way many kisses between men are on TV. It was perfect.

"It's hard to overstate the significance of the kiss between Kurt and Blaine on 'Glee' last night," Michael Jensen, editor of Logo's AfterElton.com tells PopEater. "Even better, it wasn't the sort of kiss we saw back in the 1990s where the guys pecked each other on the lips -- or worse, the camera cutaway -- but this was a real kiss that hinted there is much more to come in this relationship. If we still needed proof how far gay characters have come on network TV, 'Glee' just gave it to us."

"'Glee' has raised the bar of what it means to be inclusive on TV, and viewers are tuning in by the millions, sending a clear message to networks that Americans not only accept gay and lesbian characters, but they are beginning to expect them," GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios tells PopEater. "It's stories like Kurt and Blaine's that continue to remind gay youth everywhere that there's nothing wrong with being who you are."

The characters portrayed by Colfer and Criss, who is nominated for Logo's annual NewNowNext Awards 2011, which honors what is up-and-coming in popular culture, in the Brink of Fame: Actor category, are arguably the highest-profile gay characters on television right now, and, as the LGBT community continues to recover from the wave of bullying-related suicides late last year, it is especially important that Kurt and Blaine represent a pair of openly gay teenagers comfortable with who they are and seemingly on the verge of a real romantic relationship grounded in mutual respect.

"The two most recent episodes have represented queer youth and coming of age in a way I've never seen on broadcast television before, let alone one of the most popular shows in the country, with a mostly young audience," AfterElton's Christie Keith wrote in her recap of 'Original Song.' Keith is also referring to last week's 'Sexy,' in which Santana (played by Naya Rivera) confessed her love for Heather Morris' character, Brittany. Also on last week's episode, Kurt's father Burt (Mike O'Malley) sat his son down for a straightforward discussion about sex, providing him pamphlets and telling him, "This is gonna suck for both of us, but we're going to get through it together, and we will both be better men because of it. ... Kurt, when you're ready, I want you to be able to do everything, but when you're ready I want you to use it as a way to connect to another person, don't throw yourself around like you don't matter."

Since its debut, 'Glee' has been lauded for its inclusiveness, with characters representing myriad ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations. Last year, GLAAD honored 'Glee' with the GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Comedy Series, and the show is again a nominee this year. Colfer is set to attend this year's GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 10.

For how often the show delights in being over-the-top, these recent storylines have been grounded in a way that can only benefit 'Glee's' millions of young LGBT viewers, who rarely get to see themselves represented as fully formed, multi-dimensional characters and not stereotypes on prime-time network television. The show has been dealing with the issues they deal with daily directly and with great care, and it's heartening to know that in FOX's 'Glee,' a generation of young gay teens has been given something no generation of LGBT persons has had before them -- a group of peers to relate to.

Watch 'Original Song' here (kissing scene begins at 17:30):

Tags: chris colfer, glaad, Glee, logo

Comments

(164)

Wednesday 16 March

By nov2rememberout

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Oh people point for the gays, the guy that does the show producer or writer is gay. No big surprise, they like to shove it around. Gay is fine, but we don't have to have it shoved on us all the time. Hello we know you are their!

By R

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Stop shoving your bigotry around. That's offensive to me and many others too. Gay men and woman are people too. Treat them with respect.

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Gay is the new Black, me thinks they do protest too much. Turning people off now.

By Jan Williams

Supposedly, 90% of the population is heterosexual, 10% not. Why suddenly do the 90% have to be subjected to scenes like this? And why does Hollywood embrace it so much? I don't get it. I used to be much more tolerant and supportive of gay rights until recently. Now it has gone too far - and I wonder where it will end.

By Polar Patrol

Jan, it was one damn kiss. How is this going too far? The reason it's even making news is because it is so rare! I'd say 99% of kissing on TV is heterosexual. Maybe 1% is homosexual. Maybe. So, if anything, that is UNFAIR considering your 90/10 population rationale.

Thursday 17 March

By shallow much

It is ok if you hate me for who I love as long as I can hate you for being mean. Will that work for you??

By moyra

STOP CRAMMING THIS TRASH DOWN OUR THROATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S DISGUSTING AND AN ABOMINATION.

By Benjie Smith

That is sick. What has happened to our society? TV will aire anything to make a buck.

By stu

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move to japan Benjie.

By Gregg

You're right Benjie... Heterosexuals should just leave their disgusting perverted ways to themselves.

I would like you to consider that there are lots of positive straight role-models on TV... Such as Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, Skins, Charlie Sheen, etc.

By PrinceNC1

It took this long.

By Nenicho1211

Bull Crap. Inspire????? Even if you don't believe in God, you've got to believe in the Natural Design of nature. And don't say, well animals are gay. They did a study of rats in the 70's and yes, they turned gay when put in extreme conditions. They also ate one another. Having sex with same gender is aberrant behavior. I don't care one whit if you want to do whatever, but please don't try to say it's normal. Humans and animals were designed to procreate. There is no way around it. It for the continuation of the species. But heh, don't look at the design of things, if it feels good do it, but just don't use twisted logic to make it right.

Whether you like it or not, people have been homosexual since humans existed. And please don't talk about it being a law against nature. There are plenty of straight couples who either can't or don't have kids too. Are we supposed to dispose of them or not let them be together because they are infertile?

Haven't we been through this bigotry before with the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s? There was a time when interracial couples weren't allowed to marry or be together. Thankfully, that's no longer the case.

The real law against nature/humanity is this hatred that so many people on this site and in this world are spewing. Grow up and realize that being full of so much hate is a waste of energy.

By Rothaymere

Homosexuals are sodomists. Sodomy is abhorrent and that is what they are all about. They keep very quiet all the serious physical injuries they develop when practising sodomy. They want to look normal with a "normal" kiss, but behind closed doors, they are lower than animals - no animal sodomizes another. They are an abomination and so is any tv show going along with it. Amorals do as amorals do. Poor, pathetic apologies for men, one emulating the woman. Sad sacks.

It disgusts me that people like you exist. You should be ashamed of yourself. Bigotry is wrong, and you're a poor, pathetic excuse for a person.

By janilee

A lot of straight couples have anal sex as well. Who are you to judge anyone? Unhappy with your own sex life, perhaps?

Animals don't sodomize each other? Obviously, you have never studied biology or zoology. It is well known that primates (or in simpler terms you would understand): apes, monkeys, chimps, lemures, etc. are well known to sodomize each other of both sexes. It is a primate behavior and humans are primates.

But I guess sodomy is only natural for you when it is in a heterosexual role. Grow Up!!!

By Will

Take that Bush! (pun intended)

By porthos5ny

To the writers and actors of Glee: Well done. Had we seen more scenes like this years ago, it would have been easier to be in high school. I hope this helps in moving attitudes forward.

To all the negative responses.... If you have nothing nice to say, keep it to yourself.

Ps. Jane Lynch- you are the best!

By ronoct12

All this disgusting abnormal perverted crap being thrown in the face of the public is creating a public backlash. I do not care what you do in private, i do not and will not tolerate it in public. Hope you never expose yourselves to me personally!!!

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