Kurt Hummel is a popular gay character that broke through the Fox filter. But do his brand of Fox-approved homosexualy serve to rerce stereotyp?
Contents:
- WHICH GLEE CHARACTERS ARE GAY IN REAL LIFE?
- THE GAY ONE OM GLEE – POSIVE ROLE MOL OR DANGERO CLICHé?
- CHRIS COLFER WAS 'ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED' PLAYG OPENLY GAY 'GLEE' ROLE KURT AS HE WASN'T YET OUT
- 'GLEE' STAR CHRIS COLFER SAYS HE WAS 'ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED' TO PLAY A GAY CHARACTER ON THE SHOW BEE HE WASN'T OUT YET
- 'GAY' GLEE CHARACTERS ARE ACTUALLY STRAIGHT!
WHICH GLEE CHARACTERS ARE GAY IN REAL LIFE?
* is kurt from glee actually gay *
The mil edy-drama Glee was not only known for featurg artists like Ida Menzel, was also one of the first popular work shows that featured entire storyl around Kurt's stggl as a gay person livg wh a homophobic environment. One night, after the game is over, Kurt and Burt return home where Kurt tells his father “I’m gay. Glee’s creator Ryan Murphy, himself a gay man, ed his own personal experienc g out to his father as spiratn for the scene.
He clarified an terview (via LA Tim) that gay characters so rarely get happy endgs, and even more rarely are their sexuali treated wh digny. He poted out that was jt as important (if not more important) to see gay characters happy and thrivg, pecially sce the LGBTQ+ muny has suffered so much persecutn and misery.
At the time of Glee's release, gay marriage was not yet legal and the reprentatn of gay characters on televisn was strikgly small. Origally, Colfer dned for the role of Artie, but after dng Ryan Fuller realized Colfer was the perfect actor to break through gay stereotyp on televisn.
THE GAY ONE OM GLEE – POSIVE ROLE MOL OR DANGERO CLICHé?
Kurt Elizabeth Hummel is a major character the h seri, Glee. He is the first openly gay character troduced the seri. In the begng of the seri, Kurt is the closet until he out to Merces Jon and eventually to his father, Burt. He tablish a csh on Fn Hudson... * is kurt from glee actually gay *
While Glee may have promoted many harmful stereotyp throughout s n, s pictn of Kurt g out to his father was a rehg change of pace pared to how gay characters were treated the past on televisn.
By the time Glee end after six seasons, Kurt and Burt gave dienc a healthy relatnship between a father and his gay son that was rarely seen on televisn.
CHRIS COLFER WAS 'ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED' PLAYG OPENLY GAY 'GLEE' ROLE KURT AS HE WASN'T YET OUT
Gay characters may not always have a happy endg on televisn shows, but Glee showed dienc that there is a place for this type of story. Glee is too gay, seems, for the edors of Vany Fair's webse, who apologised this week when a wrer fot where he was and ed the word "fags" – a postmorn, ironic way of urse – to scribe a recent episo of the h US edy seri.
But while the gratuo e of culturally-load words is fe for a be-sized bate on Twter, there is a much bigger problem that gay wrers don't discs: the whoppg headache of a tired gay cliché that Glee self embodi. Leavg asi the brilliance of Sue Sylvter, my own gay-Glee-gripe is wh Kurt Hummel, Ameri's poster boy for Fox-approved homosexualy wh his wholome goodns, a dazzlg Colgate se and a passn for Madge.
Devised by Ryan Murphy, a gay wrer his forti, "Kurt" om The Sound of Mic's wi-eyed jailba Kurt Von Trapp, while "Hummel" pays homage to a eakish rosy-cheeked le of youthful figur that were popular Nazi Germany. Swap the lerhosen for hs of Gaga and you get the stock-gay sensatn that is Kurt Hummel.
'GLEE' STAR CHRIS COLFER SAYS HE WAS 'ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED' TO PLAY A GAY CHARACTER ON THE SHOW BEE HE WASN'T OUT YET
But what about the majory of gay men who aren't reprented on TV? Gay teenagers mt gulp wh fear when they see Kurt, as he nf the closet-door wh a piano lid and mak beg gay look like a full-time job. In seri one, Kurt relentlsly pursued his straight classmate Fn, a dangero storyle that rerced to a young dience that gay men are predatory, won't take no for an answer and will do anythg to sce any straight boy sight.
And Kurt seems to embody the ethos that gay kids mt prove themselv by excellg at somethg as if to jtify the tragedy of their sexualy.
'GAY' GLEE CHARACTERS ARE ACTUALLY STRAIGHT!
But unlike Kurt his life didn't revolve around fightg gay battl. The wrers of Sks foced stead on the stggl of Anwar, a Mlim boy who felt that his strict upbrgg ma difficult for him to get along wh gay pupils, spe them beg iendly towards him and a fellow mory the classroom. You might say that any gay character that gets past the Fox filter is a triumph.
It as no surprise that he has a vast gay followg – the webse AfterElton named Kurt the seventh bt gay character of all time. It's also a personal achievement for Colfer, wner of a Goln Globe, a lnaire, only 20 and openly gay. He shar the red rpet wh gay men twice his age who never their award-stuffed reers dared to e out.