The popular show Glee started airing in 2009 and had its final episode in 2015. Having famous actors like Jane Lynch and Lea Michele as the main characters of this show while also having special appearances from Britney Spears and Olivia John-Newton, it is no surprise that this show was so popular during and after its airing.
The reason I am bringing this show back into the spotlight is that I have been watching it with my group of friends, who are diehard Gleeks, aka Glee fans, and I’ll admit, I never truly watched Glee all the way through when it was airing on television. (This having my friends in utter shock, and urging them to make me binge-watch it with them.) Having not seen an episode of this show in so long, I’ll also admit that I am quite enjoying the show.
Two of my favorite characters happen to be the gay representation of Glee, Kurt played by Chris Colfer and Blaine played by Darren Criss. While these two made leaps for gay representation, the other letters in LGBTQ were often neglected and ridiculed, specifically the B, Bisexuality.
In one of the earlier seasons of Glee, the Glee club has a party and Blaine kisses the main girl, Rachel. Having made his appearance as a gay man and Kurt’s love interest, Kurt gets angry at Blaine when he because of this kiss, questions his sexuality, and thinks he may be bisexual.
Kurt: Bisexual is a lie gay guys tell in high school to hold hands with girls in the corridor so they can feel normal for a change
Blaine: Whoa, why are you so angry?
Kurt: Because I look up to you! I admire how proud you are of who you are. I know what it’s like to be in the closet, and here you are about to tiptoe back in.
(scene from Blame It on the Alcohol, Episode 14 of Season 2)
This is the perfect representation of biphobia and how normalized it is. Bisexuality is seen as a crossroad and a lie for gay men. Kurt going as far as to say that “he was going back into the closet” just shows that people still don’t truly understand bisexuality, this perception of bisexuality is just like the invalidation that bisexuality is “half straight, half gay.” Bisexuality is seen as a way to remain not labeled because so many people don’t understand it, but it is its label, not just a set-up for other labels.
Later on when the characters Brittany and Santana are exploring their sexualities and Santana finally comes to terms with being Lesbian, they never truly let Brittany identify with it as she is more seen as the dumb character who can barely understand herself or anything related to sex. She often calls herself bi-curious, which isn’t a terrible term but still undermines bisexuality, especially with Brittnay, the “dumb” one who is using it. Glee goes miles with the G of LGBTQ, often highlighting their mistreatment by showing real-life experiences of gay youth in schools such as dealing with bullying and mental health struggles while leaving the rest of the community slightly neglected.
However, I’m not going to knock down the show completely, as it did and still does a lot for the LGBTQ community. I’d just like to say for the shows that are being made right now, that I hope they highlight the LGBTQ community as a whole and don’t nitpick what they want to show, and don’t put down other labels as a means for another.
