Rants! I Has Some
Also known as: shadowravyn has Opinions (news at 11).
So, touchthesoul, who is made of awesome and great, posted this video on her LJ. I, of course, love Glee, and had to watch it. However, watching it, I became aware (or, perhaps 'more aware' is a better term) of two things:
1. I am not pleased with the way they are portraying homosexuality in Glee, and
2. I really, really hate this song.
Go ahead, watch the video. I'll wait.
(for the record, I still love Glee, this character on Glee, and this video for what it sets up for Glee.)
Let the rants begin! (Didn't y'all miss these during my summer hiatus?)
So, as far as I can tell, there are three gay characters on Glee. The first is the Asian girl who MAY be a lesbian, such deduction based on the fact that she sang Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl' in the pilot. Since I don't think she's had four lines since then, it's really hard to say. Basically, she's a silent Asian character (not even going to go into THAT) who is probably a lesbian. So, at best, she's a toofer; we get two minorities in one, but let's not give her any lines. The second is Kurt, the adorably gay boy in the video, and the third is Sandy, the man who used to teach the glee club but got fired for inappropriately touching some of his male students.
...Yeah. You read that right. No, I am not kidding.
From the fifteen minutes I spent 'researching' this (I trawled imdb, wikipedia, and some forums) there seems to also be some debate whether the evil cheerleading coach is a lesbian or not. She's got short hair, is evil, and has a strong, take-no-prisoners, yes-I-can-kick-your-ass attitude, which seems to be enough for some people. Bitches, please don't make me smack you. Of course, the other characterizations on the show that play to stereotypes don't give me a lot of faith here. Example: there is a black girl on the show. She is sassy and strident, hates being the backup singer, wants to be Beyonce, and says, 'Oh HELL to the no!' a lot. Words. They fail me.
It's like an 80's cartoon--they have the black girl, the Asian girl and (I kid you not), the boy in the wheelchair. I'm almost tempted to write in and ask for them to sing the Jem theme song or the Captain Planet ending credits.
Anyway, back to the gay. So, for the two characters who are canonically gay, one is a fashion-conscious soprano in the glee club, the other isn't allowed within 20 feet of the students because he MOLESTS THEM. Sandy, while a funny character, is the kind of character you laugh at, not with. He's creepy, a stalker, writes Desperate Housewives fanfiction and incredibly creepy poems, sends locks of hair and naked pictures of himself to Josh Groban and isn't liked, he's simply tolerated. He's bitchy and spiteful and is slated to become another of Will's enemies. As far as characterizations go: color me unimpressed. Actually, color me kinda pissed off.
ADULT GAY MEN != PEDOPHILES!!!
As for Kurt, he is adorable and lovable and I want to bring him home and squish him tons. He's also very sassy, gets picked on by the football team (he makes them wait a moment while he hands off his more expensive apparel before they throw him in the dumpster), and a seriously swishy fashionista. ddrpolaris and I fell over ourselves at his line about how his father took his car away after "he found my tiara collection in my hope chest."
For the record, anyone can make a joke about a gay boy having a tiara collection. Giving him a hope chest was a wonderfully funny and insightful little detail that makes me wonder WHY THE HELL CAN'T THEY USE MORE OF THAT?!!? Kurt is a fun character (in fact, he's the only character whose name I've mentioned without having to look it up). He'd just be more fun if he were an actual character, not just a caricature. I've seen him before (okay, really, I think we've all seen the whole cast before; fun or not, originality isn't Glee's strongest suit), and I've seen him done better. People say that in Episode Four, he gets some growth and more characterization as we see him interacting with his father
[SPOILER]
specifically joining the football team to please him.
[/SPOILER]
Again, I'm not all that impressed. This may give him a bit more depth of character, but it doesn't make him more than he already was: he's a gay character. That's it. All of his worries, concerns, and growth center around him being gay. GAY GAY GAY, THAT'S ALL HE IS, HE'S GAY. BY THE WAY, YOU MAY NOT HAVE PICKED UP ON IT, BUT HE'S GAY.
You know what? I knew gay boys in high school. I was best friends with two of them. We were all in choir together. And yes, while there was a lot of time spent focused on and talking about being gay, THEY HAD OTHER INTERESTS. OTHER DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS. When I'm talking about ddrpolaris, I have more to talk about than just the fact that he's gay. I know I'm bitching about lack of depth in a show I compared to an 80's cartoon a few paragraphs up, but I don't think it's so wrong to have a gay character who has more to his personality than stock gay footage; just like I don't think it's beyond the pale to have an Asian girl who speaks and a black girl who is more than just 'sassy.'
Also, I'd like a pony.
As much as I enjoy the show, having these two characters be the only vocal characters upsets me. Kurt just needs some fleshing out, and Sandy...that whole gay man = pedophile idea needs to DIAF. But it doesn't, because of depictions like this!! Yarg. I want gay characters I can respect, believe in, and say to my friends, 'hey look, here's a character who really defies the stereotype.' Oh, and spare me the homophobic football player who finally comes to terms with his homosexuality. I'm SO done with him. HEY, HOLLYWOOD: GAY BOYS COME IN MORE THAN TWO FLAVORS!
Now, there are some shows that get it right. Marshall, from The United States of Tara and Lafayette from True Blood manage to be gay AND full, three dimensional characters. Hell, they're three dimensional characters who have more than just the gay. Marshall, a charming little cinema-gay freshman is quite obviously gay, but he isn't feminized. Yes, he bakes and dresses well (the dress shirt and suspenders well, not the super-trendy well of Kurt), but he's more "not the traditional masculine" than he is "feminine." He doesn't even have the ubiquitous (in TV anyway) gay speech patterns. He's just a kid who is gay. His character is more defined by his relationship with his mother (who has DID), his sister, his father, his aunt, and even his adversarial English teacher than by his sexuality--even though Season One has a subplot about Marshall's crush on the local pastor's son. They handled that subplot the same way they'd have treated the same kind of heterosexual relationship, it just happened to feature two boys. This changed the dynamic, of course, because they were writing for two male characters, but the overall feeling was the same.
Also, I love how supportive and affirming his family is. There's no hiding, no hostility, no lying. His immediate family and his aunt know he's gay and are fine with it. But it's not saccharine sweet, either. This isn't a show that screams, "WE LOVE DIVERSITY AND OUR GAY SON." They treat him like (dare I even suggest it?) a 'normal' kid. The dynamic works because for them, it isn't even an issue. Other people can make it an issue, but, as a family, they do not. That's really nice.
And Lafayette. He's black AND gay. He's flamboyant, wears makeup and women's clothing, and takes no shit from anyone. He's amazing, simply amazing. Why? Because he is written as a human being with real thoughts, emotions, motivations, and a personality that is more than just 'black' or 'gay.' He's complex and interesting, and for every one-word stereotype he fills (black, gay, drug-dealer), he complicates it in seven other ways.
I freely admit, I may be asking for too much from the kind of show Glee is. And I'm not trying to say that I dislike Kurt or the fact that he is 'lady-fabulous.' I just want more than what I'm getting--which is, admittedly, third-episode characterization in an ensemble show on Fox.
...And it looks like I'll have to save my rant on the myth that marriage is the ultimate goal of any romantic relationship for another day. Grr arrg.
So, touchthesoul, who is made of awesome and great, posted this video on her LJ. I, of course, love Glee, and had to watch it. However, watching it, I became aware (or, perhaps 'more aware' is a better term) of two things:
1. I am not pleased with the way they are portraying homosexuality in Glee, and
2. I really, really hate this song.
Go ahead, watch the video. I'll wait.
Click to view(for the record, I still love Glee, this character on Glee, and this video for what it sets up for Glee.)
Let the rants begin! (Didn't y'all miss these during my summer hiatus?)
So, as far as I can tell, there are three gay characters on Glee. The first is the Asian girl who MAY be a lesbian, such deduction based on the fact that she sang Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl' in the pilot. Since I don't think she's had four lines since then, it's really hard to say. Basically, she's a silent Asian character (not even going to go into THAT) who is probably a lesbian. So, at best, she's a toofer; we get two minorities in one, but let's not give her any lines. The second is Kurt, the adorably gay boy in the video, and the third is Sandy, the man who used to teach the glee club but got fired for inappropriately touching some of his male students.
...Yeah. You read that right. No, I am not kidding.
From the fifteen minutes I spent 'researching' this (I trawled imdb, wikipedia, and some forums) there seems to also be some debate whether the evil cheerleading coach is a lesbian or not. She's got short hair, is evil, and has a strong, take-no-prisoners, yes-I-can-kick-your-ass attitude, which seems to be enough for some people. Bitches, please don't make me smack you. Of course, the other characterizations on the show that play to stereotypes don't give me a lot of faith here. Example: there is a black girl on the show. She is sassy and strident, hates being the backup singer, wants to be Beyonce, and says, 'Oh HELL to the no!' a lot. Words. They fail me.
It's like an 80's cartoon--they have the black girl, the Asian girl and (I kid you not), the boy in the wheelchair. I'm almost tempted to write in and ask for them to sing the Jem theme song or the Captain Planet ending credits.
Anyway, back to the gay. So, for the two characters who are canonically gay, one is a fashion-conscious soprano in the glee club, the other isn't allowed within 20 feet of the students because he MOLESTS THEM. Sandy, while a funny character, is the kind of character you laugh at, not with. He's creepy, a stalker, writes Desperate Housewives fanfiction and incredibly creepy poems, sends locks of hair and naked pictures of himself to Josh Groban and isn't liked, he's simply tolerated. He's bitchy and spiteful and is slated to become another of Will's enemies. As far as characterizations go: color me unimpressed. Actually, color me kinda pissed off.
ADULT GAY MEN != PEDOPHILES!!!
As for Kurt, he is adorable and lovable and I want to bring him home and squish him tons. He's also very sassy, gets picked on by the football team (he makes them wait a moment while he hands off his more expensive apparel before they throw him in the dumpster), and a seriously swishy fashionista. ddrpolaris and I fell over ourselves at his line about how his father took his car away after "he found my tiara collection in my hope chest."
For the record, anyone can make a joke about a gay boy having a tiara collection. Giving him a hope chest was a wonderfully funny and insightful little detail that makes me wonder WHY THE HELL CAN'T THEY USE MORE OF THAT?!!? Kurt is a fun character (in fact, he's the only character whose name I've mentioned without having to look it up). He'd just be more fun if he were an actual character, not just a caricature. I've seen him before (okay, really, I think we've all seen the whole cast before; fun or not, originality isn't Glee's strongest suit), and I've seen him done better. People say that in Episode Four, he gets some growth and more characterization as we see him interacting with his father
[SPOILER]
specifically joining the football team to please him.
[/SPOILER]
Again, I'm not all that impressed. This may give him a bit more depth of character, but it doesn't make him more than he already was: he's a gay character. That's it. All of his worries, concerns, and growth center around him being gay. GAY GAY GAY, THAT'S ALL HE IS, HE'S GAY. BY THE WAY, YOU MAY NOT HAVE PICKED UP ON IT, BUT HE'S GAY.
You know what? I knew gay boys in high school. I was best friends with two of them. We were all in choir together. And yes, while there was a lot of time spent focused on and talking about being gay, THEY HAD OTHER INTERESTS. OTHER DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS. When I'm talking about ddrpolaris, I have more to talk about than just the fact that he's gay. I know I'm bitching about lack of depth in a show I compared to an 80's cartoon a few paragraphs up, but I don't think it's so wrong to have a gay character who has more to his personality than stock gay footage; just like I don't think it's beyond the pale to have an Asian girl who speaks and a black girl who is more than just 'sassy.'
Also, I'd like a pony.
As much as I enjoy the show, having these two characters be the only vocal characters upsets me. Kurt just needs some fleshing out, and Sandy...that whole gay man = pedophile idea needs to DIAF. But it doesn't, because of depictions like this!! Yarg. I want gay characters I can respect, believe in, and say to my friends, 'hey look, here's a character who really defies the stereotype.' Oh, and spare me the homophobic football player who finally comes to terms with his homosexuality. I'm SO done with him. HEY, HOLLYWOOD: GAY BOYS COME IN MORE THAN TWO FLAVORS!
Now, there are some shows that get it right. Marshall, from The United States of Tara and Lafayette from True Blood manage to be gay AND full, three dimensional characters. Hell, they're three dimensional characters who have more than just the gay. Marshall, a charming little cinema-gay freshman is quite obviously gay, but he isn't feminized. Yes, he bakes and dresses well (the dress shirt and suspenders well, not the super-trendy well of Kurt), but he's more "not the traditional masculine" than he is "feminine." He doesn't even have the ubiquitous (in TV anyway) gay speech patterns. He's just a kid who is gay. His character is more defined by his relationship with his mother (who has DID), his sister, his father, his aunt, and even his adversarial English teacher than by his sexuality--even though Season One has a subplot about Marshall's crush on the local pastor's son. They handled that subplot the same way they'd have treated the same kind of heterosexual relationship, it just happened to feature two boys. This changed the dynamic, of course, because they were writing for two male characters, but the overall feeling was the same.
Also, I love how supportive and affirming his family is. There's no hiding, no hostility, no lying. His immediate family and his aunt know he's gay and are fine with it. But it's not saccharine sweet, either. This isn't a show that screams, "WE LOVE DIVERSITY AND OUR GAY SON." They treat him like (dare I even suggest it?) a 'normal' kid. The dynamic works because for them, it isn't even an issue. Other people can make it an issue, but, as a family, they do not. That's really nice.
And Lafayette. He's black AND gay. He's flamboyant, wears makeup and women's clothing, and takes no shit from anyone. He's amazing, simply amazing. Why? Because he is written as a human being with real thoughts, emotions, motivations, and a personality that is more than just 'black' or 'gay.' He's complex and interesting, and for every one-word stereotype he fills (black, gay, drug-dealer), he complicates it in seven other ways.
I freely admit, I may be asking for too much from the kind of show Glee is. And I'm not trying to say that I dislike Kurt or the fact that he is 'lady-fabulous.' I just want more than what I'm getting--which is, admittedly, third-episode characterization in an ensemble show on Fox.
...And it looks like I'll have to save my rant on the myth that marriage is the ultimate goal of any romantic relationship for another day. Grr arrg.