Update: I received a high distinction for this! Made my day :)
Overachiever; star quarter back; ‘Queen bee’, ‘ditzy blonde’ and ‘straight-up bitch’ cheerleaders; geeky boy in a wheelchair; Goth Asian; dancing Asian; ‘Aretha Franklin wannabe’ diva; resident bad boy and flamboyant gay. What I just described to you isn’t the audition line up for the next season of Australia’s Got Talent rather the diverse range of stereotypes represented on the highly successful television series Glee.
The gay community is represented by the media in as many ways as the number of colours on the gay pride flag and Glee is no exception. During the first season Kurt Hummel was the only gay character on the show but during the second season two new gay characters were introduced; Blaine, a rival show choir singer from Dalton Academy (Derschowitz, 2010) and Dave Karofsky, a closeted gay who is also the head bully and on the football team at McKinley High (Nguyen, 2010).
Later in the season the characters of Kurt and Blaine start a relationship, a move that fans of the show had long awaited and was praised by Gay and Lesbian groups around the world. For me, this raised the question of how many gays and lesbians are represented on Australian television. Off the top of my head, I couldn’t think of any. However, I could think of an array of examples from American shows including Cameron and Mitchell from Modern Family, Will and Jack from Will and Grace and Waylon Smithers from The Simpsons.
According to Hartley (2002), “a stereotype is a mixed impression…used to describe how fixed qualities or traits may be attributed to groups in the way they are represented in various media”. As Steinberg (2011) explains, “stereotypes operate as a form of shorthand for media professionals and as such, media professionals have enormous social and political power to reinforce and challenge stereotypes”. Through the characters of Kurt and Karofsky we see how the writer’s of Glee both challenge and reinforce the gay stereotype. Kurt reinforces the stereotype as he sings show tunes, dances, has a flamboyant albeit theatrical fashion sense and he doesn’t hide his sexuality. Whereas with Dave Karofsky they challenge the stereotype as he is a jock but also bullies the kids at the school, a storyline involving Karofsky bullying Kurt was written in to the second season as discussed on the Zap To It Blog on November 11, 2010, and unlike Kurt he hides the fact that he is gay.
As a loyal follower of the show, I have noticed that using the characters and storylines in Glee, Ryan Murphy is promoting to the audience his ideal world. One where everyone, not just gay people are accepted for who they are no matter what race, religion or sexual preference. The most recent episode is evident of this, aptly named “Born This Way” – a recent hit by the Queen of Self-acceptance herself, Lady Gaga. As stated on the episodes IMDb webpage (2011), the episode focuses on the Glee Club and their inability to accept the things that make them who they are, what they may think is their worst flaw is what makes them unique, this in turn becomes Mr. Schuester’s lesson.
To view the episode go to http://www.megavideo.com/?v=MJATRXNR
After each episode without fail some organization will criticize Glee for something they have done, whether it’s a kiss between two guys or a teenage pregnancy plot with the head cheerleader and star quarter back. Despite all of this, the writer’s continue to stretch the abilities of the actors and test the loyalty of the fans. At the end of the day, the message is clear:
Whether life’s disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied, or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
‘Cause baby you were born this way.
