"Queer" & TV

So tonight is wednesday and if you're like me at 9pm you're watching Glee. Glee as we have discussed in class has a wide range of characters, cultures, race, ethnicity, and sexuality present on the show. One of the main characters, Kurt is the gay character on the show. He is an excellent actor. In tonight's episode he expresses what we have suspected all along that he is interested in the jock character, Finn. Kurts character is made to be recognizable gay from the way he dresses, to his gestures and attitude, and his actions. There have been a lot of revealing and moving moments for him: When he tells his father he's gay and comes out of the closet and tonight when he describes his feelings for Finn. I think that the show does a good job of including more and more of his storyline into the plot. Unfortunately, I feel though it has become more acceptable today to be "queer" and have an open gay lifestyle, it is still seen as the other and thus, people are still resistant. A lot of TV these days are incorporating more and more of gay and lesbian characters and plots into their shows. For example, Grey's Anatomy, The Modern Family, United States of Tara, and more.

I agree with Jagose's claim that in recent years the term "queer" has shed a different meaning/representation of being gay. I think it is seen as more of a positive term referring to the gay and lesbian population. Also, it is a neutral term. However, years ago when the term was first introduced, it was negative terminology that caused great offense to those in the gay community. It's interesting to see more and more of the media revealing gay and lesbian characters. Especially since older television shows such as "The Golden Girls" and "Designing Women," according to Doty were made to make a mockery of gay culture. Just something to think about...