Glee: Sexism in Sexuality

I'm going to go out on a limb here and discuss Glee, a semi-musical show on FOX network that's just begun its 4th season.

Disclaimer: I'd like to be clear that I don't think Glee is in anyway literature. However, through characterization, story lines, and tone, the show establishes a "so what" that I think is important to address.

 Glee is a very gay show. Literally. The gay-to-straight ratio is around 2:1. Needless to say, Glee is an excellent step toward assimilation of homosexuality into mainstream society. The strong gay character Kurt and the support this characters garners from his friends and family has resonated throughout society so much so that the actor who plays Kurt, Chris Colfer, was among Forbes Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world a year or two ago.

That being said,  the same vehicles that achieve a positive development among male homosexuality establish a noticeable distinction between homosexual males and homosexual females.

In season one, Kurt is the very very out, very proud, very strong gay male. who stands as a model for teens dealing with adversity. Throughout the seasons, Kurt's story lines are often heavy and touching, from his personal journey to self-acceptance to his relationship with a closeted footballer player who attempts suicide. Kurt has his fair share of hilarious, care-free moments, but when it comes to homosexuality, tone and characterization are serious.

But the writers' bold efforts to spread acceptance and understanding of homosexuality is limited to gay males. Season two introduces a relationship between two cheerleaders in the Glee Club named Brittany and Santana that fluctuates hazardously between touching and insulting. First, it is important to understand that Brittany and Santana are the hot, slutty, popular girls of their school. In season one Kurt points out Brittany's promiscuity when he says "You change your mind faster than Brit changes partners." They are infamously shallow and untrustworthy.

Kurt's over-abundant innocence contrasts starkly with Santana's almost tainted nature. The difference in personalities has significant influence on how each character's sexual orientation is received. Kurt's "coming out" is a tear-jerking, intense process from start to finish while Santana and Brittany's "coming out" is virtually nonexistent. The writers keep them suspended in a limbo-like state of ambiguity, as if debating whether a legitimate lesbian couple is "wholesome" for a primetime television show.

Furthermore, the two best friends' intimate relationship occurs while Brittany has a boyfriend, inherently delegitimatizing the two girls' romance by marking it as an affair.

The affair also introduces a new negative connotation with Brittany and Santana--Santana's manipulation. Despite her promiscuity, Brittany is extremely innocent and borders on mentally retarded--she has classes with a down-syndrome student named Becky and she is famous for her preposterous one-liners: "Did you know dolphins are just gay sharks?" Santana takes advantage of Brittany's stupidity and manipulates her into believing that their affair isn't really cheating because "the plumbing is different." Instead of portraying the relationship as the sad reality of the shame same sex couples can feel, the writers create a dynamic in which the otherwise straight Brittany is driven astray by the evil temptress Santana. Meanwhile Kurt begins a sweet, tentative romance with an equally innocent boy named Blaine. The two spend their time practicing for Glee Club and drinking coffee at the local café while Brittany and Santana spend their time committing acts of treachery and sin.

The stark contrast between Kurt and Santana sends a rather confusing message about female sexuality in relation to male sexuality. It's also significant to note that Kurt and Blaine have an entire episode devoted to their "first time," (well, half an episode since it is also Rachel and Finn's "first time" together too) while Brittany and Santana have been unceremoniously getting it on since season one. That the male relationships are stable, serious, and innocent while the female relationships are unstable, confusing, and sexual creates the idea that gay men are somehow more legitimate than gay women.

Great job Ryan Murphy.