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Five reasons why “Glee” bridges the Great Gay Divide

Here’s a test:

If you’re reading this article on AfterElton.com, answer this question: Did Rizzoli and Isles end up together on the season finale of Rizzoli & Isles?

If you’re reading this article on AfterEllen.com, answer this question: Did Sam and Dean end up together on last season’s finale of Supernatural?

If you answered yes or no to either of those questions, you’re wrong! All of those characters are straight and/or related! (Supposedly.) But I’ll bet if I asked AfterElton readers what happened to Bette and Tina in the series finale of The L Word, they’d have no idea. Or if I asked AfterEllen readers what’s happening with Kevin and Scotty on Brothers and Sisters, they’d have no idea. And those are legitimate (fictional) gay couples.

When it comes to LGBT entertainment, there’s a canyon between what the L and the G want to watch on TV – except when it comes to Glee. Those singing and dancing shenanigans are something we can all agree on: We love it!

Here are five reasons why we think Glee bridges the Great Gay Divide.

1) We’ve all cried Kurt Hummel’s tears

The difference between a coming of age story and a coming out story is that one is contingent on age and the other is timeless. Some of Kurt’s internal turmoil is pure adolescence: His struggle with the social hierarchy of youth, his goals and dreams juxtaposed to his father’s hopes and dreams for him, his first pangs of puppy love. And while many Glee viewers – lesbian and gay teens among them – are right there with Kurt, others of us barely remember the awkward struggles of high school. But Kurt’s internal turmoil over his sexuality? That’s something with which lesbian and gay people of all ages can identify.

Should he tell the truth about being gay and risk furthering his social ostricization? Should he confirm his father’s worst fears and drive an even deeper wedge between them? Should he confess to falling for his best friend? Should he voluntarily jump back into the closet when he realizes his dad (read: family) isn’t quite ready to deal with the repercussions of him being out?

It’s a story that resonates with so many lesbian and gay people because it’s a story many of us have lived. Some of us have already navigated the tempestuous waters of coming out and living out, openly. And some of us are still working toward a place of personal authenticity. We mourn Kurt’s personal defeats because we also hope to one day share Kurt’s personal victories.

2) We know what it’s like to hear New Directions jeers.

The lesbian and gay community knows a little something about being outcasts. Whether you’ve always been different (Artie), or you only recently discovered something that sets you apart (Finn), or you just have an unnatural attachment to show tunes (Rachel), you’re not the same as the rest of the world. When lesbian and gay people talk about their childhoods, they often say that they didn’t have the language to describe their sexuality, but they just sensed that something about them was different.

Whether that difference is an internal one (the turmoil of not being attracted to chicks/dudes like your buddies), or an external one (the lack of civil rights equality), the lesbian and gay community sees itself reflected in the characters on Glee. It resonates because it’s real. And, like Mr. Schuester said in the second season premiere, what we really want is to go from a small rebel force to a great wall of sound!

3) We’ve taken a Slushie to the face – repeatedly

One of my personal frustrations with Glee is the one-step-forward, two-steps-back trope that seems to plague New Directions in every episode.We have enough members to compete at regionals! Oh, wait – no we don’t! Oh, wait – yes we do! We’ve formed a family out of a band of ragamuffin singers! Oh, wait – no we haven’t! Oh, wait – yes, we have! Sue is evil! No, Sue is heroic! No, Sue is evil!

But perhaps my frustration is only an extension of my frustration over the equality dance I face every day. Gay people can get married! Oh, wait – no, they can’t! Oh, wait – yes, they can! Openly gay people can’t serve in the military! Oh, wait – yes, they can! Oh, wait – no, they can’t!

The lesbian and gay community understands what it’s like to gain and lose popularity over the short span of a 42-minute show (or 24-hour news cycle). The lesbian and gay community understands what it means to be granted the same rights as everyone else, only to have those rights jerked from our hands.

And we keep stepping out into the world with bright eyes and fresh faces, hoping that this time, no one is holding a Slushie.

4) We know a little something about good music

Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason. Gay men on Broadway, angsty lesbians with guitars: It may not be every gay’s reality, but it’s a reality for enough people that it has become a cliche.

There are plenty of people from all walks of life from all over the world who watch Glee just for the singing and dancing. And there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s an old Greek proverb that says “love covers a multitude of sins.” Roughly translated to Broadway-speak, I’m pretty sure it says “jazz hands cover a multitude of plot holes.”

Lesbians and gays love them some good music, and Glee hits way more often than it misses.

5) Jane Effing Lynch

Nothing brings the L and G in “LGBT” together like a strong, talented, hilarious, occasionally surly woman, (Bonus points if she’s gay!) And my goodness, if Jane Lynch doesn’t fit the bill for every one one of those things in Sue Sylvester. She zigs, she zags, she zings! Rooting for her is a bit like rooting for Darth Vader. Or the Cylons. But if loving The Lynch is wrong, we don’t want to be right.

Tell us: Why do you love Glee?

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