Just finished season two if that contextualizes this reading at all. I wanna say something on the topic of Kurt Hummel.
I find it interesting that Kurt is repeatedly aligned with and aligns himself with the women of the glee club rather than the men. He is often grouped with the women, not only when talent, personality, or interest are the reason for the grouping, like how during auditions in late season two he is included in the strongest singers group with Mercedes, Rachel, and Santana. However he is also grouped with the women even when gender is at the forefront of the conversation. During the New York trip he rooms with the girls. He wins prom queen. When the club is given the boys vs girls assignment he immediately walks straight to the girls side, simply assuming thatās where he belongs.
Kurt sings girlās songs. When other characters play/sing opposite their gender itās noteworthy, take Mercedes as FrankāNāFurter, but Kurt does it so frequently, and thereās only a few times itās called to attention. Weāre not expected to blink an eye when he sings Glindaās part. When heās feminine itās normal. When he is like a woman it is not strange. He wears womenās sweaters. Heās briefly a cheerio. He wears a kilt to prom.
And I understand the writerās intentions with it. Itās because heās gay. In Glee Kurt is the first visibly queer character, to his peers and the audience. Thatās important. A lot of gay men feel more connected to straight women than straight men. Thatās why Kurt/girl comparison. I get that. The New York trip room sharing is a throw away sexuality joke. Kurt winning prom queen is a jab at his sexuality.
But. Upon reading his queer coding in this day and age, all of it stacking up, Kurt doesnāt only read as gay.
Kurt, through this reading, wants to be one of the girls, and for all intents and purposes, is one of the girls for much of the show. When Kurt isnāt being gay, Kurt is being a girl. And I see a mirror to some people I see in life who get so stuck in their sexuality or gender label that they canāt accept the parts of themselves they pretend not to be, or not to see, to better fit with the label they cling to. The label they need to feel safe.
When thereās something you canāt accept, it can feel like this presence. You know itās there, but youāre scared of it, what it means. Something looming over your shoulder that you canāt look in the eye. But you have to look at it. You have to look.
And maybe thereās a world for McKinley High where a young lady pulls herself out of a dumpster and mourns the mess made of her designer bag, and walks through the halls with her head held high, with a rogers and hammerstein libretto prepared for after school. Where sheāll see her friends and theyāll see her and she can feel proud and safe despite it all. Maybe thereās a world where she sees it and accepts it.
But 2010 wasnāt ready for that.
