I thought tonight's episode of Glee was quite excellent--dancing football players and a positive coming out story all in one episode! I am a little sad that said coming out story was going on at the same time as the premiere of Modern Family, which apparently includes a gay (male) couple who just adopted a baby. So much gayness all at 9:00/8:00 Central!
I actually thought this TV predicament was particularly interesting in light of this article from the New York Times about kids coming out as LGB (sorry, no T in this article) in middle school. Unlike the kids in this article, I had no idea I was gay in middle school, but maybe I would have sorted that out sooner if there had been more representation of gays and lesbians in the media at that time. The article also mentions the role that the internet has played in helping gay teens to connect and find support from their peers. Now if only schools across the country could get with the picture and provide some of that support in real life by taking a stand against bullying...
I've heard good things about Glee. We'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteThe increased representation of gays and lesbians in the media will not only help kids better understand their identities, but will also help families and friends to see how integral their support is when someone comes out. Breaking some of the many stereotypes is key.
I think kids will still bully, but will be less likely to do so if much of the LGB(T) world is demystified for them (but schools acknowledging the bullying and working to fight it is just as important). That's my small-town-girl take on it!
I watched the Modern Family episode online, and we so need to watch it again together and then keep watching. The show is *SO* funny, both the gay dads and the rest of the show! It's definitely good to see more LGBT people (and especially families!) in the media.
ReplyDelete@Jen: as for being a "small-town-girl", I thought that article was particularly interesting because it focused mostly on kids in smaller towns and in rural areas, where I'm sure the coming out experience is very different than in liberal, urban areas. And in last night's episode of Glee, I was really happy that when one of the characters came out to his tough-guy dad, it went well. (Cue potential discussion of why the politics of Fox's sitcom/cartoon writers are so politically different from their news/commentary people.) Hopefully a few parents will learn from examples like that.
ReplyDelete@Carrie (ahem, Carolyn): Boo for you watching a new show without me! :( But yay for agreeing to watch it again with me! :)