Flamboyant soprano Kurt Hummel finally came out as a homosexual to his father - really to no one’s surprise – in Sept. 23th’s episode of Glee.
I have to admit, I was gripping the side of my couch, waiting to yell at this beer swilling, man’s man father’s reaction to the shocker that everyone else on the face of the planet already knew. Perhaps I should have given him more credit, though.
In fact, dad’s reaction was priceless, saying he’s known since Kurt was 3 and “asked for a pair of sensible heels.”
Let me back up. On the show, Kurt, a member of the high school glee club with an adorable lisp and impressive fashion sense, could not be more the cliche gay TV character: impeccably dressed and manicured, Broadway aspirations, more versed in pop culture than Perez Hilton, and armed with a wit that can make someone feel suicidal by simply critiquing their shoes.
Through the little we see of Kurt’s dad, who is single as Kurt’s mom passed away, we get the impression he is suspicious, but chooses to turn a blind eye to Kurt’s implied sexual preference. It’s a don’t ask, don’t tell situation highlighted perfectly by the opening scene of the episode. Kurt’s dad catches he and two female Glee members recording a surprisingly spot on rendition of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video with, no surprise here, Kurt singing and dancing lead complete with sequin gloves, black unitard and hip gyrations. Kurt’s dad takes the benign explanation of conditioning for football (which we was not playing yet, at the time, making for a sticky situation when his dad asks for a ticket to his first game) with a suspicious nod, and then asks hopefully if either of the girls are his girlfriend.
At the end of the episode, after Kurt lucks out and lands a spot on the losing high school football team (head here to find out how that happened) Dad interrupts Kurt’s nightly facial regimen to congratulate him and tell him he’s proud of him – something he has obviously never done before. Kurt then breaks the news to his dad (see clip below).
I thought that this was going to be a typical dad-in-denial episode, where the father that wished so hard for his suspicions to be unfounded has his world shattered when his son finally admits what he already knew in his heart but, I was pleasantly surprised. It was an endearing moment of unconditional love, and even though the parent is obviously not ecstatic about their child’s lifestyle (as he left the room, Kurt’s dad turned around and asked “are you sure?”) they choose to love their child above all else. If only all parents could be so understanding.
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