'Glee' Has No Gay Agenda, Actors Say

(Photo: Reuters / Mario Anzuoni)
Cast member Harry Shun Jr. poses at a party to celebrate the premiere of the second season of the television series "Glee" in Los Angeles April 12, 2010.

By Audrey Barrick , Christian Post Reporter

August 3, 2011|5:58 pm

Two actors from "Glee" rejected claims that the Fox show has a gay agenda.

Actor Harry Shum said on The Joy Behar Show Wednesday that he believes "Glee" is just trying to break stereotypes.

"What this show is doing is breaking those stereotypes ... especially with gay relationships and with Asian Americans for the American audience to see in a different way and I think that's great," said Shum, who plays Mike Chang on the popular show.

Conservative groups have accused "Glee" of pushing a pro-gay agenda. Bryan Fischer, director of Issue Analysis for Government and Public Policy at the American Family Association, has expressed concerns that the show is "glamorizing homosexual behavior."

Such criticisms prompted Behar to ask "Glee" actors Shum and Ashley Fink, "Do you think they have a gay agenda over there?"

Shum responded, "I don't think so."

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's latest report may, however, indicate otherwise.

According to GLAAD's 2011 Network Responsibility Index, "Glee is, without a doubt, one of the most inclusive shows on Fox and on television in general."

"This past year saw Glee's LGBT cast grow exponentially as well, starting with gay teen Kurt getting a highly publicized new boyfriend named Blaine. What's more, Santana came to realize her true feelings for best friend (and previous makeout partner) Brittany and began to privately identify as a lesbian. It was also revealed that Kurt's longtime tormentor Karofsky was concealing the fact that he is gay, meaning Glee now features a total of five regular and recurring LGBT characters, more than any other show on the broadcast networks."

Released Wednesday, the GLAAD report revealed that major broadcast networks, including ABC, Fox and The CW, had at least 23 percent of their primetime programming be "LGBT-inclusive hours" in 2010-2011.