There was a lot of hype over the last few weeks regarding the Glee episode, entitled The First Time. The episode was about the sex lives of two of the shows’ couples—Rachel and Finn, and Kurt and Blaine—as they had sex for the first time. For three of the four, this was their first time ever having sex.
I have to say, for all of the hullabaloo, between the excitement of fans and the protests of advocates of “clean TV,” the episode spent less time than I would have expected actually focusing on the sex plotline and instead spent a lot of time on other characters and story lines. And after all of the controversy, the “raunchiest” scene involved the couples in bed, clothed.
In fact, what turned out to be the most interesting part of the episode, at least for me, was comparing the situation between the heterosexual and gay couples. Fans of Glee know that the show’s writers aren’t afraid of controversial topics: so far the show has seen teen pregnancy, underage drinking, gay and lesbian relationships, cheating and betrayal. But in the show, Kurt and Blaine’s relationship has been more about longing glances and adorable declarations than hand holding or kissing. Having the couple develop a romantic and emotional connection that isn’t just physical illustrates that their relationship is serious and just as valid as any heterosexual relationship—an idea that is not accepted by everyone. The montage of the two couples before and after they had sex for the first time did a great job of comparing the two sexual encounters and showing viewers that relationships whether you’re gay or heterosexual are not all that different.
So sure, maybe some viewers were scandalized by the implications of teens having sex. But that’s a fact of life. Some teens have sex. Most don’t though. But if some viewers were scandalized by the idea of gay teens having sex, then hopefully this episode had them reevaluate their perception of LGBTQ relationships.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has contracted with Terminus Media to release a new HIV prevention campaign. We aren’t talking about your standard public service announcement or a few posters, but a digital motion comic that can be watched on an iPad or Xbox 360. The comic will start out as a 66-page hard-copy comic and then be translated into three motion comics, each about seven minutes long. Motion comics feature traditional comic book images with music, sound effects and voice-overs.
This concept is interesting and the idea of a motion comic itself is incredibly cool. Just thinking about it sends me straight back to Saturday morning Spider-Man cartoons as a kid. This is a great way to adapt old-fashioned comics to the modern age. But, even better than the idea of a motion comic itself, is the fact that the CDC is creating an educational tool. Check the trailer for Spider-Woman: Agent Of S.W.O.R.D. to see what motion comics are like.
Think about it: It’s easy to tune out your health teacher as he drones on and on about the dangers of STDs in third period health class. However, you naturally pay a bit more attention to a video—especially when it’s a seven-minute motion comic and not a fifty-minute documentary. And sure, maybe the CDC’s motion comic isn’t as much a must-see as this week’s episode of Modern Family, but you have to give the CDC some props for formatting their campaign in a way that will be interesting to as many teens as possible.
If the CDC were releasing a report on new HIV statistics, would I read it? Probably not. But I can spare seven minutes to check out a video (or even three), if only to see how the CDC’s plan pans out.
Fans of the X-Men comic series, which debuted in 1963, might know that the mutants struggle against anti-mutant sentiment has been called a metaphor for the civil rights movement. The series has recently begun addressing the struggle for LGBTQ equality in the X-Men series, Generation Hope.
Commentators have pointed out the connections that can be drawn between gay teens and the X-Men. The X-Men come into their powers during puberty, and many LGBTQ people accept and embrace their identity during their teen years. And both groups feel ostracized for their differences.
Generation Hope #9, which came out this summer, even discussed the issue of gay teens who die by suicide. This is a sensitive issue, which has been in the national spotlight since the death of Tyler Clementi last year. Check out the comic for yourself to determine how well X-Men writers handle this difficult topic.
The gender roles in the Mario Bros. video game franchise have always been pretty traditional. On one hand, you have the bumbling heroes, and on the other the seemingly competent princesses who always get themselves into trouble and then rely on the men to rescue them.
Not anymore. Canadian art student Beth Turnsek of Rolling Rabbit Productions accepted the challenge of swapping the genders of all the Mario Bros. characters and did the job admirably.
Turnsek has turned Princess Peach into Prince Peach, who appears to be someone straight out of a Disney movie, while Lady Mario—a female version of Mario—looks like a tough-as-nails mother, one who can save the world, then turn around to scold you, because if she’s told you once, she’s told you a million times to tuck in your shirt. And shy, socially awkward Lady Luigi is absolutely adorable.
What I would like to see, having now seen the design concept for the characters, is a full-fledged story (if not an entire video game) featuring these characters. Would Prince Peach need to rescue Lady Mario from the menacing Lady Wario? Or would the charming Prince Peach be the one kidnapped? Now that would be interesting.
And whether the world gets a whole new spin on Super Mario Bros. (Super Mario Sisters?) from these characters or not, at least I have a sweet Halloween costume this year.
A couple of months ago, Kymberly Wimberly, an African-American student in Arkansas, filed a lawsuit against her high school. The lawsuit claims officials discriminated against Wimberly by refusing to name her the sole valedictorian of the class of 2011—despite her having the highest GPA.
In a conversation overheard by Wimberly’s mother (who works as a media specialist at her daughter’s school), a staff member allegedly said that having Wimberly as valedictorian would mean a “big mess” for McGehee High School. A white student with a lower GPA than Wimberly’s was named co-valedictorian the day after Wimberly’s mother says she overheard this conversation. It may be that McGehee High School couldn’t accept that an African-American student—who also happens to be a teen mom—is perfectly capable of earning the prestigious title of valedictorian.
Although it’s not completely clear whether racism, discrimination against teen mothers or both prompted the actions of McGehee High School administration, the decision to have Wimberly share the title she deserved with a student who had a lower GPA has yet to be adequately explained. And if discrimination did take place, we can only hope the courts do what’s necessary to make the situation right.
(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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