Singer Lady Gaga has defended Glee's
90-minute Born This Way episode from criticism that the show
celebrates being gay.
Dan Gainor, vice president of
conservative media watchdog Media Research Center, fumed to ABC News:
“This is [creator] Ryan Murphy's latest depraved initiative to
promote his gay agenda.”
Bryan Fischer of
the Christian conservative American Family Association (AFA) called
the show “product placement” in an appearance on Houston's Fox
affiliate: “We should not glamorize it [gay relationships] any more
than we would glamorize intravenous drug use,” Fischer said.
Fox
News commentator Glenn Beck called the show “a horror show” and a
“nightmare,” after the Born This Way broadcast.
And ambiguously gay
American Psycho writer Bret Easton Ellis tweeted
that the episode had pushed him back in the closet, though he's never
been out.
Tuesday's most
incendiary moment came when gay student Kurt Hummel zips open his
hoodie to reveal a t-shirt that says “LIKES BOYS” before the cast
sings Lady Gaga's Born This Way.
On Friday, gay
media watchdog GLAAD defended the show, saying critics were
“out-of-touch with the majority.”
Lady Gaga tweeted
her support for the show to her nearly 10 million followers: “I
really loved Glee's Born This Way episode. I admire
the show for being brave+fighting for such modern social messaging.
Never back down.”