The watchdog group thought it was a matter of the character's ages that bother them, not the gender.
- Nov 9, 2011
AceShowbiz - Coming rather expected, a parents group has slammed "Glee" for an episode where teen sex is the main focus. In "The First Time" which aired Tuesday, November 8, Finn and Rachel as well as Kurt and Blaine hooked up for the first time and creator Ryan Murphy did not skip the physical scenes.
Watchdogs at the Parents Television Council are not pleased at what they see, stating "The fact that 'Glee' intends to not only broadcast, but celebrate children having sex is reprehensible. The gender of the high school characters involved is irrelevant. Teen sex is now more prevalent on TV than adult sex and Glee is only playing into that trend. Research proves that television is a teen sexual super peer that can, and likely will, influence a teen's decision to become sexually active. Fox knows the show inherently attracts kids; celebrating teen sex constitutes gross recklessness."
Cast Chris Colfer has predicted this even before the show aired. He said, "I absolutely expect to hear from them. But I think it's handled very sweetly and very emotionally... They're expecting this big, raunchy, suggestive, brainwashing storyline when really it's very sweet." He added, "Teens are having sex. There's not that much you can do to stop it, and we're just showing a story about it.... I think it's promoting safe teen sex."
PTC said further in their argument, "Few parents realize the creator of Glee [Ryan Murphy] also demonstrated his taste for the depths of depravity in creating [FX's] 'Nip/Tuck', a program in which no taboo was too extreme to violate. In fact, he stated publicly that his legacy may be to make possible a rear-entry scene on broadcast television. If past behavior is any indicator, parents can expect Glee to continue down this dangerous path."
