Rosalindia
I find him sweet and charming and he's certainly not meant to be a serious rep for the LGBT community. So I dont really think he is, and anyone who is seriously offended by him should really try and loosen up IMO. I think a lot of times his character is meant for comic relief anyway.
Completely disagree with you here. I think Kurt IS meant to be a serious "rep" for the LGBT+ community. (When I use the word here, I'm saying that he represents a character who is gay, not necessarily that he represents the entire community, as even just the suggestion that someone could represent the entire community is ridiculous and, depending on who was chosen, at least mildly offensive to a lot of LGBT+ individuals) He's not a purely comic relief character, and if he was, then people really should be offended and upset over it.
Flamboyant gay men have been used as comic relief in movies and on television for decades now, and that's mostly it. Can you name any flamboyant gay character on television that the audience has been expected to take seriously? You might be able to think of one or two, but let's add on an additional caveat: how many of them have been on main broadcast networks? Pretty sure that number just dropped down to zero. (assuming we're not including glee in this mix)
Generally, flamboyant gay men are used as jokes in television because nobody thinks these men should be taken seriously. Now, you may not know gay men like this, but I certainly do. They do exist, and they deserve respect and serious representation just as much as the next person. I think Kurt has been a really great character for that serious representation. (And if you have seen episodes like Never Been Kissed, Preggers, Prom Queen, Grilled Cheesus, Dance With Somebody, I Am Unicorn, or any of the episodes with Kurt as a main character, you have seen that yes, this character is taken seriously, given incredible story lines, and treated with just as much respect as any other character on the show, and sometimes more.)
If anyone is offended by Kurt, yes, they need to calm down. But the reason isn't because Kurt isn't taken seriously. He is taken seriously, and he SHOULD be taken seriously. Anything else would be worthy of taking offense at. If people are offended by Kurt, they need to calm down because Glee has made it clear that, while Kurt is and example of LGBT+ representation on television, he is by no means presented as being representative of the entire group. Lots of other LGBT+ characters have been on the show, either as cast regulars or guest stars. It's not like Glee is saying Kurt is the only type of gay, and anyone who thinks they are clearly isn't watching the same show I am.