When Glee was announced, and quickly and lazily described by many commentators as ‘High School Musical for TV’, there were few who could have predicted how relentlessly brave the show would be. With a largely teenaged cast and set in an Ohio high school, there were parallels to be suggested with virtually every teen drama produced in the last ten years. In actuality a teen-centred show with this amount of balls has not been screened on US television since My So-Called Life, and you’d be hard pressed to find anything like it in terms of thematic elements ever on the major networks.

 Last Wednesday’s episode ‘Wheels’ centred on Artie, a disabled wheelchair user who the Glee club were trying to get to sectionals by holding a bake sale to raise money for the ‘handi-capable’ bus. The episode also revealed that the cold-hearted cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester was allowing a Down’s syndrome student onto her elite squad because she has an older and much loved sister with the condition. As ever in Glee, no punches are pulled with the jokes, Down’s Becky is just as likely to be a target for the show’s sharp humour as the waspy Will Schuster. Glee doesn’t diversify its cast in order to pussyfoot around them, but to present a high school world where everyone is an outcast in their own way.

The B-story of ‘Wheels’ was the diva-off between Rachel and Kurt over who would get to sing the Broadway classic ‘Defying Gravity’ from the  musical Wicked. Once again Chris Colfer turned in a moving performance as Kurt, who allowed Rachel to win to protect his father, hurt by an anonymous call declaring ‘your son’s a fag’. Kurt is far and away the bravest character on US screens right now. TV shows have a frustrating habit of de-gaying their gay characters until they’re simply straight boys who share a tepid kiss with each other just before sweeps. Teen shows in particular seem to steer as far away from the swishy, well-dressed archetype as possible, in the mistaken view that they will be accused of stereotyping.

 Kurt Hummel flames through Glee, leaving no doubt of his sexuality, and this is why he’s a believable and sympathetic character. He’s a Beyonce-dancing, McQueen-wearing, hairwax-applying diva who can also make a 20 yard kick and help out his dad in the auto shop. He’s resilient, courageous and caring to the point of self-sacrifice, and has a barely disguised crush on Glee-mate and quarterback Finn which repeatedly gives him that Garland-esque wide eyed sadness which Colfer delivers so well. Moreover, he’s one of the most popular characters on Glee because of these facets and not despite of them. In a schedule full of hushed-up gay characters whose sexuality is not depicted as a part of them at all (Gretchen on Heroes, I’m looking at you) Kurt screams “I’m here, I’m queer, get used to it.” And rather than allow him to fade into the background as another ticked box on the diversity roll-call, Glee underlines that his sexuality should matter to viewers, because if you’re having to face discrimination and taunts every day, it damn well matters to you.

Glee comes to the UK on E4 in early 2010 and can be seen in the US on Fox on Wednesdays.