In Kurt’s case, it was about his wanting to assert his identity as an out gay teen, but also his autonomy to be the kind of gay teen he wants to be: in his case, a sweet, even corny romantic–which itself is a rebellion against highly sexualized teen culture in general (manifest in many things, Glee among them) and against a specific sexualized subculture within the gay community (here represented by seeming Gossip-Girl outtake Sebastian, and the saddest gay bar in Ohio).

This, not any “Will they do it?” debate, was what made his storyline for me: in its own way, his fight with Blaine in the parking lot was as much a statement as his coming out itself. It’s his way of asserting that to him, being gay is not simply defined by sex, it’s defined by love. And his tete-a-tete with newly-minted bear Karofsky, a nice epilogue to that storyline from last season, built on that: it underscored the point that being gay does not in itself settle your identity, it’s simply one more step in figuring out what your identity is ultimately going to be, where you fit in.