Glee in The Huffington Post's Best Gay Cultural Moments of 2011!

With 2011 having been a banner year for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, it makes perfect sense that LGBT culture also saw a considerable boost, across the realms of theater, music, movies and TV.

Hit shows like "Glee" had us on the edge of our seats, while Lady Gaga kept us dancing until dawn, and the heartbreaking climax of the British dramedy "Weekend" made us reach for our handkerchiefs. And while not cultural moments per se, we were more than happy to welcome "Star Trek" hunk Zachary Quinto to our team this fall, and Chaz Bono helped make the transgender community more visible than ever with his "Dancing With The Stars" turn.

Take a look at some of our picks for the 11 best gay cultural moments of 2011:

2. Kurt & Blaine's 'Glee' Kiss
Gleeks rejoiced after the much-anticipated kiss between Kurt and Blaine.


7. Jane Lynch Hosts The Emmys
The resident "Glee" meanie, who is married to psychologist Lara Embry, showed off a different set of comedic talents when she hosted the 63rd annual Emmy Awards this past fall.


9. Kurt & Blaine's First Time On 'Glee'
The love scene between Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss) might have been tamer than conservative pundits who outright condemned the "Glee" series and its creators led us to believe, but the episode truly broke fresh ground in giving the couple's "first time" the same emphasis as that of Finn (Cory Monteith) and Rachel (Lea Michele).

The video the article used is no longer available so I just linked the Klaine-Edit of "The First Time" instead. For those interested only in the groundbreaking klex, you can jump to 19:55.

11. 'The Submission' Premieres Off-Broadway
Jonathan Groff took time off from "Glee" to star in this thought-provoking dramedy about about a struggling gay playwright who goes to extremes to get his first play produced. Though it received mixed reviews, the show took a provocative look at the parallels, and perceived differences, between racial and sexual orientation-related bigotry.

source: huffingtonpost.com