Life Before Kurt: Rickie from "My So-Called Life" and Justin from "Queer as Folk"

Before there was Glee's Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), there was My So-Called Life's Rickie Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) and Queer as Folk's Justin Taylor (Randy Harrison).

No, the three storylines weren't identical, and neither were the three characters. But however revolutionary the character of Kurt is — and he is [See companion article, Kurt Hummel's Perfect Storm] — Rickie and Justin broke quite a lot of ground for Kurt. Here is a look at how their stories are similar to Kurt's —and how they're not.

My So-Called Life's Rickie Vasquez

My So-Called Lifedebuted in 1994 on ABC, and ran for one critically-acclaimed season before being canceled. It starred 14-year-old Claire Danes as Angela Chase, and 19-year-old Wilson Cruz as her out gayfriend and classmate, Rickie Vasquez. 

Like Glee:

My So-Called Life was aimed right at the teenage demographic, just like Glee. And it was set in a high school not very different from McKinley High, in a town not all that different — or far — from Lima, Ohio: Pittsburgh, PA (also the setting of Queer as Folk).

And just like Glee,which is on Fox, My So-Called Life was on a major network, ABC.

Like Kurt, played by Chris Colfer, Rickie was played by Wilson Cruz, a young, out gay man who had himself been bullied as a teen.

The role of Kurt was inspired by and written specifically for Chris Colfer. Wilson Cruz auditioned for the role of Rickie when he realized the character was very much like him — including the fact both of them had been thrown out of their homes when they were teenagers for being gay.

Rickie and Kurt both experience harassment not just for being gay and out, but for being effeminate and dressing very differently from other boys in their schools.

Although My So-Called Life was canceled before Rickie got a boyfriend, the show's creator, Winnie Holzman, has stated that she would have had Rickie get involved with someone if there had been a second season. That state of limbo is right where we are with Kurt mid-season 2 on Glee.

Not like Glee:

Rickie is beaten and thrown out by his own family, not by anyone at school — the exact opposite of what happens to Kurt, who has one of the most supportive dads in television history.

School is something of a sanctuary for Rickie, rather than a place of torment as McKinley High has become for Kurt. And Rickie was taken in, at great personal risk, by a gay teacher — 15 years before Glee first aired.

My So-Called Life was beloved by critics but suffered from low ratings and was canceled after one season. Glee is one of the highest-rated shows on television.