Remembering Cory

Tonight Glee fare-welled Finn Hudson; their star, their quarterback, their friend. In the same way, the cast and the rest of America said goodbye to Cory Monteith. I am not an avid Glee fan, so this will be short. But I wanted to write something to mark this occasion, as a sign of respect for this young man who left us far too early.

In many ways, Glee has taught my generation to see past stereotypes. It has shown us that we need to look past our preconceptions of people in order to embrace the goodness in everyone. Glee taught us that everyone has a voice, and that we all need to be heard. The character of Finn Hudson began as the stereotypical jock, yet he became  more than this as he embraced his love of music and the people around him. His relationship with Rachel Berry was a representation of an unlikely and seemingly impossible love; yet they showed us that everyone, in one way or another is the same.

I think Chris Colfer’s character, Kurt ,said it best when he began tonight’s episode by saying it doesn’t matter how Finn, or Cory, died. A single moment doesn’t define a person, a lifetime does. From a member of generation y, I want to say thank you to Cory Monteith.

Thank you for stepping up and challenging our perception of what is ‘normal’. Thank you for reminding us that music transcends age, gender, orientation, stereotype and academic ability. I send my love to Lea Michele and the friends and family of Cory in their time of grief. For the numerous familiar faces that are grieving him, there are many more we have never seen. Please know that we grieve with you, and we celebrate the life of Cory.

To celebrate the character of Finn Hudson and the life of Cory Monteith, the cast of Glee has released an EP titled, ‘The Quarterback’. You can download it on iTunes now, with proceeds going towards Project Limelight

If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction, please ask for help and visit SAMHSA.