VIDEO: Chris Colfer's New Boyfriend Debuts On 'Glee'

Glee takes on bullying with Tuesday's episode, "Never Been Kissed," which revolves around openly gay character Kurt, played by Chris Colfer, and a budding romance with newcomer Blaine, played by Darren Criss.

"Blaine is such a cool guy. I really hope he ends up being a really positive role model and source of strength for a lot of people, gay or straight," Criss told E! Online. In the episode, Kurt will meet Blaine when he is spying on the Glee club of the private school the new character attends. Though the cast has remained mum about whether Blaine will be a long-term love interest for Kurt, it seems more than likely.

Colfer himself is gratified to be able to play a positive gay character, especially when he considers his own difficult adolescence. “Had you told me when I was walking down the halls being picked on and harassed, in a matter of four years I’d be put in a position where the character I’d be playing on TV would be inspiring so many people in that same situation, it would have been mind blowing," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Everything happens for a reason, so maybe it was good I went through all of that because now it comes from a personal place.”

Actress Jane Lynch also praised the show's positive impact in the LGBT community. "You can [help] kids, especially out in the far reaches, where maybe they're not embraced for having a particular sexual orientation… give them role models, and hope," she told Ontheredcarpet.com. “To see this idealized world, where people stick up for each other, and they are as strong as their weakest link. If someone's being made fun of, they rally behind them, and I love that." –AMY LEE

Watch Darren Criss perform Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" in a sneak peek from Glee: