The Fosters, ABC Family’s lesbian mom drama, returns tonight after a previous season that saw the youngest same-sex kiss on television. It’s followed by the premiere of Becoming Us, a reality series about a young man and his transitioning transgender parent.
The kiss on The Fosters wasn’t notable just for being between two middle-school students. It was also notable for not being afraid to admit that some LGBTQ parents have LGBTQ children, even if it’s a myth that all of us do.
I also love the show’s depiction of the relationship between moms Stef and Lena, as a couple and as parents. There are so few role models of two-mom couples on television, I am grateful when I see one working to navigate life’s ups and downs.
Becoming Us premieres comes by apparent coincidence the week after another transgender parent, Caitlyn Jenner, showed the world her post-transition self. I hope it offers us a view of transgender-parented families not colored by celebrity, one that shows a family that more of us can relate to.
There are so many poor depictions of transgender people on television, either through intentional bias or uninformed misunderstanding, that I admit to a certain degree of skepticism about any new media coverage on the subject. I’ve heard some good things about this show in a few places, however, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
Mondays are turning out to be the queerest night on television. I, for one, can’t wait to watch.
