I write a lot about LGBT representation in children’s media. But as a number of sources have made clear recently (and many of us can attest personally), children’s media needs to do a better job representing families that are diverse in many dimensions.
Did you see this week’s episode of The Fosters? Moms Stef and Lena try to find some time to spend together without the kids. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry.
The New Yorker brought a smile to many of our faces with its latest cover, showing Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie embracing while they watched news of the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision. I had mixed feelings about this, though, for the cover drove home to me once again how little representation of LGBT families there really is for the youngest age groups—even on a show known for its groundbreaking depictions of families of color, children with disabilities, and single moms.
A little fun something while we’re all waiting to see if the Supreme Court will issue its marriage equality rulings today. I found this box of Disney-branded Kellogg’s fruit snacks at my local supermarket the other day—and was immediately struck by how . . . umm . . . friendly Tinkerbell and her friend seemed. Just goes to show you how much I know about fairies.
A terrific piece of news today: The Disney Channel has announced that an episode of its children’s series Good Luck Charlie will feature a family with two moms—the first time a show on the channel has done so.
The Family Equality Council, PFLAG, and COLAGE are working on an LGBT family visibility project, covering 50 states with 50 family photos. They’re still in need of photos from families in a few more states: Mississippi, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Wyoming.
EBONY magazine has named moms Micaela and JaChel Redmond and their daughter Taylor the most recent “Coolest Black Family in America” in their ongoing series.
Some sad news this past weekend: Pam Spaulding, whose blog Pam’s House Blend has been an inspiration and beacon for many of us in the LGBT and progressive blogosphere, has announced she is closing her blog July 1, after nine years, in order to focus on her health.
The third episode of ABC Family’s new show The Fosters airs tonight—and I, for one, am looking forward to it. I think it’s one of the best fictional portrayals of an LGBT-parented family I’ve seen yet, not least because LGBT “issues” are only a small part of these multifaceted characters’s lives. Below is my review of the first episode.
One of the best things about The Fosters, ABC Family’s new “two-mama drama,” is that the kids are all older children, and we see much of the action from their perspectives—balancing the many storylines from other shows about same-sex parents and their tiny tots. A few articles from real adult children with LGBT parents caught my eye this week—as did an interview with David Lambert, who plays the oldest child on The Fosters.
