Entertainment

What “The Fosters” Means for Real LGBT Families: Tweet About It

I had high expectations for The Fosters when it debuted on ABC Family in June, the first mainstream drama to focus on same-sex parents and their kids. I’m happy to say it more than met those expectations, while also throwing in a few pleasant surprises. The show has meant a lot to me as a lesbian mom — and to many others as well. I therefore invite you to join me, the Family Equality Council, and GLAAD this week by tweeting about what the show has meant to you.

Book

Progress and Problems: Family Diversity in the Media

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.

When Will Sesame Street Really Show LGBT Characters?

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 Fairy Magic

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.

Disney Channel Show to Feature Two-Mom Family

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 Fosters”: It’s About the Children

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.

Older Children of Same-Sex Parents, Real and Imagined

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.

“The Fosters”: An LGBT “Brady Bunch”?

In 2008, I wrote: “We need to see LGBT parents not only creating families, but also raising children with all the ups and downs of families everywhere. When we see an LGBT version of The Brady Bunch, we’ll know we have made progress.” Is The Fosters, ABC Family’s new drama about a multiracial lesbian couple and their biological, adopted, and foster kids, that show?

Steve Marries Steve in “Blue’s Clues” Wedding

Some lighter news as a break from more serious stuff: It’s been a number of years since my son watched preschool TV shows, and I’m generally glad I don’t have their earworm jingles in my head anymore. (Pre-1980s Sesame Street songs are the exceptions.) I was unexpectedly delighted, though, to hear that two actors playing “Steve” of Blue’s Clues fell in love and married each other. Here’s a video.

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