Tag Archives: The Fosters

ABC’s ‘The Fosters’ Just Released New Promo (Video)

The first half of The Fosters Season 3 had a whole lot of drama. There were breakups, hookups, break-ins and finally an adoption.

Things are looking up for Callie Adams-Foster (Maia Mitchell) going into the spring premiere of the family drama… yeah right.

Of course, we would expect nothing less after the summer finale left us with Brandon and Callie having sex right before Callie was officially surprise-adopted into the family, the return of Jesus (played by a new guy), and the departure of Jude’s boyfriend Connor.

We’ve also learnt that this season Stef will be dealing with a medical issue that she will clash over with Lena, so it looks like no one in the Adams Foster family is in the clear for a chill winter season.

Watch this preview for the new episodes of The Fosters! It all starts Jan 25 on Freeform, the new name for ABC Family!

Posted by The Fosters on Sunday, 27 December 2015

It all starts Jan 25 on Freeform, the new name for ABC Family!

Stefanie Scott Comes To Kelsey Chow’s Rescue in Hayley Kiyoko’s LGBT-Positive Music Video

Musical rock-chick, Hayley Kiyoko is currently having a stint on The Fosters, but many of you will recognise her from her time on Disney Channel in Wizards of Waverly Place and Lemonade Mouth where she played a badass guitarist.

Her new 5 minute video (directed by Kiyoko and Austin S. Winchell) for her new song Girls Like Girls is a testament to marginalised connections. Shot on a shoestring budget and starring up-and-comers Stefanie Scott (Jem and the Holograms) and Kelsey Chow the video tells the story of a romantic girl/girl relationship.

Beyond the love story the video also has a theme of self-acceptance and standing firm for what we want and believe in. Whether you’re fighting yourself, your feelings, or the judgements of others; the despair, joy and relief felt when you’re true to yourself makes it all worthwhile,”

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There’s not a lot of representation for young girls who are best friends who might fall in love. A big point for me was to respect that and keep it real, so people can realise it’s not just a joke or, you know, ‘Oh, that’s hot.'”

Fans have come out in droves to thank the singer for shining a light on LGBT issues. “[This video] helped my mom better understand what it’s like to be me!! I needed this video for so long,” tweeted one follower; “I feel heard. I feel understood,” said another.

People are using the word ‘representation”. They’re like, ‘Thank you for making me feel like there’s some sort of representation for how I feel.’ So that’s been a really cool thing to see.”

Watch the game changer, below.

How ‘The Fosters’ Is a Triumph for Queer Families Everywhere

The Fosters is a totally rare, but totally great example of diversity. The ABC Family drama centres on a married, interracial lesbian couple – Lena and Stef Adams-Foster – who deal with all of the usual trials and tribulations of raising a family and being good role models to their children. We haven’t seen an interracial lesbian couple featured so prominently on our TV screens since the appearance of Bette and Tina on The L Word.

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And while The Fosters has been praised for its positive representation and the way that it treats the lives of these two queer women with the same respect as any heterosexual married couple, the show is also a triumph for queer children. This was made incredibly clear with the show’s portrayal of their son Jude as he questioned his gender presentation and his sexuality.

More: How TV Culture and Lesbian Visibility Have Changed After The L Word

In his storyline, we discover that Jude’s previous foster parents hit him when they found him trying on a dress and in the Stef-Adams household no one bats an eyelid when he paints his fingernails blue. Sadly though, ignoring the warnings from his sister Callie that people at school might not be so crazy on the idea of a boy who uses cosmetics, Jude goes to school and gets beaten up by a group of boys. When Jude’s new friend Connor paints his nails blue in solidarity though, the connection between the two boys begins to develop into a romance. In another scene, where the two boys go to the movies with two girls, we see them lift up the armrest to link their pinkie fingers and although it’s such a small act, that scene on TV right there is helping to tell queer kids everywhere that their identities are ok.

The Fosters makes that especially clear when Jude asks Lena how she knew she was gay, after he gets jealous over Connor with a girl. Stef tells him the following:

“Oh, honey. That’s totally normal. Not normal, that’s not what I mean. You know, let’s not use the word normal at all. Honey, everybody gets jealous when their friend gets a boyfriend or girlfriend. Everybody. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re gay or that you’re not. And if you are or you’re not, it really doesn’t matter to us either way. We love you no matter what because you’re you.”

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Meanwhile, The Fosters creator Peter Paige (who also worked on Queer As Folk) has said that “I don’t think that we’ve decided anything definitive about Jude. Jude is curious, and we’re exploring that.”

Together, the show is fostering a positive attitude about queer identities where viewers are able to understand that exploring or questioning your sexuality is A-ok, while parents of those with children who may be exploring or questioning learn how to support it. For parents and queer children alike it’s not always easy to put your feelings into words but The Fosters is aiding that and so it certainly deserves praise.

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On Thursday We Wear Purple – #SpiritDay

On Thursday 16th October, millions of Americans will wear purple on Spirit Day in a stand against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth.

Spirit Day began in 2010 as a way to show support for LGBT youth and take a stand against bullying. Following a string of high-profile suicide deaths of gay teens in 2010, GLAAD worked to involve millions of teachers, workplaces, celebrities, media outlets and students in going purple on social media or wearing purple, a color that symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Spirit Day now occurs every year on the third Thursday in October, during National Bullying Prevention Month, and has become the most visible day of support for LGBT youth.

In recognition of this, “Orange Is The New Black” stars Selenis Leyva and Yael Stone have recorded a message encouraging people to join the thousands of people taking part in Spirit Day this year.

Also backing this cause is the cast of The Fosters and Faking It

 

LGBT-Themed TV Shows Lead the Way At the TCA Awards

Here! queer! And stealing awards from straight people! Conservative news outlets would probably run with that headline like a steam train, when in actual fact some brilliant LGBT-themed TV shows have this year scooped up awards at the prestigious TCA Awards (Television Critics Association Awards) to signify that they were amongst the best things on our telly boxes/mobile devices or laptops (if you were watching on Netflix) in the past year.

The TCA are a wise old bunch and so their deemed quality of TV shows amounts to more than the ratings and what the majority of us are spending times vegging out on our couches watching, which means that anyone worth it has a chance at winning and it also really tells you what the good stuff is.

This year, the two big LGBT winners were RuPaul’s Drag Race and Orange is the New Black. Two shows that couldn’t be further from each other on the telly spectrum.

While OITNB’s award for Outstanding New Program is undoubtedly deserved for the way that the Netflix-only prison drama portrays the lives of its incredibly diverse prisoners (many characters are LGBT and/or of colour too) with empathetic realness.

Whereas RuPaul’s drag-based competition was often peppered with transphobic language that is distinctly unlike its network (Logo TV) which has been a long time supporter of LGBT projects.

Luckily though, another wonderful show was kicking ass and taking names (and TCA Awards too!) to offset RuPaul’s sometimes-grossness and to back up OITNB in fantastic shows with fantastic LGBT characters.

The Fosters, whose two lead characters are an interracial queer couple with an interracial family on a channel (ABC Family) that originally launched in an effort to promote conservative TV shows. So a triple win of sorts? Absolutely and we can only hope that the next year is as great for LGBT-related TV shows too.

Jennifer Lopez Wins GLAAD Award for ABC Family’s ‘The Fosters’

Despite having experience in the world of acting (she has starred in both Maid in Manhattan and Gigli), world renowned singer Jennifer Lopez probably seems like an unlikely candidate for being a strong force behind the LGBT movement yet having created The Fosters, an award winning TV show about an interracial lesbian couple and their children, she has become just that. The show has been gifted praise in reviews such as ‘breathtakingly normal’, ‘hilarious’ and ‘well-written’ for the fact that although the show’s two protagonists are gay and interracial, this is effectively nothing but a description of the show as opposed to an overused trope or a plot point and it’s likely for that reason that Jennifer Lopez will be granted an award by GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) at an upcoming awards ceremony.

The award in question is the highly prestigious ‘Vanguard’ title which is GLAAD’s highest honour and is gifted to artists and media professionals who have shown exemplary and overwhelming support for the LGBT community in their work. GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Ellis said this glowing amount of praise about the Puerto Rican singer via the organisation’s website,

“Jennifer Lopez has not only sent a message of acceptance to LGBT adults and young people, but inspired new support for our community among her many fans around the globe. Family is about love, and that’s a message Jennifer has shared with millions through her groundbreaking work on The Fosters.”

Lopez herself said this by way of GLAAD,

“When it comes to gay marriage, I just believe in love. I believe that when two people find each other and love each other, they should be able to spend their lives together with all the same benefits and privileges as everyone,”

While Lopez beliefs are good in themselves, her work behind the scenes for The Fosters should not be overlooked, with the show’s importance being far reaching as it shows a positive portrayal of lesbian family life that has been missing in the media for some time with 2010 film The Kids Are All Right about a married lesbian couple and their children being criticised for its use of hetero-centric plot points and mildly offensive tropes. However, The Fosters continues to do well in the ratings and the Vanguard award (which Lopez is set to receive at a ceremony on April 12th) may serve as a small token for the good work that she is doing, so we’ll keep you updated on the show in the future.

Source: The Huffington Post