These romantic plotlines are folded right back into the drama of teenage life, planning for a future and whatever extra challenges 'A' presents for the girls.
Over the course of the series Emily has also had several girlfriends, just like her three straight counterparts have had their own relationships. Emily first struggles with accepting her own identity as a lesbian, but eventually finds acceptance with herself, her friends and even her traditional family. However, while The Fosters is a down-to-earth family drama, Pretty Little Liars has been described as "a mix between Desperate Housewives and Gossip Girl." It's not unusual for the four female protagonists to be blackmailed, poisoned, run over, shot or set on fire while they try to thwart and discover the identity of their mysterious and violent antagonist, 'A.' One of the four high school-aged leading ladies, Emily Fields, identifies as a lesbian, and came out early on in the series.įor shows like Pretty Little Liars, which focus on teenagers, including a coming out narrative for LGBT characters is important, as that is a typical struggle teenage LGBT viewers can identify with, but that cannot be the character's only story arc. Similarly, Pretty Little Liars also organically and seamlessly incorporates LGBT characters in the same way The Fosters does. Ultimately, it’s a good example for all audiences to see. In addition, the Fosters exemplify what it means to be a family-love, support and good values.
In many cases, these young people turn to TV characters to see stories they relate to, and Stef and Lena serve as an important beacon of hope that they can grow up, find love and create a meaningful, loving family just like anybody else. In parts of the country where families like the Fosters may not be as visible, not every LGBT young person has other community members to look up to. For LGBT youth drawn to the show by The Fosters’ kids and their stories, they also have the benefit of seeing Stef and Lena in a stable, loving relationship. The Fosters airs on the ABC Family network, which specifically appeals to a younger demographic. When Stef or Lena face challenges specifically because they are lesbians, straight viewers are given the chance to experience life through someone else's eyes, and hopefully develop understanding and compassion. We see her struggle with his lack of acceptance, but those moments are just a thread of the fabric that makes up Stef's identity and are part of a story told in a compelling way without preaching to the audience.
For example, Stef confronts her father's homophobia on more than one occasion. However, it is important that the audience also sees Stef and Lena face some of the same issues that many LGBT people do. After only a few episodes, the fascination with Stef and Lena as lesbian moms fades into the background and, as my friend said, “isn’t a big deal.”
By creating characters who wrestle with everyday concerns, these people are easy for audiences to identify with, regardless of sexual orientation or gender a parent is a parent. Like everybody else, Stef and Lena struggle to balance work, family, and their own relationship. For example, Stef and Lena deal with a lack of intimacy in their relationship because balancing work and kids is difficult, or how best to discipline their children. The Fosters, a drama about a "multi-ethnic family mix of foster, adopted, and biological kids being raised by two moms," delivers an honest, balanced portrayal of lesbian parents by focusing primarily on issues every working parent or couple faces. Another ABC Family show, Pretty Little Liars, also tells stories that effectively show LGBT people as more than just their sexuality, encouraging society to do the same. Some of the most effective LGBT characters are the ones whose sexual orientation or gender identity is just one layer folded into the rest of their character, much like the parents on The Fosters, Stef and Lena. It just comes across as very natural…The fact that are together isn’t a big deal.” As GLAAD’s Network Responsibility Index (NRI) points out, while there is still room for improvement in terms of the quantity and quality of LGBT representations, we have reached a point where there are enough LGBT characters on TV to start discussing the quality of those representations. A friend of mine recently started watching The Fosters on ABC Family, and commented, “I love it.