Does Hollywood now set our morals?
Last week's episode of ABC Family's The Fosters featured a same-sex kiss shared by two 13-year-old, seventh-grade boys. The characters involved, Connor and Jude, are the youngest ever to do so on television. Series co-creator Peter Paige told The Wrap, "If people want to judge it I think maybe they should watch and see how carefully, delicately and chastely it was handled. … I would say it's very easy to balk at or sensationalize the headline, but it's hard to deny the truth or the integrity of the whole story. … We are here to tell the true stories of what it is to grow up, and these are true stories of what it is to grow up as a young, potentially gay person. It's the truth and that's all."
Gabe Bergado wrote in The Daily Beast, "The Fosters is already lauded as one of the most progressive shows on TV, with the heads of household being an interracial lesbian couple raising a family of biological, foster, and adopted kin. With the kiss on The Fosters setting a fantastic standard, we're inching toward more accurate representation of LGBTQ youth in entertainment. It reassures all the real-life Judes and Connors out there that their feelings of self-discovery during those middle school and junior high years are valid, while also providing a heartrending example for those who don't endure this to understand and learn from."
Speaking about his participation in the scene, 15-year-old actor Hayden Byerly said, "To prepare for it, Gavin and I started thinking about all the different people that would be watching this and the difference that it would make in the world. If that's the motive of what you're doing then you have a pretty good reason to do it."
Gabe Bergado wrote in The Daily Beast, "The Fosters is already lauded as one of the most progressive shows on TV, with the heads of household being an interracial lesbian couple raising a family of biological, foster, and adopted kin. With the kiss on The Fosters setting a fantastic standard, we're inching toward more accurate representation of LGBTQ youth in entertainment. It reassures all the real-life Judes and Connors out there that their feelings of self-discovery during those middle school and junior high years are valid, while also providing a heartrending example for those who don't endure this to understand and learn from."Speaking about his participation in the scene, 15-year-old actor Hayden Byerly said, "To prepare for it, Gavin and I started thinking about all the different people that would be watching this and the difference that it would make in the world. If that's the motive of what you're doing then you have a pretty good reason to do it."
