‘The Fosters’ creators defend the show’s controversial gay teen kiss
By Josh Haggis
The Fosters
has been criticised for airing a gay kiss between two teenage male characters.
On Monday (March 2), the ABC Family show aired a kiss between two 13-year-old teenagers, Jude and Connor, whose close relationship had previously only been hinted at before on the show.
The scene made history as the youngest gay kiss between gay two characters ever shown on US television. Despite praise from the majority of viewers, some fans of the show took to Twitter to label the kiss inappropriate and unnecessary.
Speaking to The Wrap, the show’s co-creators Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg defended the scene, arguing that 13 years old is around the time many experience their first kiss, whether gay or straight.
“When people question the scene my response has been: ‘Everyone has a first kiss and you remember it. How old were you?’ Ninety percent of people who have an answer come back and say, ‘I was 12, 13 and 14 years old,’ and I say, ‘Exactly. It was time to see this, time to put this up for the world,'” said Bredeweg. “Then people understand, they’re able to wrap their heads around it.”
“I would say its very easy to balk at or sensationalize the headline, but its hard to deny the truth or the integrity of the whole story,” added Paige. “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.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Murphy recently argued that shows like Glee have been integral in the battle for equal rights in the US – find out more here.
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