The Fosters is a hit TV drama and a 3 time GLADD’s NRI award winning show on the ABC Family cable network. There is no shortage of diverse or inclusive story lines. The ABC Family show is about a lesbian-bi racial couple, Stef, a cop, and Lena, the principal of a private school, and their family. Stef’s son, Brandon, is from a previous marriage. Together, they have adopted twins Mariana and Jesus who are Hispanic. The viewers meet Callie and her younger brother Jude within the first couple of episodes. In the premiere episode, when Callie first meets Stef and Lena, she is surprised to find that they are life partners. She quickly gets over her surprise and accepts this as a part of normal life, as does the audience. The Fosters is written in such an amazing way that having lesbian main characters quickly becomes part of its charm.

As the seasons have continued (the 4th season will air in a few months), Stef and Lena’s relationship develops. They get married in a beautiful ceremony during season 2. The wonderful thing about their relationship is that they have the same ups and downs as any other couple in the world.

Another LGBT storyline involves the Adams-Foster’s adopted son, Jude. For many episodes the viewers see 13-year-old Jude struggling to figure out his sexuality. He is never made to feel that he has to decide right now who he is or that he has to be gay because his moms are. The show hit another milestone when it was the first to air the youngest gay kiss in TV history. When he comes out to his family, everyone is okay with his sexuality. This response to his situation is radically different from what most kids Jude’s age go through. To show both sides of what a coming out story could be, we meet Jude’s boyfriend, Connor. Connor is a sweet boy who stole Jude’s heart. Connor’s dad is the typical parent who struggles with his son’s sexuality. He tries to keep the boys apart and when that doesn’t work he gives in and starts dealing with reality, though he doesn’t deal very well. He openly struggles with the situation. At the end of season 3 Connor decides that he doesn’t feel safe living with his dad anymore and wants to move away to be with his mother. This is a very real situation for many LGBT teens.

Another reality for LGBT teens is hostility from their peers. Callie runs into some trouble before and after meeting the Adams-Foster’s and has spent some time in juvenile detention. After another run in with the law, she is sent to a girl’s home where she meets Cole. Cole is a female who is transitioning to male. The other girls in the home give her a hard time, often making fun of her and starting physical fights. At her wits end with the whole thing, Cole attempts to cut off her own breasts. While this seems to be extreme, it shows just how sure she was that she should be a he. One of the only people who seems to accept Cole as male is Callie. In a later season Cole comes back, having officially transitioned to male. Callie and the viewers are thrilled to see that Cole is doing much better now than at the girl’s home.

The Fosters is easy to connect to for people of all different backgrounds. There is at least one person on this show that anyone could identify with. The show is focused on family. And there is no shortage of familial love between these characters. This ground breaking show just keeps getting better and better. The Fosters shows that families and people come in all different shapes and sizes. There is no normal family. Normal is whatever the viewer wants it to be. Normal is whatever the viewer is.