A collection of girl-on-girl kisses from some of your favorite television shows, including “Orange is the New Black,” “The Fosters,” “Lost Girl” and “Pretty Little Liars.” Avril Lavigne’s “Hush Hush” sets the mood.

The post A kiss is just a kiss first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The 25th annual GLAAD Media Awards were held Saturday night in Los Angeles. The ceremony, held to recognize fair, accurate and inclusive representation in media of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives, honored 12 of the 29 nominated media categories. Other winners, including those in the movie (outstanding film) and television (outstanding comedy series) will be named at a New York ceremony on May 3.

Among the big winners were Laverne Cox and Jennifer Lopez. Cox received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award which is given to a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender member of the entertainment community. Previous recipients include Wanda Sykes, Melissa Etheridge and Ellen DeGeneres.

Lopez was named winner of the Vanguard Award which hails efforts to increase visibility and understanding of the gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender community. Lopez has been a vocal advocate for LGBT rights and is Executive Producer for the ABC Family series “The Fosters.”

Ellen Page introduces Laverne Cox

Rita Morena presents Jennifer Lopez

Honorees at the event included:

Pioneer Award
Norman Lear

Vanguard Award
Jennifer Lopez

Stephen F. Kolzak Award
Laverne Cox, “Orange Is the New Black”

International Advocate for Change Award
Manny de Guerre, founder of the Side by Side LGBT Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia

Outstanding Documentary
TIE: “Bridegroom” (Virgil Films/OWN), Shane Bitney Crone and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
“Call Me Kuchu” (Cinedigm), co-directors Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall, and Ugandan activist John “Long Jones” Abdallah Wambere.

Outstanding Drama Series
“The Fosters” (ABC Family), Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg with stars Sheri Saum and Teri Polo

Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series
“Behind the Candelabra” (HBO)

Outstanding Reality Program
“Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce” (Fuse)

Outstanding Daily Drama
“Days of Our Lives” (NBC)

Outstanding Newspaper Article
“LGBTQ in the Capital” (series) by Melissa Griffiths (Juneau Empire [Juneau, Alaska])

Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia
“We Are Here: LGBTI in Uganda” by Sunnivie Brydum, D. David Robinson (Advocate.com)

Outstanding Music Artist
Tegan and Sara, “Heartthrob” (Warner Bros. Records)

Outstanding Comic Book
Young Avengers, written by Kieron Gillen (Marvel Comics)

Outstanding Talk Show Interview (Spanish Language)
TIE: “Debate por la igualdad” Al Punto (Univision)
“Decisión Histórica” Sin Límites con Elizabeth Espinosa (CNN en Español)

Outstanding Local TV Journalism (Spanish Language)
“Natalia: rompiendo barreras” Noticiero Telemundo Arizona (KTAZ-39 [Phoenix, Ariz.])

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment (Spanish Language)
“Decisión Histórica” Noticiero Telemundo (Telemundo)

Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia (Spanish Language)
“Eric y Juan, un matrimonio feliz a pesar de todo” by Fernando Mexia (EFE.com)

The post Cox, Lopez honored at 25th GLAAD Media Awards first appeared on Lesbian.com.

GLAAD announced Monday that singer, producer and “American Idol” judge Jennifer Lopez will receive this year’s Vanguard Award. The honor is bestowed upon artists and media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Lopez will be recognized not only for her very public and emphatic support of the LGBT community in the media, but for her role as one of the executive producers of the ABC Family series “The Fosters.” Lopez was inspired to become involved with the show by her relationship with her late aunt, a lesbian who faced prejudice because of her sexual orientation.

“Through her work to bring ‘The Fosters’ to life and by consistently speaking out as a powerful ally, 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,” said GLAAD CEO and president Sarah Kate Ellis. “Family is about love, and that’s a message Jennifer has shared with millions through her groundbreaking work on ‘The Fosters.'”

The 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards will be held in Los Angeles on April 12.

“When it comes to gay marriage, I just believe in love,” Lopez told GLAAD. “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.”

Previous Vanguard award winners include Antonio Banderas, Drew Barrymore, Kristin Chenoweth, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Hutcherson, Janet Jackson, Eric McCormack, Liza Minnelli, Sharon Stone and Elizabeth Taylor.

The post GLAAD honors Lopez for ‘The Fosters’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Jennifer Lopez spoke with Ellen DeGeneres about how her relationship with her lesbian aunt influenced her to get involved with “The Fosters” production.

The post Jennifer Lopez on ‘Ellen’: Why I produced ‘The Fosters’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Remember those phone conversation scenes in “The L Word” when the characters gossiped to and fro between boxes, a peppy Betty song (probably) playing in the background? That’s how I imagined the lesbian phone tree after last week’s episode of “The Fosters” when Rosie O’Donnell made her grand guest-role debut. I must offer a moment of deep silence, applause or whatever you deem appropriate for celebrating how much gayer the big gay family show we love just got. Creators Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg are on a roll — and they aren’t stopping. Now we get to learn even more about the group of misfits at Girls United. Yesterday it was announced a spin-off web series is in the cards — “The Fosters: Girls United.”

Read more at After Ellen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team.

The post ‘The Fosters’ spurs web series spin-off first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Cast of “The L Word”

Ten years ago this Sunday, Showtime premiered the first ever television series focused on lesbian life and relationships. “The L Word“ boasted star power from lead Jennifer Beals, legendary actress Pam Grier and the Murmurs‘ frontwoman Leisha Hailey. Creator Ilene Chaiken has been the subject of much contempt for the way some storylines played out over the years, as well as some of the very white casting choices. But it is undeniable that “The L Word” has been a major influence on how queer women are written on television (and film, too).

From “The Fosters” to “Orange is the New Black“, “The Good Wife”, “South of Nowhere”, “Exes & Ohs”, “Lip Service” and, of course, “The Real L Word“, here’s how lesbian TV has played out in the last decade.

Read more at AfterEllen.com

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Watch the winter premiere of “The Fosters” January 13 on ABC Family.

The post ‘The Fosters’: A sneak peak at season 2 first appeared on Lesbian.com.

(Photo: ABC/ Donna Svennevik)

BY MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE
Huffington Post Gay Voices

“Fame is a road full of land mines, and every four feet you risk getting blown up,” professed Rosie O’Donnell. She was speaking about Miley Cyrus and her widely-criticized performance at this year’s MTV’s Video Music Awards, but also describing her own battle scars as an outspoken celebrity. The actress and comedian is ecstatic to be going back to television, taking a role in executive producer Jennifer Lopez’s ABC Family hit “The Fosters” beginning in January. Having had a bit of a breather to tend to her health — she suffered a heart attack last October — she’s also as opinionated as ever, weighing in on gun violence, a boycott of the Olympics in Russia, Britney Spears and Cyrus, Pope Francis, gay marriage and Boy George’s new makeover.

“My 10-year-old daughter Vivi loves the show,” O’Donnell said in an interview with me on SiriusXM Progress, regarding “The Fosters,” which focuses on a multiethnic lesbian couple with both biological and foster children.  “She’s a big fan of that whole network, ABC Family. And consequently I’ve been watching nearly all the shows on there. But once I saw that one, I was really touched by it and I realized that [actor] Peter Paige, who I know from when I did ‘Queer as Folk,’ is [an] executive producer. So I tweeted about it and texted him congratulations. And, the lovely, lovely guy that he is, he said, ‘Would you be willing to do a recurring arc on the show?’ And I said, ‘Totally.’ So, I’m very excited.”

Listen to the interview segments and read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post The return of Rosie O’Donnell first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY HEATHER HOGAN

As you know by now, this week’s episode of “The Fosters” features Stef and Lena’s Big Gay Wedding. (The first gay TV wedding post-DOMA’s extinction, by the way.) Having now watched the episode twice, I can assure you that it’s going to compel you to tears and sentimental smiles, just like ABC Family is promising. Did I tell you guys that Rev. Camden from “7th Heaven” is Lena’s dad and he’s the one performing the ceremony? Because he is and it’s a lovely throwback to so many lesbians’ church-going youths. E! Online has released a behind-the-scenes peek of the wedding with commentary from gay co-creators Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige. You can watch the full video here.

Read more at AfterEllen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team

The post ‘The Fosters’ airs first same-sex TV wedding post-DOMA first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The ABC Family series “The Fosters” addresses the familiar misconception in an awesome way.

The post ‘The Fosters’: Homosexuality isn’t a choice first appeared on Lesbian.com.