Producers Of The Fosters Defend Kiss Between Show's 13 Year-old Characters

Via TheWrap:

“If people want to judge it I think maybe they should watch and see how carefully, delicately and chastely it was handled,” co-creator Peter Paige tells TheWrap. ABC Family’s “The Fosters” drew both praise and criticism this week for a daring gay kiss scene between two 13-year-old male characters. But, the show’s creators said they were merely staying true to their story. “If people want to judge it, I think maybe they should watch and see how carefully, delicately and chastely it was handled. We are not here to sensationalize or exploit anyone,” Peter Paige, the drama’s co-creator, told TheWrap. The kiss between Jude (Hayden Byerly) and Connor (Gavin MacIntosh), conceived of in the early days of Season 1 had been a long time coming. But the executives said that ABC Family, while tremendously supportive of the idea, had asked them to slow down the relationship and shelf the kiss for Season 2. Ultimately, both creators felt the network’s note was a smart one. “I’m glad we took more time to invest in the friendship of these two guys,” co-creator Bradley Bredeweg said. “It allowed for this moment to feel as earned as possible.”

Anti-gay groups have been relatively quiet (so far) about the kiss, but outrage is flowing on sites like Free Republic. And anti-gay activist Michael Brown has vented on Townhall, calling the kiss "heartbreaking." The Fosters is executive  produced by Jennifer Lopez.