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Teri Polo (The West Wing, Meet the Parents) and Sherri Saum (Rescue Me, In Treatment) have been cast as lesbian moms in Jennifer Lopez’s series The Fosters for ABC Family, the network that gave the world Pretty Little Liars.

Long before LGBT-friendly series like Greek, The Secret Life of the American Teen and Pretty Little Liars comprised ABC Family’s prime real estate, the network was founded by Pat Robertson and acted as home to his ultra-conservative, antigay “family”-oriented The 700 Club. As of June 3, ABC Family’s transformation to a leading network for positive LGBT representation will be complete when America meets The Fosters, a mixed race family of biological, adopted and foster kids headed by a loving, affectionate lesbian mom couple. And Sherri Saum, who plays Lena, one of the moms, says the series is the work she’s most proud of in her career.

At the launch of the 2011-2012 television season, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Where We Are on TV report estimates that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) scripted characters represent 2.9% of all scripted series regular characters on the five broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC). Mainstream cable networks’ scripted LGBT series regulars have also dropped in the upcoming season.

Pop diva, actress and producer Jennifer Lopez is developing a lesbian-themed hour-long drama for ABC Family, the network that brought us a positive portrayal of a gay teen on Pretty Little Liars. The thus far untitled series is about a lesbian couple, a cop and a private school teacher, whose world is upended when they take in a “wayward” teen girl and add her to their full house of one biological son and adopted teen twins (one a boy and one a girl).

When ABC announced the remake of science fiction, alien invasion series V, the thought immediately came to mind that this would be yet another great opportunity to feature a serious, lesbian character as a lead on a sci-fi show. Fans of the original V mini-series and follow-up shows may well remember the heavy lesbian/bisexual subtext surrounding the characters played by Jane Badler and Jenny Sullivan. Will the network show continue to de-gay like Katee Sackhoff's Starbuck and Kristanna Loken's Painkiller Jane?

ABC execs won't air this Carol spot unless Cate and Rooney cover up. 

Here’s some good news for your Tuesday! ABC Family has given back-or pickups for its breakout family drama The Fosters, starring Teri Polo and Sherri Saum as lesbian moms raising a biological son, adopted twins and foster kids.

GLAAD's fourth annual Network Responsibility Index is now available to be viewed online. The 2010 report of your favorite networks and television shows offers a few surprises – some interesting and some, well, expected. One of the top mentionable items is the fact that MTV reigns supreme in the report for receiving GLAAD’s “Excellent” rating. Way to go, MTV!

The Fosters aren't going anywhere any time soon, folks.

New network name, our same fave family.

Be sure to tune in to Grey’s Anatomy tonight as our friend, Cherry Bomb co-host Dalila Ali Rajah is a guest star! This is great news for Grey’s fans still licking their wounds over Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona’s (Jessica Capshaw) big airport break-up last week. While it would make for amazing television if Dalila were cast as a lesbian who comforts Callie and helps her through the stages of break-up grief, we know for sure that Dalila plays a mom, whose baby is in the pediatric ward. Michael Medico costars as her husband / boyfriend / partner – we aren’t sure if they are married or not.

Jane Lynch, who plays Cheerio coach Sue Sylvester on Fox's Glee, is in discussion with the TV Academy about hosting the upcoming Emmy Awards, which are set to air on Fox on September 18, 2011.

There’s good news, albeit qualified, for our representation on television: Prime-time broadcast TV for the 2012-2013 season offers a record high percentage of LGBT characters, according to GLAAD, although it still doesn’t reflect the diversity of the U.S. population.

In between cooking, eating, shopping, or whatever your Turkey Day traditions may be, make the most of TV time with this guide to the best specials.

The Fosters has gone away till January, everyone. Last night was the mid- season finale, and I am officially more excited for its return then I am to turn 21, which says a lot about both my social life and passion for TV. Oh, I shall miss the family meals, Stef’s tearful confessions, Lena’s desperation for Stef to take marriage seriously. I’ll miss yelling at Brandon and Callie to please defuse all sexual tension and making fun of Mariana for her inability to tell a lie. I’ll miss the not-so-subtle life lessons neatly tucked into the dialogue and I’ll even miss Wyatt’s mesmerizingly luscious hair. Lucky for me, all these things were out in full force in Monday’s episode.

Ann Northrop has come along way from her roots in conservative Hartford, Conn. Over the years, the Vassar art history grad has been a force for change… from the Vietnam War to feminism to the AIDS crisis and especially to the fight for universal equality. From Ms. mag to ACT UP to Gay USA, Northrop's been a tireless activist in the trenches of the battle for gay rights.