When Two Boys Kissed on Primetime TV

It has been called "The History-Making Gay Kiss," as "The Fosters" TV show, which airs during prime time on the ABC Family network, featured the "Youngest Same-Sex TV Kiss Ever." Yes, on a so-called "family friendly" network, two 13-year-old boys locked lips, and gay activists and their allies are celebrating the moment.

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Personally, I find this is heartbreaking, not heartwarming, tragic, not terrific.

First, there is the power of example, either for good or bad.

Young people in particular are influenced by what they see on TV and in the movies, with little boys dressing up like Superman or Spiderman and little girls mimicking the looks of the latest starlet. [...] Is it any coincidence, then, that girl-on-girl kissing and sex scenes have become the Hollywood rage for some years and that bisexual experimentation among girls as young as 12 has become increasingly common? (Numerous teachers, social workers, and students have told me about the epidemic of bisexual experimentation among schoolgirls today.)

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Second, these kissing and sex scenes are impacting children at a volatile stage in their sexual and emotional development, potentially leading to even greater confusion, not to mention sexual experimentation.

Remember, we're talking about developing children here, about kids who have not yet come into puberty (or, who have just come into puberty), and now some of their favorite TV characters are acting out their homosexual desires, making for a whole new kind of role model.

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Add to all this the influence of "Gay Straight Alliances" in middle schools and high schools, where kids are encouraged to "come out" to peers and faculty without their parents even knowing it, coupled with the influence of Hollywood, the Internet, and aggressive pro-gay school curricula, and it's all too easy for kids in these formative years to become even more confused about their sexuality.

And once they begin to experiment, especially at such tender ages, there's no telling what practices and behavior and desires might become a long term part of their lives.

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Third, not to sound prudish, but I'd be perfectly happy if there weren't any TV kissing scenes with 13-year-olds, even if the kids were as heterosexual as they come.

"Leave it to Beaver" and "Lassie" may seems a little cheesy today, especially to young viewers, and they certainly had their flaws, but I'll take the moral values instilled on those kinds of shows over "Glee" or the latest reality show on MTV - unless, of course, you think "Leave it to Beaver" would have been better had 13-year-old Wally, Beaver's older brother, cuddled up to another boy and kissed him.

The very thought of it is repulsive.