By Abigail Abesamis



Last weekend, Jennifer Lopez was awarded the Vanguard Award for her work as an executive producer for the ABC Family Show “The Fosters.” “The Fosters” is a family drama series which is centered on a family that doesn’t necessarily fit societal norms. It is made up of an interracial lesbian couple and their biological, adopted, and foster children. This show won the GLAAD award for best drama series.

In her acceptance speech Lopez spoke about her support for the LGBT community, which has in turn supported Lopez in her professional endeavors. She also spoke about her late aunt Marisa, who identified as being gay. Lopez said, “Marisa was my cool aunt. She was my mom’s older sister and she lived in New York City. I lived in the Bronx and she lived in Manhattan–it was like worlds away! She wanted to be an actress and I always wanted to be like her. Marisa grew up gay in a time when it meant life could be very difficult and that her struggles were mostly kept to herself.”

Lopez addressed her feelings regarding the adversity she anticipated in putting her name behind a show which dealt with controversial topics. She stated, “I wanted to do this because I felt like she would be so proud of me. I thought about that a lot when I was doing [the show] and as I do it now; I always think ‘I bet she loves this,’ and tonight I know she’s proud of me.”

Jennifer Lopez shows how inspirational a Savvy Auntie can be. How do your nieces and nephews make you proud?

To learn more about how Jennifer’s Aunt Marisa inspired her work with “The Fosters”, check out our article here.

Photo: Courtesy of GLAAD
Published: April 16, 2014