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Jennifer Taylor is a recurring character in the Showtime drama series Queer as Folk, she is the loving devoted mother of main character, Justin Taylor. She represents parents that come to understand their child's sexual preference, face adversity concerning the struggles of their life and accept it as long as they are happy.
She marries Craig Taylor and has two children, Justin and Molly. They appear to be a normal family until Justin reveals his sexuality. Through the series, Jennifer endures challenges with Justin, but is helped by Debbie Novotny to embrace her son's lifestyle. Not only does she embrace it, she grows quite formidable in supporting her son, LGBTQ rights, and even joining PFLAG along with Debbie.
Physical Appearance[]
Jennifer is a very ideal American mother. She is middle aged, blonde and maturely beautiful. She is conservatively dressed, very mannerly, and concerned for the well being of her family. She can be seen in the earlier seasons dressing classy and conservative. When she becomes a real estate agent, she begins to dress more "on-the-go" business-like. She can also be seen wearing PFLAG attire other times when helping for the LGBTQ causes with Debbie and the others.
Personality[]
Jennifer is a very ideal, somewhat conservative American mother. She is middle aged, blonde and maturely beautiful. She is very mannerly, and concerned for the well being of her family.
The divorce from her ex husband Craig freed her to be more of her own person as she went from being a stay-at-home mother to a successful realtor, and PFLAG member where she became a strong advocate for human rights.
As the series progressed, Debbie had influenced her as she became more outspoken and quite liberal, more aggressive in reaching out to others and led with her actions and can’t stand on her own two feet as a strong parent of her LGBTQ child.
Throughout the Series[]
Season 1[]
On the first episode, She is mentioned by Justin when Brian and Michael fight about how his jeep got vandalized.
"You're a good Driver."
She makes an appearance at the Taylor household lightly scolding Justin about how dirty his room is. After he leaves, she finds underwear, doodles of Brian, and naked drawings of men and starts to suspect Justin is gay. She takes Justin out on day and they talk reminisce and then she asks if he has a boyfriend at which he gets afraid and flees. Later, She takes him to a shrink and he is very forthright about his preferences for men to the counselor and his mother.
She is acquainted with Debbie Novotny and her son for the first time when they take Justin home. After running away again, Jennifer pursues her son and runs into Debbie at the dinner who comforts her. Debbie coaches her and tells her the worst thing he is afraid of, even more than his father finding out, is that she will stop loving him. Debbie encourages her to make sure her son knows that he is assured of her affections as a mother.
She find Justin at school. After a few rebuffs, she gets out of the car in determination and shouts across the campus saying, "Stop running from me, because I'm not running from you. I'm still your mother, and you're still my son, and I still love you."
Things get harder at home for Jennifer with her husband Craig, as they begin to argue more. After Craig rams Brian's vehicle, physically assaults him and demands Justin to come home, he tells Jennifer and that he made his choice not to return home. This statement leaves Jennifer very upset and refusing to go to bed with him in the same room.
Brian attempts to bring him back home to his parents, which despite Jennifer's intentions, Craig said very homophobic statements if Justin were to return in Brian's earshot. Brian gives Justin to follow him which he does. This leaves his mother more angry with Craig.
Jennifer attempts to talk to Justin at school. Due to his angry demeanor towards her about his father's remarks, she goes to Brian's job and she hastily gives him more of Justin's things and a consent to take care of her son knowing he will just end up running back to Brian. When Brian tries to refuse, Jennifer stands up to him saying, "You seduced him, you... fucked him! So now, he's yours!"
She is excited Justin came for Molly's birthday, however, when she says she has to consider the needs for the entire family and not just his desires, he leaves.
After Justin is rescued back to Pittsburgh from running away, he is hired and housed by Debbie with her approval. Justin tries to start a gay club encouraged by Debbie, his mother comes down to speak with the principal when it is abruptly closed due to close-minded teachers. His mother tries to relate and mediate until the principal starts to use offensive analogies. he explains their are more important lessons to be taught. Jennifer replies "...then Tolerance?" with a sharp look in her facial expression.
Due to the problems with Craig and his response towards Justin, they get a divorce.
Season 2[]
Jennifer has a hard time coping with Justin's Bashing, and struggles coming to terms of the hardships of his preference. Debbie confides with her one day and explains to her that a mother is a gay man's best friend, however, she may want to consider granting him allowance to someone he trusts. After witnessing an extremely traumatic meltdown from Justin, She later realizes Justin is tenacious in his love for Brian, and she goes by Brian's loft and tells Brian to take him because she knows he is the one her son trusts.
Jennifer walking with her son at their first Pride
She has joined PFLAG and has marched in the parade with her son. She tell him that she is proud of him during the march bringing a smile to his face, and he returns the praise saying he is proud of her as well (potentially meaning he is proud that she has been strong in reaching out in acceptance towards him. They smile and embrace each other as they continue to walk in the pride parade.
His mother takes him shopping having been successful in selling houses, and they arrive at Brian's loft right after he hooks up with a guy. After Justin expresses he doesn't want to go to Daphne's party she tells him that he should be around people his own age, and saying nothing personal to Brian in saying this. Brian agrees for the fact that he feels he has lived a good youth, and wants him to experience the same joys. She leaves and embraces her son after a great day of catching up together.
Some days later, Jennifer has lunch with her ex-husband, Craig Taylor, and she goes back to the dinner to reveal to Justin that he refuses to continue paying for his education. Jennifer tries to tell him that she can assist in paying, but he refuses knowing she is now a single mother with his little sister, Molly, at home. She finds out later Brian has started helping pay for his education.
Jennifer is proud of Justin illustrations on the wall at the Liberty Avenue and then very proud of his making a comic book with Michael. She attends the debut of his comic book at Babylon along with Daphne and the rest of the gang.
Season 3[]
Justin introduces Ethan to his mother which she is delighted to meet someone his own age, However, she expresses that she has nothing against Brian before he abruptly wishes they not discuss him. She has grown a fondness of him knowing for herself how much he truly does love Justin.
She assist Ted Schmidt and Emmett Honeycutt buy a house when they become partners. they ask for her advice which she politely decides to let them discuss it over. She is there to witness their new neighbor, Sunny, come back which she initially thought she was going to be the new owner. She even witness awkward moments when Sunny was rationalizing that Ted and Emmett were a gay couple moving in.
Brian lures Jim Stockwell to The Center to convince the LGBTQ community to vote for him as mayor. The gang shows a series of hate crimes and unsolved murders within the community. Justin mentions his own name during the speech, Jennifer is brave and hold up a portrait of him in his prom tuxedo suit and speaks out by explain that where his life was almost taken, his attacker was only given community service and was a clear lack of justice for such a heinous crime.
Season 4[]
After Brian's expenses come to a low, he asks her to come over to help him put his loft for sale. Justin comes in just as she is about to leave, and she lets him know that she will not be charging commission feeling like it's the least she could do for everything that he has done for Justin.
She comes by again to assist Brian Kinney in finding a headquarter for his new advertisement business. Justin walks in with his hair cut off and she is in complete disbelief. She tries to talk him out of the vigilante group, but he strongly opposes feeling a sense of purpose. She beckons Brian to talk him out of it which he explains that he's old enough to make his own decisions, however, he does agree with her. She leaves and tells him she tells him that she will give it more thought.
Brian visits her at an empty Liberty Baths finally figuring out that this would be more ideal considering his unorthodox style about things surrounding his life. She helps him sign the papers and establish his newfound business as Kinnetik Corps.
Jennifer is seen at the funeral for Vic and mourns for him with the others of the gang. She becomes insisting Debbie rest while her and the others help her, but Debbie is stubborn and rejects their assistance and suggestions cope with Vic's passing away.
Season 5[]
She is revealed to be seeing a man named Tucker for 6 months, much to Justin's dismay. Jennifer comes also when Lindsay asks her to list the house for sale both times, once when her and Melanie are separated and the other when they planned on moving to Canada.
Jennifer is also present when Brian lists his loft for sale and she is shocked to hear that Brian proposed to her son. She even goes as far as to apologize that she won't get the chance to be his mother-in-law when Justin refused his proposal the first time.
While she is showing Brian's loft, Justin comes by personally to give her an invitation to their wedding. Despite them being at odds concerning Tucker, she quickly forgets that and Jennifer's eyes water immediately in tears of happiness for her son getting married to man she loves. They celebrate and have a slow dance in Brian's loft and share a very tender mother-son moment as they dance and embrace each other.
Jennifer's Real Estate[]
Jennifer becomes a real estate agent towards the end of the first season. She helps the main characters considerably throughout the series when it comes to buying and selling their homes.
- She assisted Emmett Honeycutt and Ted Schmidt on getting a house during season three. She lets them sort of their differences in which house to choose until Ted goes back to Jennifer without Emmett’s knowledge and closes the house the Emmett wants to his excitement.
- She assisted Brian Kinney in finding a base for Kinnetik Corps. She catered to his unorthodox thinking and used the old Liberty Baths as an idea spot which pleased him tremendously. This shows how skilled she is at her career and how much she has come to know an unorthodox mind of a gay male.
- She assisted Brian Kinney in selling his loft and found out he planned on marrying Justin which left her in shock. She told him she didn’t want commission due to how much he had done for Justin.
- She assisted Lindsay Peterson and Melanie Marcus when they were divorcing and attempting to sell the house, however it was canceled.
- She assisted Lindsey and Melanie once more in selling their home when moving to Canada.
Quotes[]
- "Justin!" - to Justin
- "Stop running from me, because I'm not running from you. I'm still your mother, and you're still my son, and I still love you." - to Justin
- "I got news for you, Big Man. you already have been." - to Craig
- "You seduced, you... fucked him! So now he's yours!" - to Brian
Relationships[]
She becomes slowly acquainted with Justin's new circle of friends as the story progresses and acquires at least a warm acquaintance with each of them. She is well acquainted with Lindsay Peterson, Melanie Marcus, Emmett Honeycutt, and Ted Schmidt. She even becomes acquainted with Ben Bruckner towards the last season as they have to bail Justin out from his father letting him get arrested for the protest. She not only warms up to Brian, but she later has a subtle preference for Justin's choice in him.
Justin Taylor[]
As mother and son, they share that tenacious trait. As tenacious as Justin was to find his place in the LGBTQ community in Pittsburgh, she was just as determined to follow her son and see him through to his happiness. Throughout the series, they form a stronger bond as she endures challenges trying to reach him in his lifestyle.
Jennifer walking with her son at their first Pride
She ultimately discovered his sexuality early, had to come to terms with it and the effects it had on their family, and witnessed her worst nightmare of him getting bashed. After his bashing and seeing how he can't help who he loves, she fights to further understand his world and what she can do to make him happy in what she understood in time could be a very dark cruel lifestyle.
She knows she succeeds as a parent when she gets the invitation personally for an intended wedding for him and Brian.
Debbie Novotny[]
- Main article: Jennifer and Debbie
Debbie helps her cope and reach Justin in his lifestyle and become very good friends as she evens get her to join PFLAG.
She is acquainted with Debbie Novotny and her son for the first time when they take Justin home. After running away again, Jennifer pursues her son and runs into Debbie at the dinner who comforts her. Debbie coaches her and tells her the worst thing he is afraid of, even more than his father finding out, is that she will stop loving him. Debbie encourages her to make sure her son knows that he is assured of her affections as a mother.
Craig Taylor[]
They stand in direction opposition as parents of Justin in concerns of LGBTQ rights when the true colors shown in Justin's sexual preference amongst. It is also revealed their marriage had several other issues that couldn't ultimately be resolved. She reveals that he consistently lied, abused and betrayed her throughout Justin and Molly growing up, and there were problems long before Justin came out being gay. It is implied that coparenting with him after the divorce is difficult by various comments she would make after meeting up with him when it came to their kids.
Brian Kinney[]
At first, she is very disturbed about the thought of him with her son, even to think he is a predator.
Through the course of time as she became stronger as a mother of a gay son, understanding the hardships of the lifestyle, and getting to know Brian through Justin and their business deals concerning real estate, She warms up to him greatly seeing how good he actually is good to and how much he does love her son.
She even goes as far as to apologize that she won't get the chance to be his mother-in-law when Justin refused his proposal the first time. In the finale of the series while at his loft, they console (much like him and Debbie would) each other after the bombing and he gives her a drink. She even offers to help him sell his loft with no commission due to how much he has done for Justin.
It is evident that she has began to embrace Brian would’ve been pleased to have him as a member of her family, as a son-in-law.
Tucker[]
Her new romantic interest revealed in season five.
After divorcing her ex husband, Craig, she was single for years until she was helped by a younger man named Tucker whom is a teacher at Molly's middle school. They started dating; much to Justin's disapproval.
Molly Taylor[]
Her daughter and youngest child. They have an ideal mother-daughter relationship.
Trivia[]
- She is portrayed by Sherry Miller.
- She is in her early fifties.
- She portrays the parent that loves her gay child and does what she can to embrace the obstacles they have to overcome.
- She not only embraces his lifestyle and friends, but has a place in “Justin’s chosen family” as she has come to be friends with the whole gang which resembles what he wished when he saw how close Michael and Debbie were in the beginning.
- In contrast to Justin dating Brian whom is considerable older, she dates a man half of her own age after her divorce from Craig towards the end of the series which disturbs Justin at first due to him being close to his age.
- She share that trait of tenacity with her son as to her success as a Real Estate Agent, and later a Realtor.
- It is implied she is very successful as a Realtor as she tells Brian she doesn’t need commission as it is the least she can do for all that he has done for Justin.