In this paper I explore some of the ways in which foster carer training in Australia is conducted within a context of heterosexism. I suggest that this context results in the experiences of gay and lesbian foster carers being rendered invalid, and that the normative status of the nuclear heterosexual family is reasserted. In order to demonstrate these points, I provide a brief analysis of the relevant legislation that shapes foster care training, and use the concept of ‘mundane heterosexism’ to explore the limitations of research that attempts to demonstrate the ‘normality’ of lesbian and gay parents. I conclude by outlining the potential for ‘queering’ adult learning practices, by focusing on foster care training as a site for social action, by exploring the limits of the category ‘family’, and by examining the exclusionary practices that shape it. I thus suggest that what is needed is a queer approach to adult learning, and an accompanying prioritisation of queer modes of relationality.