The Return of "The L Word"
On January 31, 2019 it was announced that The L Word is officially getting a sequel and lesbians around the world rejoiced.
The series originally ran on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. I bought the first couple of seasons on DVD while
I was a BYU student in 2006. And while I wasn’t “out,” I was out without being out. I displayed the box sets prominently on my
bookshelf in my tiny apartment bedroom where I also had posters for the films Imagine Me and You, Brokeback Mountain and
RENT hanging on my walls.
When the show debuted, most of the gay TV shows were primarily about gay men. Now, because of The L Word, you can turn on the TV and, on many shows, you will see women presenting themselves as gay, lesbian, queer, trans and everything in between. That representation matters. Being able to turn on the TV and see your life reflected back to you is powerful and transformative.
The L Word accomplished so many firsts: television’s first deaf lesbian, Jodi Lerner played by the Marlee Matlin who is deaf, it's first regularly occurring transgender character, Max Sweeney as portrayed by Daniela Sea, and its first interracial lesbian couple, Tasha Williams and Alice Pieszecki, played by Rose Rollins and Leisha Hailey respectively. The series also explored bisexuality, drag kings, drag queens, gender nonconformity, gay parenting, addiction, rape, and U.S. policies that limit the rights of LGBTQ people such as "don't ask, don't tell" and so much more.
I learned so much from The L Word. I learned that I can be gay and still be womanly and strong and formidable.
Was the show unrealistic and incredibly cliché sometimes (well, ok, a lot of times)? Sure. I mean, come on, how were we ever supposed to believe that Jenny and Shane could afford to live next to Bette and Tina in West Hollywood while working as a grocery store cashier and a hairdresser? But The L Word never tried to show what “everyday” lesbian life was because one single experience doesn’t exist. Everyone’s journeys and experiences are different, and no one would be able to encapsulate all that it means to be gay. (Even two dozen different LGBTQ characters wouldn’t.) But within this world, we were exposed to a myriad of different sexual interests, identities and fantasies. I’m sure that the first time I ever saw the portrayal of two women using a strap-on was on The L Word, and it didn’t say that you were any more or less gay if you use them or don’t, just that it’s within many people’s experiences, and that’s wonderful!
Did the show have its problems? Of course it did. The way the show portrayed Max was often times in the worst of ways, showing all the terrible stereotypes of transgender individuals and reducing the complexity of transgender issues to a stereotypical battle of the sexes. And will we ever truly be able to forgive series creator Ilene Chaiken for the complete egotistical train-wreck that Jenny Schecter, played by Mia Kirshner, became? Or for killing off the beloved Dana Fairbanks, played by Erin Daniels? Probably not.
The fact that its fifteen years later and people still discuss its cultural significance proves that the show was monumental and groundbreaking. So just imagine what the show can do with its revival, and how it can impact the future of the community. The time is ripe to dig into complex issues including appropriation and exploitation of gay culture by mainstream society, transgender rights, the Trump administration and the rise of hate crimes, along with so much more.
I for one, am looking forward to seeing what’s in store for The L Word of 2019 and for “girls in tight dresses, who drag with mustaches, chicks drivin' fast, Ingenues with long lashes. Women who long, love, lust, women who give.” After all, “This is the way, it’s the way that we live and love”.
I was a BYU student in 2006. And while I wasn’t “out,” I was out without being out. I displayed the box sets prominently on my
bookshelf in my tiny apartment bedroom where I also had posters for the films Imagine Me and You, Brokeback Mountain and
RENT hanging on my walls.
When the show debuted, most of the gay TV shows were primarily about gay men. Now, because of The L Word, you can turn on the TV and, on many shows, you will see women presenting themselves as gay, lesbian, queer, trans and everything in between. That representation matters. Being able to turn on the TV and see your life reflected back to you is powerful and transformative.
The L Word accomplished so many firsts: television’s first deaf lesbian, Jodi Lerner played by the Marlee Matlin who is deaf, it's first regularly occurring transgender character, Max Sweeney as portrayed by Daniela Sea, and its first interracial lesbian couple, Tasha Williams and Alice Pieszecki, played by Rose Rollins and Leisha Hailey respectively. The series also explored bisexuality, drag kings, drag queens, gender nonconformity, gay parenting, addiction, rape, and U.S. policies that limit the rights of LGBTQ people such as "don't ask, don't tell" and so much more.
Did the show have its problems? Of course it did. The way the show portrayed Max was often times in the worst of ways, showing all the terrible stereotypes of transgender individuals and reducing the complexity of transgender issues to a stereotypical battle of the sexes. And will we ever truly be able to forgive series creator Ilene Chaiken for the complete egotistical train-wreck that Jenny Schecter, played by Mia Kirshner, became? Or for killing off the beloved Dana Fairbanks, played by Erin Daniels? Probably not.
But The L Word was also radical for many reasons. It created this world that not only acknowledged that sexuality is fluid, but it allowed the characters to explore their own sexual fluidity. Nearly every female character on the series, whether they were queer or not, kissed a girl, and not to quote Katy Perry, but they liked it. Some of the characters continued to identify as straight, some as bisexual, some realized they were in fact lesbians, while some didn’t put a label on their sexuality at all. They were allowed to just explore and be themselves.
The fact that its fifteen years later and people still discuss its cultural significance proves that the show was monumental and groundbreaking. So just imagine what the show can do with its revival, and how it can impact the future of the community. The time is ripe to dig into complex issues including appropriation and exploitation of gay culture by mainstream society, transgender rights, the Trump administration and the rise of hate crimes, along with so much more.
I for one, am looking forward to seeing what’s in store for The L Word of 2019 and for “girls in tight dresses, who drag with mustaches, chicks drivin' fast, Ingenues with long lashes. Women who long, love, lust, women who give.” After all, “This is the way, it’s the way that we live and love”.
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