For many lesbians across this country, The L Word is a holy text.
The White House honored that text by inviting three of the show’s stars, Leisha Hailey, Katherine Moennig, and Jennifer Beals, and the show’s original creator, Ilene Chaiken, to a press briefing for Lesbian Visibility Week.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the first out queer person to be Press Secretary, introduced the stars and creator, saying that growing up as a queer woman of color, she knows what it is like to feel invisible.
“For so many people in our community The L Word’s impact cannot be understated,” she said. “Being able to see diverse narratives that reflect our lives is incredibly important. It is important that young people see characters on television and in books who they can relate to and whose life stories and identities inspire them to reach their highest potential.”
Chaiken said she was delighted that The L Word still lives on and speaks to a new generation, “but we’re painfully aware that our struggles are far from over. We face new threats against our community, from online harassment to legislative acts of violence to actual physical violence — astonishing, backward, mean-spirited attacks by groups and individuals who in trying to deny our humanity only diminish their own.”
“We’ve been fighting this fight for generations, and we’ll never stand down,” she continued. “ They may try to erase our stories from classrooms and libraries, but we’re here. We’re here today at the White House.”
She also praised Biden for “strengthening non-discrimination protections for our communities to signing the Respect for Marriage Act into law, to supporting LGBTQI kids and their parents” and for “giving us the first out lesbian press secretary, who represents hope and possibility for so many people, young and a bit older.”
Hailey, who is a lesbian in real life and plays the bisexual Alice on The L Word, had a message for queer people who could be listening.
“So to the librarian in Texas advocating to keep books with LGBTQIA themes on the shelves, we see you,” she said. “To the LGBTQIA people leading their communities as rabbis, pastors, and ministers, we see you. To the LGBTQIA community in Missouri about to lose their gender-affirming care, we see you. To the LGBTQIA community affected by the Dobbs decision in Idaho, Wisconsin, Alabama, and Tennessee, we see you. And to the first openly LGBTQIA press secretary, we see you. Visibility starts in our homes and our communities. And even if it feels like you’re under attack, know that we see you.”
The original
The L Word series ran from 2004 to 2009 on Showtime, and it was continued in the show
The L Word: Generation Q, which ran from 2019 to 2023.
