The cast and co-creator of “The L Word: Generation Q” made an appearance at Tuesday’s White House press briefing to mark Lesbian Visibility Week and address recent legislative attacks against the LGBTQ community.
The original “The L Word,” which premiered in 2004, broke ground as the first major television show to feature a majority lesbian and bisexual female cast, and the first written and directed almost entirely by queer women.
Its spinoff, “Generation Q,” premiered in 2019 and ended its run on Showtime last month. A new series is in the works, Deadline has reported.
“For so many people in our community, ‘The L Word’ impact cannot be understated. Being able to see diverse narratives that reflect our lives is incredibly important,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the first openly LGBTQ person and first woman of color to serve as White House press secretary, said during Tuesday’s briefing.
“It is important that young people see characters on television and in books who they can relate to, whose love stories and identities inspire them to reach their highest potential,” Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “It’s important that LGBTQI+ people are represented in government, in shows and in institutions across the country.”
“This work is more important than ever, as the LGBTQI+ community continues to face relentless attacks from some Republicans across the country,” she added.
Nearly 470 bills targeting the rights of LGBTQ people have been introduced this year in state legislatures nationwide, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. A majority of anti-LGBTQ legislation under consideration this year has been backed by Republican lawmakers.
Ilene Chaiken, the co-creator of “The L Word,” on Tuesday celebrated the victories LGBTQ Americans have seen under the Biden administration, including having their right to marry enshrined in federal law.
“We’re delighted that ‘The L Word’ lives on and speaks to a new generation, but we’re painfully aware that our struggles are far from over,” Chaiken said. “We face new threats against our community, from online harassment to legislative acts of violence to actual physical violence.”
In the last Congress, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a first-of-its-kind hearing that examined the connection between anti-LGBTQ hate speech online, laws and policies that restrict LGBTQ rights and real-world violence. The hearing came in the wake of a mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., that killed five and injured more than a dozen others.
“We’ve been fighting this fight for generations and will never stand down,” Chaiken said Tuesday. “They may try to erase our stories from classrooms and libraries, but we’re here. We’re here today at the White House, and we won’t be erased.”
Source: The Hill
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