What does the "L" stand for, again?
Now here is a show that could very easily have shared the same title and subject matter and been a cold, heartless exercise in exploiting the touchy area of female homosexuality. It could have easily piled on girl-on-girl sex in an effort to cater to the fantasies of under-sexed (or over-sexed) adolescent males. Though there is plenty of eye candy, to the callous heterosexual male point-of-view, "The L Word" goes deep into its own world and doesn't look back once.
Created by Ilene Chaiken, who I believe is a lesbian in real life, "The L Word" has quickly become something of a modern cult-classic on late-night Showtime fare, and is something that has filled in the void left by the unwanted departure of "Dead Like Me." It's been nearly 22 hours since I saw it last, and I kindly remember two women trying to reconcile their relationship following the birth of a child, and a visit from a bigoted social worker. As a straight black male in his early 20s, I won't pretend that some of what I see on "The L Word" isn't pleasing to my eyes, but I have matured beyond my lust for girl-on-girl interaction and I've found myself drawn into a universe that has diminished many of the stereotypes I've allowed to cloud my overall picture of lesbianism.
I've been made aware to the existence of the many prejudices that gay women have to face as well, being that I've been led to believe they had it easier than gay men. If anything from what I have gathered, they face just as many hardships (if not more) than men do. Also from what I have been able to gather about it, being a gay woman seems a lot more socially acceptable than being a gay man. (I just don't know.) But on the issue itself, who cares, really? They can't change who they are, just as we can't change who we are.
And the cast (what a cast!) of "The L Word" is filled with brave performers who know their stuff (some more than others, according to sources here and abroad) about female sexuality. Basically centering on the lives of a group of Los Angeles women (Jennifer Beals, Erin Daniels, Leisha Hailey, Laurel Holloman, Mia Kirshner, and Katherine Moennig), "The L Word" shows us the world they live in, their various romantic entanglements, and those who either support them or loathe them for who they are.
"The L Word" is brilliant entertainment not just for the ladies, the straight or homosexual and guys, but it's also for anyone with an open mind about such critical subject matter. With a lot of talk about homosexuality in the news and talk of immorality in the United States, where does it say that people deserve to be discriminated against for sexual orientation, and in an America where so much is wrong, what is truly right? In a society founded on the basis of love for one's fellow man or woman, we seem to have violated our own principles in the 20th and 21st centuries when we condemned those with lifestyles different than ours. But shows like "The L Word" and "Queer as Folk" opened doors for thoughtful debate on the issue and have succeeded in showing that the gay community is not a bunch of sexual deviants but real people, just like you and me.
Live life, love, and most importantly, live life and love.
Now here is a show that could very easily have shared the same title and subject matter and been a cold, heartless exercise in exploiting the touchy area of female homosexuality. It could have easily piled on girl-on-girl sex in an effort to cater to the fantasies of under-sexed (or over-sexed) adolescent males. Though there is plenty of eye candy, to the callous heterosexual male point-of-view, "The L Word" goes deep into its own world and doesn't look back once.
Created by Ilene Chaiken, who I believe is a lesbian in real life, "The L Word" has quickly become something of a modern cult-classic on late-night Showtime fare, and is something that has filled in the void left by the unwanted departure of "Dead Like Me." It's been nearly 22 hours since I saw it last, and I kindly remember two women trying to reconcile their relationship following the birth of a child, and a visit from a bigoted social worker. As a straight black male in his early 20s, I won't pretend that some of what I see on "The L Word" isn't pleasing to my eyes, but I have matured beyond my lust for girl-on-girl interaction and I've found myself drawn into a universe that has diminished many of the stereotypes I've allowed to cloud my overall picture of lesbianism.
I've been made aware to the existence of the many prejudices that gay women have to face as well, being that I've been led to believe they had it easier than gay men. If anything from what I have gathered, they face just as many hardships (if not more) than men do. Also from what I have been able to gather about it, being a gay woman seems a lot more socially acceptable than being a gay man. (I just don't know.) But on the issue itself, who cares, really? They can't change who they are, just as we can't change who we are.
And the cast (what a cast!) of "The L Word" is filled with brave performers who know their stuff (some more than others, according to sources here and abroad) about female sexuality. Basically centering on the lives of a group of Los Angeles women (Jennifer Beals, Erin Daniels, Leisha Hailey, Laurel Holloman, Mia Kirshner, and Katherine Moennig), "The L Word" shows us the world they live in, their various romantic entanglements, and those who either support them or loathe them for who they are.
"The L Word" is brilliant entertainment not just for the ladies, the straight or homosexual and guys, but it's also for anyone with an open mind about such critical subject matter. With a lot of talk about homosexuality in the news and talk of immorality in the United States, where does it say that people deserve to be discriminated against for sexual orientation, and in an America where so much is wrong, what is truly right? In a society founded on the basis of love for one's fellow man or woman, we seem to have violated our own principles in the 20th and 21st centuries when we condemned those with lifestyles different than ours. But shows like "The L Word" and "Queer as Folk" opened doors for thoughtful debate on the issue and have succeeded in showing that the gay community is not a bunch of sexual deviants but real people, just like you and me.
Live life, love, and most importantly, live life and love.