Actress and singer Michele Green talks to us about L.A. Law, A Family Affair, and why she makes an effort to support lesbian projects.

AfterEllen.com: Now that it’s been more than 10 years since the controversial kiss between your character and Amanda Donohoe’s on L.A. Law, what is your perspective on that “event,” and has this perspective changed over time?
MG: I think it was a positive step, especially at that time. Now we have gay and lesbian characters having relationships on mainstream tv shows like Will and Grace and that is a big step from the days of Abby and CJ Lamb. On LA Law they never intended to explore the issue of a relationship between two women; it was about ratings during sweeps so I always found it a bit cynical.

AE: Besides being a member of PowerUp, you have been involved with a few projects that have touched on lesbian themes (A Family Affair, Give or Take an Inch, and Abby’s controversial kiss on L.A. Law); do you have a particular interest in issues related to lesbian/bisexual visibility?
MG: I have done several projects which have had gay and lesbian themes and that has arisen out of an interest in the particular role as well as the broader issue of inclusion. There are so many ignorant people in this country who have these ideas that any group of people who are different from them, racially, ethnically, in terms of their sexual orientation, are suspect somehow. At the end of the day, we are all about the same things: we want to be loved, accepted, seen, appreciated by the people around us. It’s a simple human need and any project or organization that promotes that acceptance is a good and necessary thing.

Fly Cherry, which I wrote, is not a lesbian themed film in any way, actually, it is about a little girl who is an outcast in a small Oklahoma town but it was produced by PowerUp which is an organization committed to raising the profile of gay women in the entertainment industry.

I also think that it is important for straight women, which I am, to get involved in these kind of projects and lend their support…these are not just gay or lesbian issues, these are HUMAN issues. And if anyone is afraid of getting involved in these kind of projects because of how they will be perceived, then they should not pretend to be artists and should go work for the State Department.

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