AfterEllen.com

Frequently Asked Questions
Sarah Warn, Editor, AfterEllen.com

Who are you and what qualifies you to write about this stuff?
I have an undergraduate degree in Women's Studies from Wellesley College and a Master's in Theological Studies from Harvard University--which means I know how to write long analytical papers in theoretical language on very niche topics that only three people in the world care about. I try not to do that on the site too much, though.

Why did you create AfterEllen.com?
I launched AfterEllen.com in April of 2002 because I couldn't find any other sites that focused on this subject area in-depth; most gay sites and magazines only skim these topics or focus disproportionately on issues relevant primarily to gay men.

Who cares how lesbians/bi women are represented on TV? It's just entertainment, after all!
You'd be surprised how many people do care--we get emails every day from women around the world frustrated because they don't have any images of lesbian or bisexual women in their own countries, and from American women and teens who can pinpoint the television show or movie that helped them come out to themselves or others.

Anyway, if you don't care, why are you here? Go back to the porn sites from whence you came.

Why do you cover issues related to bisexual women, not just lesbians?
For a few reasons: because images of lesbian and bisexual women are usually interrelated and frequently confused by the mainstream media, and because some of my best friends (and ex-girlfriends) are bisexual--and they're people too, damnit.

Why do you cover mostly American shows and movies?
We're interested in world-wide depictions of lesbians/bi women, but we don't have the time or the resources to keep up with all the shows and movies going on all over the world. We are always looking for more writers based in other countries who can submit articles about entertainment in their backyard, however. If you're interested, please read on to the next question...

Can you help me get in touch with [fill in celebrity/television series of your choice]?
No, I don't have the resources or the connections to do this--sorry! And no, we're not at all affiliated with Ellen Degeneres, so don't send us emails entitled "Dear Ellen."

Why haven't you written about [fill in celebrity/character/television series/film of your choice]?!
Too much to cover, not enough time! But this is a good problem to have, right? When there are so few lesbian-related shows/films/celebrities/characters that we have articles about every single one of them on the site, then we should worry.

But if you have a topic you'd like to suggest, feel free to email us your idea; or you can just wait--we'll probably get around to covering it eventually!