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Sarah Warn, AfterEllen.com Editor
Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever.
by Sarah Warn, AfterEllen.com Editor
A weekly column highlighting lesbian pop culture news

Friday, March 10, 2006

Zulema GriffithsLESBIAN ON PROJECT RUNWAY EDITED TO APPEAR STRAIGHT...WHY AM I NOT SUPRISED?
It turns out that the just-finished second season of Project Runway--the hit Bravo reality series about fashion designers--had a lesbian to go with all those gay men. 28-year-old contestant Zulema Griffin (pictured), who is happily married to a woman, tells Nerve.com in a new interview that she was out on the show, but edited to appear straight:

Question: Is there anything one should never do on camera?
Zulema: I don't feel like I was fairly edited on the show. I'm married to an editor.
Q: You never talked about your husband on the show.
Z: My wife. I did talk about her, they just chose not to air it.
Q: They make you out to be this fabulous straight, single woman.
Z: I know. The people who [the producers of the show] want to look good will look fabulous even though they're monsters. People who say almost nothing can be made to look like the devil. With reality shows, there's a script.
Q: But is there a general rule on not talking about family, ex-boyfriends or sexual experiences?
Z: No, because did you know I was gay or married?
Q: No.
Z: They air what they want to air. There are no general rules.

Nice. But this is pretty much par for the course for Bravo, home of the Queer Eye franchise, several TV specials about gay and lesbians (like Great Things About Being Queer, and Out of the Closet) that have focused almost exclusively on gay men, and the recently-announced OutZoneTV, a gay and lesbian Internet channel that is obviously geared towards gay men.

It's really hypocritical of Bravo to try to position the network as gay AND lesbian friendly, when they consistently demonstrate otherwise. But choosing not to air any of Zulema's references to her partner and listing her as "single" on the Project Runway website goes beyond the pale, even for them.

I don't get motivated very often to organize complaints against TV networks, but if you're as annoyed as I am, fill out this short form and let Bravo know what you think of them using one hand to publicly pat themselves on the back for being lesbian-friendly, and the other hand to throw us under the bus.

ERIN DANIELS NEWS--DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW
Erin Daniels has been cast as the lead in the potential new Fox comedy Julie Reno: Bounty Hunter, about a single (heterosexual) mother-turned-bounty hunter. Which pretty much tells you all you need to know about the fate of Dana on The L Word. Since leaving The L Word wasn't Erin's idea, I'm glad to see she's landing on her feet--but Dana will be missed.

SHAKE-UPS IN QUEER MEDIA
Fledgling gay TV network Q Television has fired all of its directors and top management amidst complaints by its staff that they haven't been paid. The company's new leadership insists the show will go on, but former staffers are skeptical, saying "Nobody with any TV experience is going anywhere near Q to look for a job".

National lesbian magazine Girlfriends, announced this week that they will no longer be published in print form. The 10-year-old magazine has been purchased by a yet-to-be-named online company, who reportedly plans to use the Girlfriends name and some of their content online in the future. In case you're wondering, no, AfterEllen.com is not the unnamed online company--if I had an extra million or two lying around, that's not how I would spend it. How would I spend it, you ask? I'd buy a condo in Kauai stocked with strawberry daiquiri mix and TiVo's, then I'd hire a butler to bring me drinks and scroll through the TiVo screen for me when I'm too exhausted to hold the remote after a long day building sand castles on the beach....Um, I mean, I'd donate it to charity, of course!

MORE TV NEWS
CBS announced the early renewal of several shows for next season, but the sitcom Out of Practice--currently the only network TV series with a lead lesbian character--wasn't among them. That doesn't mean the show won't be picked up for a second season, just that it hasn't been decided yet. I'll keep you posted.

Speaking of CBS, last night's episode ("Check Your Head") of their crime drama Without a Trace featured a wonderful lesbian storyline in which two women who have secretly been in love with each other but afraid to admit it are finally united, complete with a passionate kiss. One of the women also has a touching reunion with her mob-boss father, whom she hasn't seen since she came out. Lesbians, the mafia, a happy ending, and a kiss? It's a lesbian TV crime buff's come true! Now if only it had somehow involved Mariska Hargitay, too...

In more good lesbian TV news: the lesbian cheerleader episode of Veronica Mars is finally airing this Wednesday, March 15th, so don't forget to set your TiVo! (daiquiris recommended, but not required)

That's it for this week! Check back next Friday for a new installment of Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. or read past installments here.
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