In honor of our March Madness competition, our writers are weighing in this week on their favorite lesbian kisses!
Ali Davis: Gaaahhh, this one has been driving me crazy. How do you choose? I saw Desert Hearts at exactly the right point in my Figuring Things Out phase, so it’s going to be tough to knock Viv and Cay out of my heart. My favorite modern kiss is Dana and Lara’s first kiss against the lockers on The L Word, because it’s so great to see an introverted shy girl get her reward. On the other end of the introvert/extrovert spectrum, can we talk about Marlene Dietrich in Morocco? Damn.
Dorothy Snarker: A shy, reserved Christian school teacher runs into a vibrant, free-spirited circus performer by chance in the laundromat. They shouldn’t have anything in common. Yet a moment of compassion and rare beauty, they do. And what you know shouldn’t work doesn’t work, at least at first. One’s too conservative. One’s too aggressive.
And then in a moment when it shouldn’t happen, it happens. Camille summons Petra into her hallway. And there, framed by the beveled glass of the entry door, Camille kisses Petra. And even the flock of birds in the nearby park know something momentous is happening. And they take off in unison. Because these two answer a kind of wordless question in each other. And it’s beautiful. And it’s When Night is Falling.
Grace Chu: I was going to abstain from this vote because Heather matched up Pink and Pink (hawt hawt hawt), which I suggested, against Brittany and Santana (hawt hawt hawt) in the first round of the AfterEllen March Madness Challenge, and that just wasn’t just. We’re both from the South and know ACC basketball and the NCAA tournament, and therefore we know March Madness. We just don’t pit two top seeds in the first round against each other. Pink squared is being robbed. It shocks the conscience. So to spite her, I’m going to say Mia Kirshner and Beverly Polcyn in the Cruel Intentions spoof, Not Another Teen Movie. BOOM.
Bridget McManus: Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are awesome all by themselves but put them together and they are like an awesome sandwich. An awesome sandwich that makes out with tongue.
Erika Star: We can’t forget our favorite vampire killers, Willow and Tara! I mean, not only was envelope pushing Buffy the Vampire Slayer the first TV program to show a lesbian sex scene, but I’m pretty sure most fans were aching for a lesbian storyline (i.e. make-out sesh). And while the relationship was short-lived, Willow and Tara’s first kiss was definitely a highlight of my teen years. Come to think of it, pretty sure it’s still on my Top 10 F’YEA Moments.
Courtney Gillette: It’s a kind of kiss, but I will forever fan myself over the hotness which is Bjork kissing Bjork, for her 1995 single “Isobel.” I mean, come on. Come on. Excuse me while I faint.
The Linster: After 12 years – 12 years – of unresolved sexual tension, the moment that Francine and Katchoo kissed in Strangers in Paradise sparked history’s best fireworks. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it. When characters that you’ve only met on paper have the power to break your heart into a million pieces and then put it together in the most joyful way possible, you know you’ve experienced a miracle. Yes, I said a miracle. If you don’t agree, you haven’t read SiP.
Heather Hogan: When I was putting together our March Madness poll, the one thing I realized is that I could never choose just one favorite kiss. I mean, think of all the lesbian kisses in all the world. It’s not fair to have to pick a single winner. Like, there was the time Naomi and Emily kissed at Panda’s birthday party, Emily all, “Just give me … just give me a f–king … just …” And the time when Naomi launched herself at Emily after blowbacks by the lake. And the time when Naomi smashed Emily up against the lockers, panting about, “I can’t. I can’t.” There’s the “You can be my pajamas” kiss. And then that really angry kiss in front of Katie and Jenna, the one where Emily is just grasping Naomi’s deltoid and it should make you really sad, but also it’s really, really hot?
And the True Love kiss. And the Happily Ever After kiss. There’s the first time they kiss in that fanfic “Coin Laundry,” when they’re painting Naomi’s house. And the first time they re-kiss in that fanfic “The Retreat” where they get trapped in that cave. And also that fanfic when Naomi and Emily are both teachers and Emily has that perfect girlfriend and Effy’s kid has Asperger’s. You know that one? And Naomi and Emily’s kiss against the wall in that one is perfect, perfect, perfect. So, yeah. Just a lot of really great kisses from a lot of really great couples.
