Visibility Matters: Life After “The L Word”

Visibility Matters is a column by AfterEllen.com Founder Sarah Warn about larger trends affecting lesbian/bi women in entertainment and the media.

Consider this sobering fact: The average 20-year-old doesn’t remember a time when The L Word didn’t exist. Which means they’ve always known a time when there was at least one TV series that, love it or hate it (or loved it and hated it, especially at the end), put storylines about queer women front and center.

But The L Word is over. Lesbian teen drama South of Nowhere is also over. Gimme Sugar (Logo) is finishing its very short second season, and Dante’s Cove (here tv) is supposedly returning for a fourth season but there’s been no date set yet for its return.

American primetime TV is currently devoid of lesbian or bi characters, except barely there supporting or recurring characters on Mental (Fox), The Closer (TNT), and Nurse Jackie (Showtime), and the sole daytime drama with a lesbian relationship, Guiding Light, is squandering its remaining months on a clichéd, desexualized lesbian storyline.

Next month will see the return of a handful of lesbian and bi characters on U.S. television (Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, House M.D.), but most of them will get minimal screen time (and, except for Callie and Arizona on Grey‘s, they’re all dating men).

There is a prominent lesbian character on Syfy’s new series Stargate: Universe, beginning in October, but there are no other leading lesbian or bi characters on the fall primetime ’09 schedule that we know of (with the possible exception of Claire on Heroes, but it remains to be seen whether that’s more than just a ratings ploy).

The situation’s not much better internationally. There are a handful of shows with prominent, ongoing queer female characters on shows outside the U.S., but one-half of Spain’s most popular couple was just killed off on Los Hombres de Paco, and one-half of Australia’s popular lesbian couple was recently written off on Home and Away (in both cases, the actresses did not want to return). Queer-inclusive series Husifim (Israel), Infidels (Spain), and Skins (U.K.) are all between seasons.

As we’ve written about extensively, it’s the lowest point in a decade for lesbian/bi visibility in fictional film and TV, and it’s not likely to get better any time soon.

For those of us over 25, this feels very familiar &#8212 a return to the days when we had to seek out scraps of images of ourselves in mainstream entertainment because we either weren’t represented at all, limited to minor supporting characters, or confined to boring, negative, and/or predictable stereotypes (i.e. the 1990s).

But there is one significant difference between then and now: Thanks to the internet, film festivals, DVD players, and reality TV, there are more ways than ever before to find queer content – as long as you’re willing to do a little work.

Here’s a guide to help you get started.

1. Tune in to talk shows

Queer reality show contestants come and go. But there are many political and entertainment shows hosted regularly by out lesbians.

If you’re not already watching The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC), The Suze Orman Show (CNBC), or Issues with Jane Valez-Mitchell (CNN), now might be a good time to start. You can also find Cat Cora regularly on Iron Chef (Food Network), and begining in November, you can see The Wanda Sykes Show weekly on Fox.

Then of course, there’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show (NBC). But you’ve probably heard of that one already.

If you live in Germany, you can watch Anne Will, Kölner Treff, and Heute-Journal, all hosted by out women. In Norway, you can catch TV presenter Else Kåss Furuseth, and in the Netherlands, you can watch out Dutch artist Claudia de Breij‘s new talk show beginning in September.

These are just a few examples of women hosting talk shows around the world. You can find more suggestions from readers in our forum.

2. Watch indie LGBT films at festivals, and on DVD

There are not many queer women in current American theatrical releases, and those that exist are mostly minor characters there to serve as comic relief (Year One). There are several star-powered theatrical releases in the works featuring prominent lesbian characters (Cherry Bomb, Les Passages, The Kids are Alright, Cloudburst), but they’re still months if not years away from hitting the theaters.

There are a good crop of lesbian/bi-inclusive movies and documentaries this year, however, like Mississippi Damned, Society, Lady Trojans, and And Then Came Lola. Although the major LGBT film festivals are already over for 2009, there are smaller, local festivals held all over the world throughout the year.

Even more importantly, buy these movies when they come out on DVD! It’s important to financially support independent movies with lesbian/bi characters and themes, so there’s funding for filmmakers to keep making them.

3. Watch online content

Between web series, vlogs, and music videos, there’s a lot of content by and about lesbian and bi women posted online every week.

There are web series that are more comedic, like Seeking Simone, BJ Fletcher, Private Eye, Joni & Susanna, 3Way, and Time Traveling Lesbian; dramas like Anyone But Me, Girltrash; and Lovers & Friends; and subtitled Japanese anime like Aoi Hana (Sweet Blue Flowers).

There are also lesbian-inclusive web series in other languages, like Plan V and Chica Busca Chica.

There are many vlogs, or unscripted online shows – from general ones like Brunch with Bridget, Cherry Bomb, Really? REALLY? and Gal Pals, to topic-specific vlogs like Retro Reviewing and Lesbians Caught on Tape (about Dutch lesbian life and culture).

You can see all of our video blogs here – look for a few new vlogs to launch on the site in the next month or two, along with the return of The Lo-Down.

There are many more one-off videos posted online every week, including new music videos by LGBT artists; humorous social commentary or parodies with LGBT themes, like A Gaythering Storm, Lindsay Lohan‘s eHarmony ad, or a rant about straight women in gay bars; and short films.

Find more videos on AfterEllen.com here.

Besides browsing LGBT-themed channels and videos on popular video-sharing sites, check out the hundreds of lesbian/bi-themed fan videos of TV shows and characters, many of which are very well made and very entertaining.

4. Embrace international TV

As we’ve increased our coverage of international shows on the site over the last year or two, many AfterEllen.com readers have become familiar with the more prominent ones featuring lesbian/bi storylines, but you may not realize you can watch many of these shows online regardless of where you live. Official sites, fan sites, and video sites offer these series for online viewing, frequently with English subtitles.

With a little searching, you can spend hours catching up – keeping up on – the evolving relationship between Maca and Esther on Spain’s Hospital Central; Arlet’s journey to falling in love with Dani on Spain’s Infidels; the burgeoning relationship between British teenagers Naomi and Emily on the third season of the U.K.’s Skins (which debuts on BBC in America later this month); the antics of the gay and lesbian characters at an Israeli newsroom on Hasufim (Exposed); the professional and romantic life of TV host Wandi on South Africa’s Rhythm City; and the ongoing business and romantic affairs of Carla on Germany’s Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love).

You can also find many of these shows on DVD (especially British series, like Sugar Rush, Bad Girls, Mistresses, and Jekyll). You can watch them on a region-free DVD player if regional versions of the DVD aren’t available.

These storylines are not only interesting and engaging, but often not subject to the same double-standards that lesbian/bi characters are on U.S. television (in other words: they’re allowed to kiss).

Look for short recaps of various international series on the first page of Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever. every Friday.

5. Discover (or rediscover) “old” lesbian movies and TV shows

A few weeks ago I used a screencap of Chloe Sevigny and Michelle Williams in If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000) for one of my weekly photo puzzles, and was shocked that more than half of the readers who solved the puzzle didn’t know the name of the actresses or the movie.

On the positive side, this means that for many of you, there are dozens of good lesbian movies made prior to 2009 just waiting for you to discover – or re-discover. In addition to If These Walls Could Talk 2, some of my favorite “old” movies include Bound (1996), Show Me Love (1998), and Saving Face (2004) but you can peruse all the movies we’ve reviewed on the site over the years for more ideas.

You can also rent or buy seasons of “old” TV shows with lesbian/bi characters on DVD, from the well-known (Buffy, Xena, ER) to the more niche (Dark Angel, Wonderfalls).

6. Listen to the radio or podcasts

In the U.S., Rosie O’Donnell has a new daily radio talk show debuting on Sirius XM Satellite Radio in the fall, but if you have Sirius Satellite Radio, you can already listen to Doria Biddle on The Frank DeCaro Show, or Romaine Patterson on Derek and Romaine. There are also special LGBT-themed shows on local stations around the country.

There are also many online audio shows hosted by queer women that you can download or listen to directly online all over the world, like SistersTalk Radio, The Lesbian Lounge and The Planet.

Learn about some of these in our overview of top lesbian podcasts, and check out qpodder.com and the Gay and Lesbian section of PodcastDirectory.com for many more.

7. Read books, graphic novels, and webcomics

It’s probably unnecessary to point out that there are zillions of lesbian/bi-inclusive novels and non-fiction books already available, and you can easily find reviews and suggestions on book-focused sites like goodreads.com, and at your local bookstore. But if you want some suggestions from us, browse archives of our book review column Across the Page, read about 13 lesbian/bi characters you should know, and find out about some of the new young adult fiction with lesbian/bi characters.

For current graphic novels, check out Buffy Season 8, which includes more than one lesbian character, and Detective Comics, which revolves around a lesbian Batwoman.

Keep up on the latest LGBT comics news and reviews at PrismComics.org, which keeps track of the latest LGBT comics and comic news.

Finally, there are many webcomics online, like Why Me?, Jane’s World, and Yu + Me. Also check out the new site girlamatic.com, which focuses on female-centered webcomics of all kinds.

8. Read forum topics and comments for more suggestions

AfterEllen.com readers regularly leave suggestions on the site for lesbian/bi-inclusive entertainment around the world. So read the comments on articles, blog posts, and in the forum, and you should find more than you can possibly keep up with – and we’ll keep you up-to-date on whatever we find, too.

Feel free to add your suggestions for additional resources and content in the comments below, and happy hunting!

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