It’s been fantastic to see black queer women on television this year, and while we love Denise on Master of None, M-Chuck on Survivor’s Remorse and Tiana or Chicken on Empire, we don’t spend a ton of time in their worlds, seeing from their perspectives. There has yet to be an L Word for black lesbians and bisexual women on the small screen, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist at all. In the last few years, there have been several web series created by and/or and starring LGBT-identified black women, telling the stories of the community in a way that most TV writers wouldn’t understand. (That’s because it’s still so rare that TV writers are black or lesbian, much less black lesbians. It’s maddening.)
Here are the first episodes from eight series about black lesbian and bisexual women on the web, and luckily, most of them have many more where that came from. Happy watching!
This new series from Steven Alan Davis details what happens when four friends (Dee, Naeemah, Evelyn and Leigh) go into a cosmetics business together. Leigh, the narrator, is the self-proclaimed straight geek of the group-for now.
This digital drama series from Caryn K. Hayes just wrapped its third and final season about a friendship between roommates Alisha, a lesbian, and Jaliyah, a straight woman, who have just separated from their partners.
Argentinian director Florencia Manovil is behind this series about all kinds of queer women of color. Set in the Bay Area, Dyke Central centers on two butch roommates, Alex (Tai Rockett) and Gin (Giovannie Espiritu), and their eclectic group of friends.
Now in its third season, Between Women is from creator Michelle Daniel, the director of the short film Broken Silence. Set in Atlanta, the lives and loves of a diverse group of black women balance heavy topics like domestic violence with comic lightness and a lot of love.
Launched back in 2008, L&F was one of the first lesbian web series, period. Charmain Johnson wrote and directed this show about a stud (Nicole Pina) who was involved with her boss. It’s also available on DVD.
Alexis Casson created this unscripted series, currently in its second season, to show what life is really like for queer women of color living in New York City.
This series follows four studs who try to find love but ultimately end up with a lot of drama. The Season 3 finale was just posted last week, so you aren’t too behind.
The Fab Femme’s docuseries interviews femme-identified women of color to find out how they see themselves and the world around them.
