I waited over a year for The L Word to come out. It was, in my mind, the female version of Queer as Folk and was long overdue. It was first advertised to me at the NYC pride parade. I remember anxiously awaiting the pilot episode with my then girlfriend, and crying when Bette and Tina first kiss in their bathroom. I felt as though the life I had been living was suddenly validated. They were saying to me: "Yes, we've heard of this. You're not alone."
The show certainly had its flaws and limits, i.e, not a large enough spectrum of gender or economic representation, and a (crazy, confusing, infuriating? insert your pick here) sixth season. However, for a queer girl with a feminine gender representation who tended to date other femmes, I'd never seen that portrayed on television before. It was a life changing thing for me.
At my high school on Long Island you couldn't really come out as a "gay" or "queer" female. It was just unheard of. There were only gay guys and "bi" girls. These girls were usually goth and their bisexual tendencies were never taken too seriously. We had no gay/straight alliance. I think they tried to start one my senior year but everyone who showed up claimed to be a "straight ally." There were no (out) gay members in the gay club.
With The L Word, for the first time, I saw sucessful women in serious relationships with one another, void of sexual confusion and happy in their choices. Amen!
