11 LGBTQ women who should write for The L Word reboot
By Tina Wargo
HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 11: Writer Lauren Morelli (L) and actress Samira Wiley attend the premiere of RADiUS’ ‘The Last Five Years’ at ArcLight Hollywood on February 11, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
Lauren Morelli
Lauren Morelli is one of the first ladies I decided to add to this list because, at this point, her writing has become LGBTQ canon. As a staff writer on Orange is the New Black, she’s given us some of the most memorable, heartbreaking, important, hilarious, and jaw-dropping moments in the show’s run, and honestly, in gay TV history. She clearly has a magic touch when it comes to accessing characters’ humanity and translating that through to the audience, but she’s also funny, and insightful, and honest. And her accomplishments don’t stop with her career.
Lots of you probably remember Lauren’s powerful, brave essay on realizing she was gay while she was on set on OITNB. She writes about her fear, her sadness in knowing she’d have to break it off with her husband, her confusion about this new set of circumstances—basically, she poignantly and beautifully outlined what it feels like for most women when they’re faced with accepting their sexuality. And luckily for us, Lauren’s courage and strength allowed her to not only grow as a writer, but she was able to openly share her relationship with actress Samira Wiley, and now we all get to bask in the magic of their marriage on social media on the daily!
And don’t be worried that she’s too caught up in the OITNB world to hop on in to The Planet for a quick jaunt; she’s more than willing to add her unique voice:
"I think a lot of showrunners care about someone coming in and having a similar voice or being able to mimic their tone, which certainly is important when you’re writing on a show. But Jenji really wants to know that you have your own point-of-view and that you’re going to come in be an individual. We’re all very unafraid to stand up for our opinions."
Unafraid and individual, indeed.