11 LGBTQ women who should write for The L Word reboot

The L Word is officially coming back to our screens and that means a new generation of writers and show-runners. Find out which LGBTQ women we’re rooting for!

In case you somehow missed the magical, long-awaited, much-anticipated, highly-speculated news that blew up lesbian Twitter for days and days, I’ll break it to you here: The L Word is coming back. Reboots and revivals and reunions are all the rage right now, but the resurgence of this 6-season masterpiece means more than just new episodes. It means more gay representation on-screen. It means more jobs for women, especially queer women, in the industry. And most importantly, it means more Bette Porter in power suits walkin’ around Los Angeles like she owns the place because, basically, she does.

In the wake of this glorious announcement, not only was the internet abuzz with questions and opinions and theories (mostly surrounding Jenny’s untimely but still somehow not-soon-enough demise), but queer lady Twitter was positively LIT. The show’s been off the air for almost 10 years, but it’s likely that most of us have just been watching and re-watching since the final episode in hopes that Dana’s storyline would turn out differently, or Tina would become less boring, or Kit would become somehow more perfect. Now that we’ve gotten the best possible news and we’re getting the heroes we need and deserve right now, we’re readier than ever to jump in and ensure that this reboot will make America gay again. And it’s pretty clear that the ladies on this list can do just that.

Though this list is in by no means comprehensive, these LGBTQ ladies make up an impressive sampling of the incredible queer talent at our disposal today. And because Ilene Chaiken, creator of The L Word, is surely, definitely reading this, I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more from these women as reboot news continues to be released. After all, who knows better about the way that we liiiiiive and looooove than queer women themselves?

Brittani Nichols

Brittani Nichols is a comedian whose social media presence has brought me joy for a very long time, and who surely is just as funny as her Twitter handle would have you believe. She’s written for television (Billy on the Street), online publications (Jezebel, HuffPost, BuzzFeed), and even has her own movie (Suicide Kale), so clearly her resume is up to par. Her two popular podcasts, “Brand New Podcast” and “Hamilton the Podcast,” make it pretty evident that she’s more than qualified to bring our ladies into the 21^st century. Plus, her acting background (you may have seen her on Transparent) will come in hella handy when she’s written herself into the show as Alice’s internet spirit guide to @TheChart2017.

And, not that we need any more reasons to love her, she’s already tweeted about the reboot, and seems pretty ready to jump in and address some of the show’s MAJOR issues. **cough theme song cough**

Necessary changes aside, Brittani’s sense of humor, clear understanding of the show, super impressive background, and willingness to poke fun at our inability to let go of the ghosts of pop culture past would make her a sure asset to the reboot.

As for her queer credentials? Because she’s an LGBTQ-identifying woman in a straight-white-male-driven world, her insight into the underrepresentation of women on screen is nothing less than brilliant. Check out her thoughts on writing for queer characters here:

"“Women are written terribly all the time, so it’s no surprise to me that queer women fare so poorly. We need to just call it what it is: if you can’t make a human being seem like a complete person regardless of their sexuality, gender, race or anything else, you’re a bad writer.”"

And because this is nine years and thousands of antsy and underrepresented gay girls in the making, we just cannot afford bad writers. We need you, Brittani.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 11: Executive producer Ali Adler speak onstage at the ‘What’s Next for ‘Supergirl,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Arrow’ and ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’: The Executive Producers’ panel discussion during The CW portion of the 2016 Television Critics Association Summer Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 11, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Ali Adler

She’s already a show-runner, she has decades of experience in the business, she’s definitely one of Hollywood’s top power lesbians at the moment, she knows a thing or two about women-pleasing, and she’s not afraid to share it. ICYMI, Ali Adler’s book, How To F*** A Woman, is both a guide and a memoir that reveals her deep affection for and understanding of womankind. So I guess, to sum up, this queen is a Bette in the streets and a Shane in the sheets, and we are here for everything she’s doing. And with kickass lady-centric shows like Supergirl and gay-centric shows like Glee and The New Normal under her belt, there’s no better next step than funneling all of her myriad strengths into this job that I am offering her on behalf of Ilene Chaiken!

Though she hasn’t yet commented on the show’s reboot on her social media pages, a bit of light digging reveals that she’s basically already one of the gals and may or may not be on The Chart. Seriously, there’s no denying that she’s got what we need to make sure these new episodes don’t turn out like the last few episodes of season 6- DON’T @ ME!!!!!

But if you still need proof that she’s a real-life super gal, check out what she has to say about representation here:

"“I think we’re sort of hopefully going past that conversation I think. I would love to see more always because 50% of the world is female and certainly a balanced representation in all areas of not only fictional worlds, but in terms of behind the camera or behind the pencil or whatever it is. We should represent all things.”"

We need this heroine on our team!

Screenshot via The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Comedy Central

Roxane Gay

It’s absurd and unnecessary that anyone anywhere for any reason would have to convince somebody to hire Roxane Gay for literally any position, yet here we are, and here I am, and I will gladly write about her qualifications until the end of time. She’s already published several books (Bad Feminist, An Untamed State, Difficult Women, Hunger), both fiction and non-fiction, that have all received accolade after accolade. She’s recently leapt into the ever-expanding Marvel universe as one of their first black female writers with World of Wakanda- a Black Panther spin-off that’s centered around two lady-lovers.

And not only is she just an all-around incredibly powerful, necessary, interesting, honest, poignant, crucial voice for us to be hearing at this time (and in all the times, really), but she’s a damn fangirl, and an unapologetic one at that.

If you follow her Twitter as voraciously as I do, you’ll notice that she tends to geek out about a bunch of marvelous things, so when The L Word news broke, it wasn’t as surprising as it was day-making when she tweeted about it.

And then she tweeted about it again.

AND THEN,  WHEN PEOPLE STARTED REPORTING ON HER BLATANT DESIRE TO BE A PART OF THIS REBOOT, SHE FULLY LEANED INTO THE NEWS AND STRAIGHT UP DID IT AGAIN.

There is nothing that appeals to me more as a reader and as a human lady than a passionate, brilliant woman who also cannot be concerned with having chill. And to imagine this particular passionate, brilliant, no-chill-having woman writing for Alice and Bette and Kit and Tina and Helena and Shane (and Jenny, I guess)???? It’s too much, but it’s also not enough. Hire her today.

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.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – OCTOBER 01: Host Cameron Esposito speaks onstage at Point Foundation’s Point Honors gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Point Foundation )

Cameron Esposito

Cameron Esposito is a true queen of the internet for so many reasons, some of which being that she’s incredibly hilarious AND politically engaged AND super intelligent AND very adorable. She’s basically an Alice but only when Alice is at her best, and that’s pretty damn good. She’s a stand-up comedian by trade, but she’s also a podcaster, and a writer, and as of last year, a show-runner and full-on TV star alongside her wife, Rhea Butcher (but more on her later…). It’s as though her entire career has been building up to this moment, and maybe, if the gay, gay stars align just right and we’re very lucky, it will.

What makes this CLEARLY PERFECT match even better is that Cameron is as pumped about the reboot as the rest of queer Twitter was. She, too, went straight to the source and just straight up tweeted at Showtime letting them know that she’s exactly what they’re looking for.

And if that weren’t enough to convince them? She made a pretty damn good point about the ~lack of diversity~ amongst the characters. NOT EVERYONE HAS A VERY REGULAR CAREER PATH, SHOWTIME!!!

SHE EVEN DRESSED UP AS SHANE LAST HALLOWEEN, AND DID A VERY WONDERFUL JOB OF IT!!! And I know I just described her as an Alice, but she even more aptly says in a follow-up tweet that she’s “a Shane w/ Alice rising (and none of the transphobia).”

So unless they can come up with a very, VERY good excuse (something like, “Just kidding, we’ve decided to go in a different direction with the series and all lesbians and friends of lesbians who undoubtedly will become lesbians within eight episodes are now going to be played by those guys from Entourage and those other guys from Breaking Bad“), Cameron Esposito better take over this season as heartily as Dawn Denbo and her lover Cindi infiltrated The Planet.

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA – FEBRUARY 07: Writer/producer Jill Soloway speaks onstage during The 2017 MAKERS Conference Day 2 at Terranea Resort on February 7, 2017 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for AOL)

Jill Soloway

Jill Soloway has completely redefined the landscape of queer television in just a few short years with the beautiful, inclusive, complicated story that is Transparent. And now with a new show, I Love Dick, a new drive, and a relatively newly realized gender identity, Jill is set to probably take the world by storm by the time the first episode of this reboot airs. So why not get them onboard now and speed things up?!

Soloway, who has recently opened up about preferring they/them pronouns, has begun dating women, and redefining their gender (or lack thereof) later in life, and whose famous Emmy speech—wherein they uttered a battle cry to “topple the patriarchy!” after winning for directing—was basically 50 Shades of Grey to me, truly needs to be attached to this new season of The L Word  or else nothing in the world makes sense. Think about it: their show-running record is basically immaculate, their impact has rippled through Hollywood at an alarmingly amazing rate, and their insight into the experiences of LGBTQ women from all walks of life is close to unmatched. They’re essentially a queer writer nerd’s fantasy come true, and the depth they would add to the already adored characters of this show would be…too transformative for a mere peon like me to be able to convey.

And if their record isn’t enough to convince you, read about how their relationship with their own gender identity has come to inform their work:

"“I’ve become more queer and more gender non-conforming, and basically gotten rid of everything that one would consider femme-presenting in my life. I realized at the tender age of 50 that I had a life yet to live that I didn’t even realize was mine. I dated women and started to find myself in a queer community and around lesbians, and I think my evolution became not just about being queer, not just about being a lesbian, but really being willing to look at my own gender. Something for me about a non-binary identity and identifying as queer is allowing me to be more at home with my ideas and my mind.”"

YES, PLEASE! MORE OF THIS FOREVER! AND ALSO, TOPPLE THE PATRIARCHY!!!!

Screenshot: L’Oréal Paris USA YouTube, “Hari’s Confidence from the Perfect Foundation Shade | True Match”

Hari Nef

Perhaps this goddess looks familiar to you, not just because she’s an Instagram warrior, but because she’s pretty damn accomplished for only having been on the scene for a few years. She’s a writer, she’s a model, she’s an actress (she was on season 2 of Transparent!), and maybe most notably, in 2015, she was signed to IMG Models and subsequently became the first openly transgender model to do so. She’s kind of a big deal, tbh, and she is exactly what we need to keep The L Word ~current~.

Now, perhaps some of you are saying, “But Hari JUST started watching, how can she possibly understand the full range of this transcendent show?”

And I’ll tell you how: because she just GETS IT. A mere three hours from her very first tweet about it, she proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is fully in on the culture of obsessing over this damn show with this singular but wholly artful tweet:

And just like that, I trusted her. I knew she eye-rolls so hard every time Jenny appears that she may have injured herself once or twice. I know she appreciates Alice and Shane; I just feel it in my bones. I know Tina isn’t her favorite, and I know Bette is pretty intriguing, but could be fiercer. But what I know truly, madly, deeply down in my heart is that if Hari had anything to do with it, the disastrous missteps they made in Maura/Max’s storyline would not have escalated to a damn Willy Wonka themed baby shower, THAT’s for sure.

She’s way cooler than that. She’s smarter, and more socially aware, and more insightful, and if she met me at a party, she wouldn’t laugh at my musical theater-based jokes that were somehow intended as flirtation, she’d just look at me like I belong in a garbage jail, and honestly, THAT is the kind of very chill young woman we need to escalate this series!!!!!

Please save us.

LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 13: Host Rhea Butcher at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s ‘An Evening With Women’ at Hollywood Palladium on May 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Los Angeles LGBT Center)

Rhea Butcher

Remember that wonderful, magical, hilarious badass I mentioned just a few minutes ago? The Shane with Alice rising? The one, the only, Cameron Esposito? Well, dear readers, I don’t want to overwhelm you, but all of the amazing things you now know about her are about to double. Rhea Butcher, comedian, writer, show-runner, hilarious internet-er, and full-on Shane, is her WIFE! THERE ARE TWO OF THEM, AND THEY ARE TOGETHER, AND WE JUST GET TO WITNESS!!!!!

And even though just one of them OR the other would be more than enough to sustain a new season of The L Word for generations to come, imagine if we got BOTH of them in that writers’ room TOGETHER. You know how Bette and Tina were perfect and beautiful together but also a hot trash mess? IMAGINE IF A PERFECT AND BEAUTIFUL COUPLE WROTE THEM OUT OF THAT TRASH MESS! Honestly, it’s all I want to think about in this life, but if I continue to think about it, I’ll faint.

If you thought “Hmmm, this sounds like a pretty good match and she’d certainly be a great fit for the reboot, but Rhea simply isn’t looking very Shane today,” then BOY am I about to blow your mind.

Look at how Shane she is looking today!

There is no one who has ever looked more Shane today, or really any of the days.

“Ma’am, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to be looking a little less Shane today,” I could say, BUT I WOULD NEVER.

Like I said, the mere thought of this duo hopping on over to Showtime for a quick season of pure gay art is almost too much for me to bear. Almost.

Ashley C. Ford, Book View Now interview still, image via YouTube

Ashley C. Ford

When I think about lady writers I admire and respect and would read truly anything from, I think of Ashley. When I think of Twitter feeds I would follow to the ends of the Earth, or profiles I will never stop berating family and friends for not yet following, I think of Ashley’s. When I think of brave, strong, opinionated, intelligent, funny, woke, deeply sentimental creators, I think of Ashley. And when I think of shows that could fully stand to be elevated by this kind of talent, I think of The damn L Word.

Let me get one thing straight about this gay, gay show: it is v. problematic. Much of it took place more than 10 years ago, so I get it. But also, wowie wow wow can it get hard to watch in 2017. We need to make sure this doesn’t continue in the reboot. We gotta be certain that we’re creating characters that are inclusive and situations that are representative of real stories, and to do that, we need people like Ashley. Her writing is poignant and honest and often rooted in real traumas she’s experienced or dramas she’s endured, and she does that for a reason:

"“I write about heavy, serious issues because we often forget that there are real bodies and souls behind them.”"

We need a new L Word, but we also need an L Word that acknowledges these real bodies and souls, and not in the weirdly dismissive, muddled way it attempted to in 2006.

We also need Bette Porter to be as woke as possible because honestly, she is capable of saving this entire planet but only if she’s in the right hands. Ilene? Ms. Chaiken? There are many, many hands on this list. Please ensure that these ladies, in fact, get in formation.

Lane Moore YouTube still, image via Lane Moore YouTube channel

Lane Moore

Lane Moore is a magnificent creature who has mastered almost all necessary creative forms and is basically on her way to taking over the world. At least the world I live in, which is one of lady writers, queer comic, and folks with wacky ideas who aren’t afraid to share them with the world.

She’s a musician (HI, let her perform at The Planet!), she’s a writer, she’s a comedian, and most notably, she’s the creator of Tinder Live, which is exactly what it sounds like only better. She stands on a stage and live-swipes, poking fun at and sometimes even genuinely engaging with internet dudes. And what, I ask you, is the one major difference in the dating world from when The L Word last aired to today? LET! LANE! MOORE! GET! KIT! PORTER! ON! TINDER!

Imagine Shane’s DMs. Imagine what Alice could do to The Chart with OKCupid on her side. Imagine Jenny deciding that Her is the best possible option. If all goes well, we won’t have to imagine. Becauselike all of the best have done, Lane is already (sub)tweeting at Showtime to let her have her shot at millennial-izing our gals.

And it’s not just her experience, killer sense of humor, and general badassness that makes her a perfect candidate. Check out her incredibly refreshing understanding of her own queerness and how that informs (or rather doesn’t particularly inform) her comedy:

"“I’d never really felt the need to quantify my sexuality. But in our generation, more people are identifying as queer, and there aren’t that many people in comedy representing that. Whereas we see a lot of gay or lesbian comics, there aren’t a ton of visible queer comics. And my jokes could be delivered by anybody. There’s nothing wrong with jokes that are super super about your gender, but again, I don’t feel defined by that stuff. A straight dude could tell my jokes about women.”"

Clearly this is all pretty impressive, but to be perfectly frank, if I’d just included this singular tweet, I would need to do no further convincing.

Showtime, I co-sign hard on this one. Swipe right, plz.

Sara Benincasa still, image via Sara Benincasa YouTube channel

Sara Benincasa

There is so much to say about all-around star Sara Benincasa that listing her accomplishments and endeavors would seem like Schecter-level insanity. She’s got books, she’s got videos, she’s got short films, she’s got tons of online content, she raised thousands of dollars to get Neil Gaiman to read a Cheesecake Factory menu, a fictional sext of hers has appeared on Girls… Actually, now that I’m typing this, it doesn’t seem so much a bio as it does a personal ad that I would 100% respond to in hopes of meeting my 90 day fiancé! So with all she’s got going on PLUS her screenwriting experience PLUS the ability to be interesting and funny in pretty much any circumstance, this gal is a true must-have. And not just as my bride.

As Aaron Burr says in Hamilton (and almost definitely in some kind of very real historical document), her skill with the quill is undeniable, but what do we have in common? WE’RE RELIABLE WITH THE LADIES!!!

And the men, as it happens. Sara’s confidence and willingness to openly discuss her sexuality is necessary, and she’s fully an advocate for body and sex positivity. Her honesty in discussing these matters is absolutely crucial in ANY show about people who have sex, let alone women who are doin’ it nowadays.

"“I am in a place where I am able to have sex now, finally, and understand that I don’t divorce emotion from it. That doesn’t mean that I become possessive or jealous or self-loathing with regard to sex. I can be happy having sex with somebody one time and never have sex with that person again. Conscious sexuality isn’t just f***ing other people. It’s remaining true to and taking care of yourself sexually.”"

I will never say no to the prospect of anyone who says something like that writing for literally any television show. Get her on Paw Patrol, tbh.

So, as we’ve seen, there are, of course, so many other incredible ladies that could and should be on this list and many lists like it. With all of the talented, magical queer lady writers in the world, we really should be at the point where “11 Straight Writers Who Should Write For Whatever The Mad Men Guys Are Doing Next” is a difficult one to compile. But until then, we’ll all be here, subtweeting showrunners.

Next: Inclusive supernatural comic Moonstruck makes its colorful debut

Unless this list thing works out, in which case, we should consider that, hypothetically, even the writer of this very list could come onboard to write about talking, laughing, loving, breathing, fighting, crying, drinking, writing, winning, losing, cheating, kissing, thinking, AND dreaming, right? Right?? I’ll keep an eye out for my offer. But in any case, we’ve been ready for this since 2003, and unlike most of Shane’s outfits and pretty much all of Alice’s hairstyles, our devotion to these gals will never go out of style. Call us, Ilene. Put us on your Chart. And please, oh please, let us avenge Dana Fairbanks, once and for all.