Face to Race

31    By examining personal homophobia at the exclusion of the more powerful institutionalized oppression, however, The L Word propagates that being a lesbian is not fraught with difficulties caused by heterosexuality being viewed as normative. As lesbians of color, our 'lived' experiences are a testament to the institutionalized oppressions lesbians face in a heteronormative society. As professionals who pursue the so-called American Dream, we are in a constant battle to obtain the rights and privileges of our single or married heterosexual colleagues. For example, at every momentous occasion in our lives, such as homeownership, birth of a child, or job advancement, our relationships are either scrutinized by a society that only privileges heterosexual accomplishments or made completely invisible, as if our girlfriends and lovers do not exist. The L Word's portrayal of a perfect world denies the very real problems we face as lesbians of color who exist in a world that privileges Whiteness and heterosexuality. Wouldn't it be interesting if we learned that Shane, like so many other gay teenagers, became homeless because her parents threw her out of the house when they discovered she was gay? Or, wouldn't it be beneficial to see one of the characters have to address the often routine question, 'what is your husband's name?' Instead, they remain isolated from this discrimination and normativity.

32    Maxine was the only informant who spoke on The L Word's assimilationist tactic. She said:

I don't personally care for what I think is the underlying heterosexual, stereotypical and patriarchal tension between promiscuity and being faithful. This comes out through the characters a little bit between Marina and Jenny and Shane. They're like, 'Screw values.' And then you have the contrast of Bette and Tina kind of like emulating normalcy and heterosexuality.

Here Maxine argues that The L Word participates in the privileging of heterosexuality by showcasing Tina and Bette, long term partners, as the most stable couple of the show.[12]Bette and Tina end their relationship by the end of the first season. Subsequent seasons portray them dating others. Bette continues life as a lesbian. Tina ultimately enters a relationship with a man. Jenny, in contrast, is cheating on her boyfriend with Marina. Shane is also non-monogamous and is known for her fear of commitment. She often only has sex with a woman once before she moves on to her next conquest.

33    Although this topic did not engender much discussion, informants were able to relate to the coming out story of Dana. The professional tennis player, Dana, was offered a lucrative endorsement deal which showcased her skill as an athlete but also her lesbianism. As the advertisement went in print, Dana was faced with the formidable task of 'coming out' to her conservative, right-wing parents. The idea of 'coming out' "gives expression to the dramatic quality of privately and publicly coming to terms with a constructed social identity" (Seidman, Meeks, and Traschen 9). 'Coming out' involves a notion of previously living in the 'closet,' hiding one's sexuality in order to avoid persecution. As Seidman, Meeks, and Traschen argue:

The era of the closet has not passed. Representations continue to typify the homosexual as polluted and civic and social disenfranchisement and violence structure gay life in the US. As a set of practices responding to the repressive logic of normative heterosexuality, the closet continues to organize the lives of many Americans. (27-28)

This 'coming out' process seemed taken-for-granted by our informants as they unquestionably identified with Dana's 'coming out' process. Her storyline allowed informants to discuss their own coming out stories:

It was scary for me to tell my mom. I didn't tell my dad because he's in the country and it's just a whole different mentality. Those are things that you just don't do. You're just not like this [gay]. (Devon)

[After I sent emails to my sisters], I used to go on and be like, 'Damn, I didn't get a response,' and I'm always checking. Refresh, refresh and then I finally wrote again and I said, 'Well I'm assuming you don't want to be my sisters anymore. One of my sisters wrote me right back and said, 'I've just been busy and I didn't get a chance. I don't care what you are. You're still my sister. I still love you.' But then there was another email from my oldest sister who said, 'You are going to rot in hell.' I mean, all this stuff. I'm at work and I'm like, '(Gasp) I'm going to lose my sister.' (Pam)

But, what about when they say, 'I still love you?' Are you committing some kind of crime? You know, 'I love you anyway.' (Tracy)

The informants went on to compare their coming out stories with Dana's. Some even examined how, like Bette, they often feel the need to overcompensate in professional accomplishments to earn their parents' respect. It was clear that the informants, although they found other faults with The L Word, found something they could unmistakably identify with.

Identity Politics

34    Because readers of popular culture texts may make meaning in multiple ways, we do not argue that The L Word should not exist. Rather, we are excited to see a show that examines the lives of lesbians. Additionally, it is a show that includes the important ways lesbians create communities of family, friendship, and support. But, because so few representations of lesbians exist, it becomes ever more important that we continually critique those that do. With that being said, we would like to explore one way The L Word might be read as a progressive text. The L Word, in its creation of a male lesbian, Lisa, has taken a decidedly postmodern stance on identity. Lisa, a White male, identifies completely as a lesbian. He becomes Alice's, the only bisexual character, girlfriend. Apparently, even though Lisa has a penis, he does not engage in phallic sex. Alice says to Lisa, "You do lesbian better than anyone I know." In this sense, The L Word might be a site to work out tensions between essentialists who argue that our bodies are marked with identities and postmodernists who argue that identity is fluid. The idea of a biological male (and he does not alter his male appearance in any way) choosing to be a lesbian is a postmodern phenomenon. Lisa exists to show identity as a fluid choice, as something not fixed.

35    When Alice began dating Lisa a few of the characters raised their eyebrows about his obvious biological male status, but no one said anything to Alice. Although the definition of lesbian has been problematized in some lesbian films, the idea of a man identifying as a lesbian is a new concept to popular culture.[13]<em>Go Fish</em> produced by Rose Troche examined lesbians who have sex with men. It could have been a chance to bring lively debate about who a lesbian is and discuss concepts of male privilege. Instead, we were introduced to Lisa and she/he became a character to laugh at. The focus group informants were not necessarily excited to see the male lesbian explored on the show:

I see myself in her [Alice] in that aspect. Not the fact that she likes to date men that think they're lesbians, or anything like that. That's just wrong. (Tracy, elementary school teacher)

That was a mistake. (Maxine)

Yeah that was gross. (Tracy)

This exchange was not explored in more depth because the conversation quickly shifted to the women Dana dated. Although informants' perspectives have, up until this point, been consistent with ours, it is clear that Lisa—the male lesbian—was not appreciated by our informants as a postmodern celebration.