A screening of an unaired episode of Showtime’s “The
L Word,” which follows the lives of lesbians and bisexuals in
Los Angeles, led to a discussion Thursday night of how the show
reflects issues in the lesbian community and how the show has
impacted students’ lives.
The show, in its fourth season, covers multiple angles of the
gay and lesbian community, such as stories about lesbian couples
taking the step toward parenthood, transgender issues and gay
men.
But, as its name would suggest, the show mostly sticks with the
“L” word.
Following the screening, creator Ilene Chaiken discussed her
reasons for developing the show the way she did and engaged in
discussion with the audience.
The overarching goal of the show, she said, is to depict
lesbianism realistically.
“I wanted to capture something about the sociology of Los
Angeles with this show ““ I wanted to capture something about
lesbians,” she said to an audience of more than a hundred
during the question-and-answer session after Sunday’s episode
was screened.
Many of the students in the audience said they were very
appreciative of the show.
Michelle Ramirez, a fourth-year film production student, said
the show has impacted her life directly.
“It’s a way for me to feel comfortable with coming
out,” she said.
But some students in attendance were concerned the show does not
give an accurate representation of the lesbian community.
Some audience members said the show is unrepresentative of the
lesbian community because all the women in the show are beautiful
and successful ““ and one audience member commented that such
a depiction does not fit into reality as there is much more
diversity within the lesbian community.
Chaiken’s reaction to these points was that she wanted the
show to fit into television popular culture.
“I wanted to make a show that cleaved to conventions of
mainstream entertainment so that we could start telling our stories
in that venue,” she said.
The creator also said the gay press is much more critical of the
show than the mainstream press.
The gay press talks about the responsibility the show has to
accurately represent the lesbian and gay community and analyzes the
show very carefully, while mainstream media rates the show as it
would any other series, Chaiken said.
Peter Carley, the counselor-in-residence at the UCLA Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Resource Center, was
responsible for getting Chaiken to speak at UCLA.
He first met Chaiken at a same-sex wedding six years ago, and
they were able to see each other often because their children
attended the same elementary school.
Carley asked Chaiken to speak on campus and she accepted, much
to the delight of students.
“When I mentioned that Chaiken was going to come to speak
to my female students, they were all very excited,” Carley
said.
This show, along with the LGBT Center, are sources of comfort
for many of the gay and lesbian students in the UCLA community,
said Carley. Providing support and understanding in any form is
very important.
First-year neuroscience student Vanessa Angulo said she likes
the show because it is relatable.
“The show deals with real-life situations from a different
perspective,” she said.
Though “The L Word” was Chaiken’s breakout
project, she had previously written screenplays including
“Barb Wire” in 1996 and “Damaged Car” in
2002.