Ah, The L Word. The one and the only. Who hasn't watched the show and thought, hmm, if I were living in this fictional world, which character would I be? Well, here's your chance!
Unfortunately, we can't all be Shane or Carmen... but find out who you can be by taking our quiz here:
From left: Jena Malone, Jodie Foster, Jay-Z, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
Featureflash photo Agency/Shutterstock; Tinseltown/Shutterstock; Tinseltown/Shutterstock; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
From left: Jena Malone, Jodie Foster, Jay-Z, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.Featureflash photo Agency/Shutterstock; Tinseltown/Shutterstock; Tinseltown/Shutterstock; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
While Republicans like to make it seem like LGBTQ+ moms are a brand new invention, there have always been lesbian and trans moms raising kids, and these celebs are proof.
From rappers to actresses, these famous stars were lovingly raised by sapphic women, some of whom came out before they were born, and others who had to wait until later in life. And despite being in the public eye, these famous “kids” are proud of their queer heritage.
Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore
DFree/Shutterstock
In 2016, This Is Us star Mandy Moore revealed that her mother had left her father for a woman. Moore has been incredibly supportive of her mother since she came out and her two brothers, who are also gay.
“Nobody is hiding who they are. There are no secrets in our lives. I love and support my mom and my brothers with my whole heart,” Moore told People. “And nothing makes me happier than seeing anybody live their authentic self, and to choose love. If anyone can find love, I support it, I salute you, and I celebrate that.”
Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Tinseltown/Shutterstock
Jay-Z, rapper and husband to Beyoncé, was raised by openly gay mother Gloria Carter. Jay-Z wrote about his mother’s coming out in his song “Smile,” which contains the lyrics, “Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian. Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian.”
Carter came out to her son later in life and opened up about the experience on the D’USSE Friday podcast. “Besides your mother, this is the person that I am,” she said, according to Billboard. “This is the life that I live. So my son started actually tearing. ‘Cause he’s like, ‘That had to be a horrible life, Ma’. I was like, ‘My life was never horrible. It was just different.’ So that made him want to do a song about it.”
Kendall and Kylie Jenner
Kendall and Kylie Jenner
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Reality TV stars Kendall and Kylie Jenner are the daughters of Caitlyn Jenner, who came out as transgender in 2015 in an in-depth interview with Diane Sawyer. The Trump-supporting former Olympian, went on to star in the reality show I Am Cait, which chronicles her experiences after coming out as a trans woman.
50 cent
50 Cent
Franklin Sheard Jr/Shutterstock
Rapper 50 Cent is a child of a lesbian mom. His mother passed away when the hip-hop superstar was only eight years old, and while it wasn’t always clear to him as a kid that his mom was gay, his grandmother helped him to understand. “My mom was a lesbian. Yeah, she liked women. My whole childhood was like that,” 50 Cent told Perez Hilton in 2012.
Amy Adams
Amy Adams
Fred Duval
Amy Adams may have grown up in the famously conservative Mormon religion, but her parents ended up getting a divorce in the '80s, and her mother Kathryn began building a new life with a woman. Adams is very supportive of her mom and in 2020 posted a Mother’s Day message on Instagram, writing, “You are unique, creative, and crazy fearless in the best way. Thank you for always encouraging me to face my fears. Love you!”
Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy
Lev Radin/Shutterstock
Brat Pack member Ally Sheedy was raised by her gay mother, Charlotte, who divorced The Breakfast Club star’s father in 1971. "My mom's been such a champion," Sheedy said to the Windy City Times in 2011. "She's always been really politically conscious and active. That's what I remember growing up. I mean, I remember growing up during the women's liberation movement when people were gay, they were straight, they were this, they were that...there were no stereotypes ... so, I never had a moment where people were straight and then they were suddenly gay. It was my world.”
Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista has been open about his proud he is of his lesbian mother, Donna Raye, for years. He has been making heartwarming social media posts about his queer mom since 2019, once writing on Instagram, “I was always proud of who my mom was because she was always proud of who she was,” he wrote. “In your face, ‘F*ck you if you don’t like it,’ unapologetically loud and proud. And her son [paid] attention. BE LOUD, BE PROUD, BE YOU.”
Jena Malone
Jena Malone
Featureflash photo Agency/Shutterstock
Love Lies Bleeding star Jena Malone was raised by two moms, and remembers childhood fondly. "I was raised by two mums who were lovers," Malone toldThe Independent in 2008. "When I was younger it wasn't anything that was abnormal. I had two mums and for me that was really exciting because when I was younger most people seemed to like their mum more than their dad so I'd be like, 'Ha, I've got two of them!' And I feel I got a lot of love, respect and acceptance from them. I had a really healthy normal relationship with my parents."
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Tinseltown/Shutterstock
Oscar winner Jodie Foster was raised by her gay mother, Evelyn "Brandy" Foster, who carted the Nyad actress around to acting gigs starting when she was a little kid.
"Evelyn was without a doubt the strongest person her family has ever met, a champion, a fighter, full of fire and love,” Foster wrote in her mother’s obituary after she passed away in 2019. "No one could beat her style, all five feet tall with naturally 'cork screw' hair. Her family will remember those dimple smiles and big hugs and well-placed four-letter words. No one messed with Nana, an original like no other. May she live in all of us forever."
Joe Valentine
Joe Valentine
Robbie Rogers/MLB via Getty Images
Major League Baseball star Joe Valentine was raised by his lesbian mother Deb Valentine, and her partner, Doreen Price. The former Cincinnati Reds player opened up about his mom’s sexuality back in 2005 and expected to get a lot of backlash, but luckily, the hate never came.
“It’s no different than having a mother and father,” Valentine said at the time. “These are the two women who raised me, and they are wonderful people. It’s just not a big deal to me. Why should it be?”
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge
Bettman/Getty Images
Actress Dorthy Dandridge’s mother, Ruby, was bisexual and entered into a long-term relationship with a woman named Geneva Williams not long after divorcing Dandridge’s father.
Pride season is right around the corner, and while that means that your calendar is probably full of parties and parades, there are also Black Pride marches and festivities happening all across the country that should move to the top of your Pride Month calendar.
Pride Month is about demanding space and celebrating marginalized LGBTQ+ identities, but sometimes the Black queer community can be left out of the equation. That’s why Black Pride Month events are so important.
The very first Black Gay Pride event took place in 1991, when DC Black Pride had its inaugural celebration, paving the way for a movement of Black Pride protests and festivals across the United States. What has become a way to celebrate identity and demand a seat at the table started in response to how Black LGBTQ+ communities were disproportionately affected by the AIDS epidemic and encourages Black people to celebrate their own culture and heritage. Since then, events have cropped up all over the country to champion Black rights and joyfully gather in community with one another.
Don't see an event you're excited about? Email us at news@equalpide.com and we'll add it to the calendar.
Keep scrolling to see all of the amazing Black Pride Month events happening in America!
DC Black Pride (May 23 - 26)
Nicole Glass Photography/Shutterstock
This year Washington, DC will be home to the WorldPride celebration, but that’s not all. There will also be a four-day-long Black Pride festival that will feature electrifying parties, glamorous balls, health and wellness breakout sessions, and dynamic performances.
Tri-State Black Pride in Memphis, Tennessee will have a drag brunch, “dripping wet” pool party, and a music festival, and although you have to buy tickets the events make it worth the price of admission.
New Orleans knows how to do Pride right! The Black Pride weekend will start with a mixer before the Black Queer summit with panels, workshops, and meaningful conversations. There will also be a country-themed party, a community festival in Armstrong Park, a Nightcap Party with live DJs, and a Gospel Drag Brunch.
Indy Pride’s BLQ+ event is one part Pride celebration and one part Juneteenth event. The day is a way to honor the history of Junneteenth and the resiliency and solidarity of the Black queer and trans community.
On June 28, downtown Greenville, South Carolina, will become the home of the Black Pride Festival. The day will start with a march and end with a festival that is both an opportunity and celebration of the BIPOC LGBTQ+ community.
This year’s Harlem Pride has a “Kween & Qing” theme that will honor the unique contributions of community leaders. There will be a Kween and Qing pageant and crowning ceremony, a Pride Sweet 16 party, and a festival with live performances, local vendors, community resources, and amazing food.
San Francisco Soul of Pride is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. What started as a place to uplift Black LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco has become a vibrant celebration that blends art, activism, and fellowship. There will be performances, art, and activism during Pride weekend that will celebrate the rich diversity of the Black queer community.
Hosted by the Boston LesBiGay Urban Foundation, Boston Black Pride takes place over five days and includes a Pride Parade and music and arts festival. There will also be an open mic night party, a teen party, an R&B brunch, a Black Pride Ball, and a Met Gala.
LA Black Pride is a five-day festival meant to uplift and celebrate the Black LGBTQ+ community, and includes an R&B party, a block party, a brunch, a Soul Sunday event at The Abbey.
The 8th annual Black Pride RVA Festival takes place in Richmond, Virginia, and kicks off with a big party, which is meant to celebrate unity and culture. The rest of the event includes a Root Award ceremony at the Black History Museum, a Day of Purpose festival, a Blacktopia Ball, and a Pride in the Park celebration.
Twin Cities Black Pride celebration will include an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding contributions within the Black LGBTQ+ community, a party boat, and a Sip, Paint, and Smoke event where a relaxed atmosphere, drinks, painting, and socializing.
In the mood for a good old-fashioned sapphic binge-watch but feel like you've already seen everythingNetflix,Hulu, andApple TV+ have to offer? Well then, it's time to crack open that HBO Max menu — because if you haven't, we can assure you that there is plenty of top-tier lesbian content you’ve been missing out on.
All film and series descriptions are courtesy of HBO Max.
Gentleman Jack
HBO
Synopsis: Halifax, 1832. Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) shakes up her shabby ancestral home, determined to restore its fortunes and find herself a wife. Society will talk.
Why you need to binge it: Well, for one it’s a lesbian period romance that isn’t a huge bummer, plus it's a rare one that centers around a butch.
The Sex Lives of College Girls
HBO
Synopsis:The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four college roommates as they arrive at New England’s prestigious Essex College. A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these girls are equal parts lovable and infuriating as they live out their new, free lives on campus.
Why you need to binge it: First of all, Reneé Rapp stars in a queer role. Second of all, so does Ruby Cruz. But more important is how much queerness is woven into the fabric of this show, which depicts both sapphic discovery and exploration with authenticity.
Control
HBO
Synopsis: Former lovers Natalia (Adrianna Chlebicka) and Majka (Ewelina Pankowska) explore their personal feelings to reconcile their turbulent past.
Why you need to binge it: This Polish series may have flown under your radar, but today that changes! While some of the shows on this list include queer storylines and characters, which make them worth watching, this one is all about centering the sapphics. Plus, since it began as a web series, which makes for a a short and sweet binge.
Patria
HBO
Synopsis: Patria tells a story – over three decades – of the Spanish Basque Country threatened by the separatist terrorism of ETA, through the eyes of two families divided by the violent conflict.
Why you need to binge it: Here’s another foreign series that you may have missed. While the series focuses more broadly on the impact of the Basque conflict on its cast of characters, Arantxa, portrayed by Loreto Mauleón, is one of its most compelling characters.
Harley Quinn
HBO
Synopsis: Harley Quinn has finally broken things off with the Joker and attempts to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City.
Why you need to binge it: Nothing will scratch your itch for a chaotic lesbian love story like this hilarious and cheeky animated series. The love story between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, despite the madcap vibes of everything and everyone around them, is incredibly sweet and grounded — you know, for an animated series about a bunch of comic book villains.
The Girls On the Bus
HBO
Synopsis:The Girls On The Bus invites viewers to hit the campaign trail alongside four female journalists, each of them different in their reporting styles and personalities. The story centers on Sadie McCarthy (Melissa Benoist), a journalist who romanticizes a bygone era of campaign reporting and scraps her whole life for a shot at covering a presidential candidate for a paper of record. Sadie joins the bus and eventually bonds with three female competitors, Grace (Carla Gugino), Lola (Natasha Behnam), and Kimberlyn (Christina Elmore). Despite their differences, the women become a found family with a front-row seat to the greatest soap opera in town - the battle for the White House.
Why you need to binge it: The cast of this series is enough sapphic cred alone! Melissa Benoist and Carla Gugino? Yes, please. And yet even with those two on board, it's queer Iranian-American actress Natasha Behnam as the Gen-Z influencer Lola Rahaii, who steals the show.
Hacks
HBO
Synopsis: ThisJean Smart-led comedy series explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance (Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old (Hannah Einbinder).
Why you need to binge it: Ok, this is probably one that has at least been on your radar. But if for some reason you haven't taken the plunge, get in there because the water is... ghey as hell. Yes, there are sapphic characters played by out actors and queer romance abounds, but truly every single thing about this show is just infused with queerness in the best and messiest ways possible. It’s brilliant.
I Hate Suzie
HBO
Synopsis: When a phone hack exposes her most compromising photos, a former teen pop star embarks on a tumultuous journey of self-discovery.
Why you need to binge it: Not only does the series feature geeky sapphic fave Billie Piper as the titular Suzie, but it also gives her a bisexual bestie. Leila Farzad stars as Naomi Jones, Suzie’s closest friend and manager helping her to navigate the phone leak fallout. She is complex and her plotline doesn't revolve around her romantic life, rather it's a rich and nuanced portrayal of female friendship.
The Last of Us
HBO
Synopsis:The Last Of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Why you need to binge it: Chances are you've heard of this one — and with good reason. Even sapphics who normally eschew horror films should give this one a shot. Ramsey turns in a stellar performance as queer teen Ellie whose love stories are pivotal to the plot and her character growth without ever feeling forced. And don't even get us started on that Bill and Frank episode.
Batwoman
The CW
Synopsis: Kate Kane follows in the footsteps of her missing cousin, Bruce Wayne, and protects the streets of Gotham City as Batwoman.
Why you need to binge it: Lesbian superhero. Do we need to say more? Fine, how about two lesbian superheroes, both played by out actors? Ruby Rose and Javicia Leslie both donned the Batwoman mantle (with a little Wallis Day in between).
Betty
HBO
Synopsis:Betty follows a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through the predominantly male-oriented world of skateboarding, set against the backdrop of New York City.
Why you need to binge it: Baby dykes on skateboards? Of course, this is a must-watch!
TikTok creator Josselyn Morris and her livestreamed speed dating show.
Footage still via TikTok @Josselynmorris; Courtesy of Josselyn Morris
Queer joy is a radical act, so join us each week for more stories that uplift, resist, and shine. For more stories on Queer Joy, click here.
While people everywhere are becoming disillusioned with dating apps and are desperately seeking new ways to find love and connection, one TikToker is forging a new path for her LGBTQ+ Gen Z peers.
What started as the dream of a queer woman with only $600 left to her name has turned into a viral sensation and created a community for queer people to find love in the messiest way possible.
Josselyn Morris, a 26-year-old rising star on TikTok, started the app’s first-ever livestream LGBTQ+ speed dating show that has now grown to have more than 370,000 followers and gets a minimum of 50,000 viewers per night. She streams four nights a week to help queer singles find love on her TikTok live show. Some singles have applied to be on the show, and others are picked from the live audience so that Morris can help them find a match.
“I started this show with $600, a ring light, and a dream. And now there are people saying they found the love of their life in my comments section? That’s unreal,” Morris tells PRIDE.
The premise is as simple and effective as it is wildly entertaining: Morris holds up a sign that says “LGBTQ+ Speed Dating” and has a split screen with the curious single she invited on the show, and tries to connect them with people in the chat who feel a spark with the guest.
“The space I’ve built became what I needed when I was most alone—and now it’s that for thousands of other people too,” she says. “People come back every week. They root for each other. They stay. That means more than views ever could.”
HOW DID I DO YA’LL BE HONEST 😫👀💍👀 CONGRATS TO THE HAPPY COUPLE @ROSE 🌹 @🏳️🌈BBBOŚŠŞȘWWWÖMBMÅŅ👄👅 #wedding #marriage #marriagehumor #lgbtq #lgbtqia #🏳️🌈 #married #josselynmorris
Sometimes Morris helps people find a match and other times the people in the chat investigate the guest and figure out they’re actually in a relationship already or are lying about themselves. Combine that with Morris’ hilarious facial expressions, and sharp sense of humor and you’re in for an entertaining night even if no one finds love. Think speed dating mixed with internet sleuthing, and reality TV shows like Catfish and Maury.
Yes, it’s messy and full of gay chaos, but it’s also sweet and hopeful as young LGBTQ+ find love and build community on an app that can often make people feel even more isolated and pressured to be performative.
“It can be chaotic, funny, and unpredictable, but it’s also full of warmth, connection, and real vulnerability,” Morris explains. “Every night is different. One moment someone’s cracking jokes, the next someone’s talking about what it’s like to date while not being fully out. That kind of shift feels natural because the space allows for all of it.”
Originally from Yuma, Arizona, Morris knows what it’s like to be Black and queer in a small town with no community. A self-proclaimed stud, she started her TikTok channel with one main goal: to create an LGBTQ+ dating show made by and for the community.
And she’s found success doing just that. She’s created a community of devoted followers, who call themselves “Team White Braids,” has helped create 100 real queer relationships, was once even invited to a proposal between two contestants on her show, and heard that one couple she set up has a baby on the way.
“It’s become this tight-knit, almost sacred digital living room. We’re live almost every night, and the energy is always the same: safe, chaotic in the best way, and full of love,” Morris says. “You don’t need a label, a storyline, or a “look” to belong here. People who aren’t even out yet–people from towns where there’s no gay scene–come here and feel seen.”
Her live queer dating show proves that love is messy and radical joy is not only possible, but is at your fingertips four nights a week.
Back in 1993 the direct action group the Lesbian Avengers organized the very first Dyke March in response to how male-dominated LGBTQ+ space were at the time. It started as a raucous show of solidarity, joy, and anger, and in the decades since, it has continued to be a way for Dyke-identifying folks to build community and fight back against an unjust system.
Much like the first Pride Parade, the first Dyke March was a protest, not a party, and that indomitable spirit of radical resistance and claiming of space is still alive in today’s Dyke Marches. Thousands of lesbians march for visibility, justice, and community every year in marches across the country, and now the events are more inclusive than ever before. Modern Dyke Marches work hard to fight for the most marginalized dykes, and welcome all dyke-identifying members of the cis, trans, and nonbinary community.
There are fewer Dyke Marches now than there were in past decades which is why we need to celebrate them and march and protest alongside the rest of the sapphic community.
Don't see an event you're excited about? Email us at news@equalpide.com and we'll add it to the calendar.
Keep scrolling to see the radical Dyke Marches happening all across the country!
Dyke March Long Beach (May 16)
Erendira Elizabeth/Shutterstock
Dykes and their allies will gather at Bixby Park in Long Beach for the annual Dyke March. This year, the organizers are hoping to make it the biggest event in the march’s history and are encouraging participants to posters, drums, and chants so the community can take a stand and make some noise together.
On the Saturday before Philly Pride, the Philly Dyke March will take off from Kahn Park at noon. Not only will dyke-identifying folks and their allies march through the city, but there will also be a drag showcase on Friday, May 30 at William Way.
During WEHO Pride week there will be a Women’s Freedom Festival and a Dyke March, put on by the The L-Project, a lesbian nonprofit that promotes and supports LGBTQ+ BIPOC women and nonbinary creatives. The Dyke March is lead by the motorcycle group Pride Riders LA, who are starting the very first LA chapter of Dykes on Bikes.
Not only is Washington DC home to WorldPride 2025, but it was the site of the very first Dyke March back in 1993. This year’s DC Dyke March theme is “Dykes Against Fascism” because the organizers are just as sick of Trump’s presidency as we all are. “With the new administration, we are enraged, mobilized, and READY to take to the streets,” The DC Dyke March Instagram account posted. “We’ve had ENOUGH!! —so bring your signs, your rage, and your community to march with us on June 6th at 7 PM!“
LA Pride’s Dyke March has been going on for more than two decades and is one of the biggest in the country. This year, it will take place on June 8 at the Sal Guarriello Veterans' Memorial on Santa Monica Blvd. The night will start with a live DJ set and protest sign making workshop, followed by guest speakers and a rally. Then, the night will culminate in a march down Santa Monica Blvd to San Vicente and back, ending in another live DJ set.
The Boston Dyke March, which started back in 1995, is a grassroots Pride event that will have musical performances, guest speakers, and community tables before the march itself. The event is not only focused on anti-capitalism and intersectional gender liberation but also values accessibility, which is why masks are required, it’s wheelchair and scooter accessible, and will have an ASL interpreter.
The NYC Dyke March will start at Bryant Center on June 28, where thousands of people will march through the street in protest discrimination, harassment, and violence, but also celebration of the rich diversity of the dyke community. This large-scale event welcomes everyone “regardless of gender expression or identity, sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, race, age, political affiliation, religious identity, ability, class, or immigration status.”
This year will mark the 33rd annual San Francisco Dyke March, held on the Saturday befor ethe big Pride Parade, which is meant to celebrate the unity of the dyke community, raise visibility, and advocate for justice for dykes around the world. Before the Dyke March there will be a rally at Dolores Park where allies are welcome before the march begins. Just like every year, Dykes on Bikes will be front and center since they got their start at San Francisco’s first Pride Parade way back in 1976. Leading up to the event there will also be a Super Big Gay Dance Party on May 10 to benefit the Dyke March.
From left: Jena Malone, Jodie Foster, Jay-Z, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.Featureflash photo Agency/Shutterstock; Tinseltown/Shutterstock; Tinseltown/Shutterstock; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Kirkam/Shutterstock
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