So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All

As the first television series to feature an ensemble cast of openly queer women characters and the first series to be written and primarily directed by queer women, The L-Word’s impact on television and popular culture is groundbreaking. In their cowritten memoir, cast members and best friends Moennig and Hailey share their experiences as young artists trying to find their way in the industry. The two seamlessly weave their stories together and show the strength of their friendship. Not only is their memoir an insider’s view into the making of The L-Word, which ran from 2004 to 2009, but it’s also the story of being young and queer in the 1980s and ’90s. The two openly share about growing up, finding their way to New York City, and first meeting when they auditioned against one another. They mix humor, pain, love, and loss throughout this vulnerable and thoughtful memoir. With so few memoirs by queer women who came of age during the AIDS epidemic, Moennig and Hailey’s openness about their personal and professional lives makes this book more than just a look into a TV series.