'The L Word' cast appears at White House briefing to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
Cast members of the television show "The L Word: Generation Q" joined White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the podium on Tuesday to mark Lesbian Visibility Week.
Jean-Pierre -- the first openly gay White House press secretary -- said she sees "everyday how important visibility and representation are."
"As a young queer woman of color, I felt alone and sometimes invisible," Jean-Pierre said as she introduced the group. "For so many people in our community, The L Word's impact cannot be understated."
Jean-Pierre also relayed a personal story of going to watch the taping of an episode of "The L Word: Generation Q" last year in which two of the main characters get married, a moment she said "meant so much to queer women across the country."
Producer Ilene Chaiken and actresses Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey and Katherine Moennig, who appeared at the daily briefing, will meet with LGBTQ staffers of the Biden administration to discuss efforts to "advance full equality for our community," Jean-Pierre said.
Chaiken said the group was thankful to President Joe Biden for "giving us the first out lesbian press secretary who represents hope and possibility for so many people young and a bit older."
"We, too, accomplished a few firsts by bringing our stories into homes and communities across the country and around the world," she added.
MORE: Karine Jean-Pierre reflects on coming out as gay: 'Wasn't an easy thing'
Jean-Pierre, Chaiken and Hailey condemned bills they say target transgender youth and state-led efforts to ban books with LGBTQ themes.
"Visibility is not just the act of being seen. It is the ability to see," Hailey said. "So to the librarian in Texas, advocating to keep books with LGBTQIA themes on the shelves, we see you. To the LGBTQI people leading their communities as rabbis, pastors and ministers, we see you. To the LGBTQIA community in Missouri about to lose their gender affirming care, we see you."
"To the LGBTQIA community affected by the Dobbs decision in Idaho, Wisconsin, Alabama, Tennessee, we see you and to the first openly LGBTQIA press secretary, we see you. Visibility starts in our homes and our communities. And even if it feels like you're under attack, know that we see you," she added.
Jean-Pierre made History when she was appointed to step in as press secretary in May 2021. She's since talked at length about her own experience coming out as gay to her family and has used her platform to criticize Republican policies she says target the LGBTQ community.
MORE: White House makes history with deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
"The L Word: Generation Q" is a 2019 reboot of the groundbreaking original series, which first debuted in 2004 and followed a group of lesbians and bisexuals living in Los Angeles.
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