Why Orange Is the New Black is Peak Lesbian TV Gold | TV Series 2013–2019

Why Every Lesbian Needs Orange Is the New Black in Her Life

Okay, let’s be real: if you’re a lesbian who hasn’t binged Orange Is the New Black at least twice, are we even the same species? This show came into our lives in 2013 like a flaming queer comet and basically rewrote what mainstream TV could do with lesbian stories. Yeah, I said it. OITNB wasn’t perfect, but damn if it didn’t give us some of the rawest, hottest, most heartbreaking lesbian representation we’d ever seen on screen.

Remember when Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) – that privileged, blonde, “I went to Smith College and now I’m in prison for carrying drug money” disaster – walked into Litchfield and immediately locked eyes with Alex Vause (Laura Prepon in full dark-haired, glasses-wearing, sexy-smirking glory)? That moment? Iconic. Instant lesbian culture. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a smuggled shank. And when they finally hooked up again in the chapel? Half the lesbian internet collectively passed out. We’d been starving for chemistry like that – actual, sweaty, messy, passionate lesbian sex scenes that didn’t feel like they were shot for straight male fantasies.

But here’s the thing people forget when they call the show “Piper-centric” (ugh): Orange Is the New Black gave us SO many lesbian and bisexual women of different ages, races, body types, and backgrounds. Nicky Nichols (Natasha Lyonne) with her chaotic, recovering-addict, “I’ll sleep with anything hot” energy? Literal dream woman for half of us. Poussey Washington (Samira Wiley) – sweet, funny, brilliant Poussey – being openly and unapologetically gay in prison and making us fall in love with her every single episode? My heart still breaks thinking about season 4. And don’t even get me started on the quiet, slow-burn tragedy of her love for Brook Soso. That was real queer pain.

Then there’s Big Boo (Lea DeLaria), the butch queen we all needed growing up – loud, hilarious, zero fucks given, rocking that tux at the prom episode like a total legend. Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren writing erotic fanfiction about Piper and literally peeing on the floor to mark her territory? Wild, problematic, and weirdly relatable to every lesbian who’s ever been obsessively in love.

Even the side characters – Lorna Morello’s delusional bisexual chaos, Yoga Jones being lowkey the chill older lesbian aunt we all want, Flaca and Maritza’s flirty friendship that had the whole fandom writing fanfic… this show was dripping in queer women.

And Alex and Piper (“Vauseman” if you’re nasty) – toxic? Yes. Messy? Absolutely. But that push-pull, can’t-live-with-can’t-live-without-you dynamic? That’s half the lesbian relationships I’ve witnessed in real life. They got married in prison wearing makeshift dresses, for god’s sake. We cried. We screamed. We rewatched that wedding scene 47 times.

The later seasons gave us more: Stella Carlin (Ruby Rose) showing up with that androgynous swagger and making every lesbian question their type for three episodes straight. Carrie “Big Boo” Black and her dog mercy-killing side plot that somehow still made us love her. Even the guards – like that time we all hated Luschek but secretly thought he was kinda fine when he hooked up with Nicky.

Look, the show had its problems – the way it handled trans women (Sophia Burset deserved better), some cringe writing in the later seasons, the whole “bury your gays” thing with Poussey that still makes me angry – but for a mainstream Netflix show in the 2010s? It did more for visible, diverse lesbian and queer women’s stories than almost anything else at the time.

Orange Is the New Black made it okay to be a hot mess lesbian on TV. It made it normal to see women loving women in all kinds of complicated, beautiful, ugly, real ways. It gave baby gays everywhere something to point at and say “that’s me.”

So yeah. If you haven’t watched it recently, pour yourself a contraband prison hooch (or just a glass of wine), put on season 1 episode 1, and let Piper and Alex ruin your life all over again. You’ll thank me later.

Still the best lesbian show of its era. Fight me.

What’s your favorite OITNB lesbian moment? Drop it in the comments – I need to know I’m not the only one still emotionally damaged by this masterpiece.