26. Lauren Morelli
Lauren Morelli hit the ground running with her first gig in television — Orange is The New Black, where she also met her girlfriend Samira Wiley.
27. Laverne Cox
Best known as an actress, Cox was the producer of Transform Me and Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word as well as an episode of Style Exposed.
28. Lena Waithe

(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images,)
You probably recently fell in love with Lena Waithe for her portrayal of Denise in Aziz Ansari’s new show Master of None, but she’s also a TV writer who has worked on Bones, Hello Cupid and How to Rock AND created the kick-ass pilot Twenties.
29. Linda Wallem

(Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/FilmMagic)
Linda Wallem has been at the head of Nurse Jackie and has previously worked on That 70’s Show, That ’80’s Show, Whitney and Cybil. She’s also married to Melissa Etheridge!
30. Lisa Cholodenko
We saw a lot of Lisa at the Emmy’s this year for directing the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge. She’s also been the director for episodes of shows like Six Feet Under, The L Word, Homicide: Life on the Street and Hung. You’ve probably seen her movies, too — High Art, Laurel Canyon and The Kids Are All Right.
31. Liz Feldman
Lots of queer women met Liz Feldman via her AfterEllen video blog, This Just Out With Liz Feldman. Liz got her start writing for All That and Blue Collar TV, later working on Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2005-2007. After three years at 2 Broke Girls, she collaborated with Ellen again, this time for the short-lived sitcom, One Big Happy.
32. Liz Friedman
Friedman is at the helm of the new TV series Jessica Jones, which everybody is pretty pumped about right now, and previously was best known for another thing the queer ladies got pretty pumped about: Xena: Warrior Princess. Previously: Elementary, Orange is the New Black, House M.D., Young Hercules.
33. Liz Sarnoff
This writer and producer has worked on shows including Deadwood, Lost, Alcatraz, Salem, Crossbones, Crossing Jordan, NYPD Blue and The Leftovers.
34. Lynn Shelton

photoby Stuart Isett via the new york times
Shelton has been writing for Fresh Off The Boat since the pilot. Previously, she’s written for The Mindy Project, New Girl and Mad Men.
35. Margaret Cho

photo by robin roemer
The comedian prefers to stay in front of the camera, but that means doing a lot of writing and producing too, like on The Cho Sho, Two Sisters and UnCabaret.
36. Michelle Paradise

BP 0199
Her lesbian sitcom Exes and Ohs didn’t last long on Logo, but Paradise has recently been enjoying a new gig as executive story editor for The Originals.
37. Nahnatchka Khan
The showrunner for Fresh Off The Boat is allegedly best known for her work on American Dad!, but she also created Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 and has also written for shows including Unfabulous, Malcom in the Middle and Undergrads. In fact, Kahn was responsible for last year’s Very Special Lesbian Episode.
38. Nancylee Myatt
Myatt had been working in television for fifteen years before she had the chance to write one of television’s first shows with lesbian and bisexual lead characters, South of Nowhere. She also co-produced a few lesbian webseries, including 3Way, Cowgirl Up and Nikki & Nora. Prior to SON, she worked for shows including Living Single and Night Court.
39. Nisha Ginatra
This Canadian-born director / producer / writer’s credits include Transparent, Red Oaks, Married, Mr. Robot and The Mindy Project.
40. Noelle Carbone
Carbone has worked in writing, production and story editing roles for Rookie Blue and Saving Hope.
41. Patricia Rozema
This Canadian filmmaker is renowned for movies like Mansfield Park and When Night is Falling, but she’s done television work as well, including writing the teleplay for the HBO narrative edition of Grey Gardens. Television shows she’s worked on include The Hunger, Tell Me You Love Me, In Treatment and Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays.
42. Rose Troche
She is best known for her fim work, but she’s also directed episodes of Law & Order, Six Feet Under, Touching Evil, South of Nowhere, Ugly Betty and Finding Carter, and worked as a writer for The L Word, Rochelle and Hunting Season.
43. Sarah Gertrude Shapiro
Shapiro works with Buffy scribe Marti Noxon to write, create and produce the Lifetime series UnREAL, which was recently renewed for a second season. Previously, she’d worked as a field producer on The Bachelor, been in a band with JD Samson, and interned for legendary lesbian filmmaker Christine Vachon’s production company, Killer Films.
44. Sara Hess
Hess spent several years working as a writer and producer of House before joining the Orange is the New Black team.
45. Savannah Dooley

Winnie Holzman and Savannah Dooley (ABC FAMILY/ADAM ROSE)
Dooley, the daughter of My So-Called Life creator Winnie Holzman, created the TV series Huge.
46. Shadi Petosky
Petosky, a trans woman, is the creator of the new animated Amazon series Danger & Eggs, and has worked as an animator and producer for shows like Mad, Yo Gabba Gabba! and The Aquabats! Super Show!
47. Susan Miller

Susan Miller with director Tina Ward
In addition to being a renowned playwright, Miller is the writer and co-creator of the webseries Anyone But Me and a writer/producer for Bestsellers. Previously, she has written for The L Word, Thirtysomething, The Paper Chase and Dynasty.
48. Tamika Miller
Miller has had her hand in basically every type of visual media possible, including commercials, music videos, film and television. Her films Gift for the Living and Sarong Song both have been picked up by showtime Cable Network, and her half-hour comedy Gris-Gris-Gris was acquired and developed by the here! Network in 2008. In 2012 and 2013, she shadowed on the HBO series The Newsroom.
49. Tanya Saracho
Saracho was an established playwright in Chicago when she got her first TV job writing for Devious Maids, and then was quickly picked up to write for the gay HBO series Looking, and then for Girls, and then Hot To Get Away With Murder. In 2014, Saracho, who was born in Mexico and raised in Texas, told an interviewer that she was working on a project with HBO about “queer border-girl stuff.”
50. Tig Notaro

(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
The renowned actress and comedian’s new pilot, One Mississippi, just debuted on Amazon. Previously, Notaro has been a writer for Inside Amy Schumer.
51. Toni Graphia
Graphia has an extensive resume including producing and writing for Battlestar Galactica, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Grey’s Anatomy, Roswell, CarnivĂ le, Quantum Leap and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
52. Wanda Sykes
Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes has been writing for TV since The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show in 1997. Her resume includes The Chris Rock Show, Comedy Central Presents, the Academy Awards, and The Downer Channel. She was also producer, writer and star of the sitcoms Wanda At Large and Wanda Does It.
53. Zachary Drucker
Zachary Drucker has worked as a producer for the trans-themed docuseries This Is Me and as an associate producer and an actress on Transparent.
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This is amazing and might as well be titled Power Lesbians I Would Date. Because I would. All of them.
Slow your roll, Ilene Chaiken, not you
Also: also: also: I have so many feelings about Now and Then. HOW DID I NOT KNOW AND/OR FORGET THAT I. MARLENE KING WAS INVOLVED WITH THAT? In 5th grade my three best friends and I all picked, or rather were assigned, the girl we ‘were.’ They told me I was Chrissy but I knew deep down I was Roberta. It wasn’t until later that I figured out why.
I wonder how many times Ilene’s wife got in trouble for saying that episode of the L Word is great.
Seriously, Wanda is a bit under appreciated. She, made episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm even better(as did Suzie Essman).
Thanks for this! I’m pretty sure Andrea Sperling and Jamie Babbit are exes.
“Have you noticed the increased numbers of lesbians in this season of Empire? You can thank Ilene Chaiken for that, apparently.”
On last episode the lesbian character, Mimi, was making out with homophobic man, Lucious, as she was going to have a threesome with him and other woman. I guess we have to thank Ilene Chaiken for that.
Yeah that was a real low moment in a season of lows.
I think the thing i like most about this list is that you didn’t mention Go Fish when listing Rose Troche’s work.
you know, why dwell, right?
How about Martha Mitchell? She’s been working since the early 80s and has directed episodes many different series.
Liz Feldman and Michelle Paradise <3
Look at all these cool humans living their cool lives! I love roundups of queer people with fun jobs. It gives me feelings of possibilities.
This comment has been removed as it is in violation of Autostraddle’s Comment Policy. Repeat or egregious offenders will be banned.
“Exclusively pussy loving lesbians” is transphobic.
This comment has been removed as it is in violation of Autostraddle’s Comment Policy. Repeat or egregious offenders will be banned.
“I respect your freedom but respect my space so we could (sic) all just respect each other.”
But, as I suspect you know, you are actively disrespecting trans Straddlers with your comments.
I’m not going to spend the time to rebuttal your bullshit point by point because I think you’re stirring things up on purpose, but just for the record, as always:
*Not all lesbians have vaginas, and that doesn’t make their female partners any less gay
*WTF do bathrooms have to do with any of what we’re talking about here?
*But I mean, is your father a trans woman? No? Then why would your father be in your restroom? Like, what are you even talking about?
Now please go away because this shit is NOT OKAY here.
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@Z Who hurt you?
@Z I’m actually cis, which I am only pointing out to you because I don’t want to be seen as speaking for or with the experience of trans women, when my perspective is actually limited by my cis privilege.
Anyway bottom line, I’m sorry that the fact that trans content is covered on this website (one of the only queer websites I have seen where the writers and commenters make any sort of decent effort to be truly trans-inclusive) makes you uncomfortable. Maybe you and your hate speech should go elsewhere.
This comment has been removed as it is in violation of Autostraddle’s Comment Policy. Repeat or egregious offenders will be banned.
@dina you don’t know him.
Yeah, I’m out
Moderators, can we flag this yet?
This comment has been removed as it is in violation of Autostraddle’s Comment Policy. Repeat or egregious offenders will be banned.
This comment has been removed as it is in violation of Autostraddle’s Comment Policy. Repeat or egregious offenders will be banned.
thanks everyone! this person has been banned. if you see another instance of intense fuckery like what you experienced with this joker waste of time, instead of replying just email me at laneia@autostraddle.com and cc bren@autostraddle.com and we’ll completely delete the garbage and no one will ever have to interact with it, not even in the sidebar, not even in their nightmares.
oh and fuck every single thing this asshole said forever amen.
Thanks laneia! Amen!
I wished I could get my movie script written out and copyrighted. It’s a fantastic movie and setting and nobody’s ever thought of it before. I’m so excited about it but I can’t spit it out there yet because I know someone is gonna jump on this. I surprised myself. HELP, WHERE AND WHO DO I BEGIN WITH?????SINCERELY, PEPPER NIMMO