So many classic works of modern lesbian literature have already emerged from The L Word — for example, Jenny Schecter’s harrowing memoir Some of Our Parts and Alice Pieszecki’s less harrowing memoir, Go Ask Alice. Now, cast members Leisha Hailey (Alice) and Kate Moennig (Shane) have assembled a book of their very own: So Gay For You: Friendship, Found Family, & The Show That Started it All. Published by St. Martin’s, the book will be released on June 3, 2025 and promises “never-before-shared glimpses into the making of The L Word, Kate and Leisha’s real-life loves and losses and their status as queer icons.” Happy Future Pride!!!

Furthermore, the book will also be a “love letter to a life-defining friendship over the decades and following Kate and Leisha’s unlikely and extremely entertaining journey stumbling from closeted queer kids to LGBTQ+ activists to successful actresses, podcasters and business owners.”

Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey are currently the co-hosts of the excellent podcast, PANTS, where they recap The L Word; talk about their lives and their friendships and their home renovations; and chat with super special guests including former L Word cast members, lesbian icons and me.

People Magazine also published an exclusive excerpt in their exclusive post announcing this exclusive book release, in which Kate and Leisha detail the first time they met — at auditions to play Shane, who Kate recalls was described as “a womanizing serial monogamist.” Kate couldn’t make sense of it, how you could be both a “local lothario” and a serial monogamist. Were we ever so young!

Kate recalls Leisha as sporting “a wispy weed whacker-looking haircut,” and Leisha describes Kate as “a drop-dead gorgeous creature with the plumpest cherry red lips” who looked like Mick Jagger. Kate details how the auditions split arrival actors into different rooms — Jennys to the left, Shanes to the right, and that it was “clear that the handler could spot the two major homos that looked like Shanes.” Actors were auditioning one by one until only two were left — Leisha and Kate. Both seemed confident that the other would secure the role of Shane. But, despite what 30% of the lesbian community would’ve told you in 2005, there can only be one Shane.

We obviously could not possibly be more excited for this news, which feels like it was created in a lab just for us! We love it already!

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