How ‘Golden Girls’ Spawned an Enduring Lesbian Joke (Pt 1)

“Not ‘Lebanese,’ Blanche. Lesbian!” The line originated on The Golden Girls in 1986, after a lesbian friend of Dorothy’s came to visit and Blanche mistook her for “Lebanese.” A decade later, Ellen DeGeneres riffed on that same play on words, coming out as “Lebanese” on the Rosie O’Donnell Show shortly before publicly coming out. “Lebanese” lesbians would go on to appear in Mean Girls, on Glee, and even RuPaul’s Drag Race. In this episode, Jess and Susie get to the bottom of what made that joke so enduring… and talk to an actual Lebanese lesbian about what it meant to her.

GUESTS:

• Maya Salam, culture editor at The New York Times
• Drew Mackie, cohost of the Gayest Episode Ever podcast

FOR MORE:

• Dorothy’s Friend is a Lesbian (Gayest Episode Ever)
• The Very Slow Rise of Lesbianism On Screen (Maya Salam, NYT)
• In 1986, Golden Girls Created the Most Enduring Lesbian Joke on TV (Autostraddle)
• Blanche’s Brother is a Homo, and More Gay Golden Girls’ Moments (Gayest Episode Ever)

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