Wanting to be Anna: examining lesbian sporting celebrity on The L Word

Megan Chawansky, Jessica Francombe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article adds to the limited literature on coming out and on lesbians in sport by highlighting the presence of lesbian sporting celebrity on Showtime's series The L Word. Through a reading of The L Word's character/professional athlete, Dana Fairbanks, we explore the economic impetus and the racial and classed undertones of corporatized coming out narratives. We devote considerable effort to unpacking Fairbanks' articulation that she wishes to be "the gay Anna Kournikova" and speculate on the consequences of this utterance for both real lesbian sporting celebrities and the lesbian fans that necessarily follow Fairbanks' corporate-sponsored coming out.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)134-149
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Lesbian Studies
Volume17
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2013

Keywords

  • lesbian celebrity
  • sport
  • The L Word
  • coming out

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