There are many depictions of lesbians on TV, but very few approach accuracy. Most lesbian characters on the tube are actually some TV version of bisexual, flitting between men and women with little thought, less emotion and no safe-sex practices. On “Grey’s Anatomy,” for example, Callie has been in bed with men and women within minutes of each other — sans shower or condoms.
The insult to women — bisexual or lesbian — is that they are sexy toys with no other function than to spread the joy (literally) between the sexes.
Yet with few exceptions, these depictions, often pseudo-pornographic, are what serve as lesbian representation on the tube. Were it not for Rachel Maddow and Ellen, most Americans wouldn’t have an accurate portrait of a lesbian on TV.
Except for the storyline on “Guiding Light” referred to by fans as “Otalia.” Olivia Spencer (Crystal Chappell) was Springfield’s bad girl. Like all soap-opera bad girls, she was married several times and has two daughters, including an 8-year-old, Emma.
Olivia is beautiful, smart and owns and runs a hotel. But she was always missing something. Her relationships with men never really stuck. She broke up other people’s marriages and then walked away.
Olivia was not a very nice person. Dynamic and sexy, yes. Nice, no.
Then she got very sick and needed a heart transplant, which is how she met Natalia Rivera (Jessica Leccia). Olivia received the heart of Natalia’s dead husband. Natalia nursed Olivia back to health and had her and Emma move into her lovely little farmhouse, where she was like Olivia’s loving wife.
The relationship between the two women developed over months. Olivia knew she was in love with Natalia long before Natalia could accept it.
But Natalia was ready to marry Frank, a detective who had helped her after her husband was killed and who also helped her son, Rafe, a teenager in trouble with the law.
Then Natalia left Frank at the altar because she realized it was Olivia she was in love with.
Over the past seven months, the two women have come to terms with their feelings. In the process, they have had to deal with Natalia’s son’s homophobia and rejection, scorn from some of their friends and disapproval from Natalia’s priest.
“Guiding Light” has managed to get everything right, from the questioning to the acceptance. The women don’t know how to label themselves, so they don’t — but they do acknowledge that they are a couple. Both are fearful of different things: Natalia of losing her son’s love, Olivia of losing Natalia’s.
Last week, Olivia went searching for Natalia at a religious retreat. Olivia, desperate to find her, stood in front of a nun who refused to tell her whether or not Natalia was there, and screamed to the sky that she loved Natalia and needed her and that they could work anything out. Poignant beyond measure.
These aren’t just Emmy-worthy performances: They are believable and honest portraits of how so many women discover their lesbianism. While prime-time shows and even other soaps seem unable or unwilling to develop realistic lesbian and bisexual characters, the longest-running soap in TV history got it pitch-perfect.
Olivia and Natalia may be TV characters, but they are real, their conflicts realistic to a fault. The tube needs more fully realized lesbian/bisexual characters like this couple, with whom we can identify as well as fall in love.