The L Word stars and long-time pals Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey are writing a new memoir. Entitled So Gay For You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All, the book is due to release on June 3, 2025, just in time for Pride!

The pair met in the early aughts, as they both auditioned for the role of Shane McCutcheon in The L Word. 

According to an excerpt from the memoir, when Leisha first saw Kate, she thought she was “a drop-dead gorgeous creature with the plumpest cherry red lips”. On the other hand, Kate said Leisha had a “wispy weed whacker-looking haircut,” which she likened to J.C. Chasez from N’SYNC.

Interestingly, they both thought the other was a shoo-in for the part, but it was Moennig who eventually became the iconic Shane. Hailey expertly embodied the role of Alice Pieszecki instead.

The memoir includes stories from this initial meeting and charts their relationship over the following decades. According to the official description, “So Gay For You is a love letter to a life-defining friendship” that follows the pair’s “unlikely and extremely entertaining journey stumbling from closeted queer kids to LGBTQ+ activists to successful actresses, podcasters, and business owners”.

It continues: “Full of 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, So Gay for You is, at its heart, a book about a deep meaningful connection with your ride or die and the gift of finding your chosen family.”

 

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The book has already been endorsed by other queer icons, including Tegan Quin, one half of Tegan and Sara, who called it a “must-read” and a “testament to the enduring legacy of The L Word and the culture-changing stars at its heart”. Similarly, Rosie O’Donnell, described it as “a beautiful story of two besties who also played besties” on screen, adding: “Read this book, you will love it as I did.”