Lez Hang Out | A Lesbian Podcast Ellie Brigida and Leigh Holmes Foster

Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that would risk it all for Linda Cardellini to paint us like one of her French girls. 
This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about why the 2018 crime comedy A Simple Favor Should’ve Been Gay(er). This movie is honestly a masterpiece. It stars Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), and queer icon Linda Cardellini. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this movie somehow, it follows the story of two moms, Stephanie and Emily, who meet at their kids’ school and quickly become unlikely besties with benefits. When Emily suddenly goes missing after asking for ‘a simple favor’, Stephanie leaps into action to unravel the mystery of her best friend’s disappearance (but not without fucking Emily’s husband, wearing all her clothes, and playing mommy to Emily’s son).
Every gay remembers where they were when they first saw Blake Lively kiss Anna Kendrick on the mouth after calling her baby approximately 69 times. Nothing is more frustrating than eating up 2 hours of chart-topping chemistry and glaringly obvious foreplay to then watch Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) and Emily (Blake Lively) betray one another in the end. Even with the disappointing ending, this is a movie we can’t help loving wholeheartedly for being just so incredibly gay and bonkers unhinged. Emily is canonically bisexual from the jump, quick to tell Stephanie all about her hot painter ex (Linda Cardellini) and threesome with her husband’s TA. After all, what straight woman has a life-size portrait of their full bush just hanging in the main room of their house for all to see? In addition to the dating and sexual experiences that she is absolutely not shy about, Emily exudes bisexual confidence from the second she appears on screen in slow-mo in the pouring rain wearing the hottest suit ever made. From the moment we watch Stephanie become a mess of gay panic in front of Emily, we are hooked on them as a couple. The two U-Haul faster than anything we’ve ever seen before; sharing martinis, secrets, husbands, houses and spit while loudly declaring themselves to be “best friends” after knowing one another for approximately 2 weeks.
While Emily may be the most open about her queerness, there is no question in our minds about Stephanie’s sexuality. This girl is down bad for Emily, oscillating between the classic “Do I want to be her or be with her” that many a sapphic can relate to. Sure, she sleeps with Emily’s husband, but you cannot convince us that she actually cares about that man. Emily doesn’t even care about that man. It still makes zero sense to us that Stephanie and Emily do not take the 4 million dollars and run away together into the sunset after toasting with martinis over Emily’s gravestone. 
We know one thing for sure, A Simple Favor Should’ve Been Gay(er). 
Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). 
You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full-length bonus episodes (including a brand new one dropping today on Red, White, and Royal Blue), weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp!
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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that googled “Am I Gay” before it was cool. 
This week Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about one of the most controversial and widely read pieces of modern lesbian “literature” on the internet, the Lesbian Masterdoc. The 31-page document titled “Am I a lesbian?” first appeared in 2018 and experienced a rather large resurgence during the pandemic shutdowns of 2020 (when people actually had enough time to read a 31-page document). 
For those of you who somehow managed to avoid reading the Masterdoc, it is essentially every “Am I gay” quiz from 2002 onward condensed into a 31-page pdf. The main issues that we have with the Masterdoc are that it greatly oversimplifies the experience of compulsory heterosexuality, completely ignores all nuance involved with sexuality (to an almost comical degree), and uses exclusionary language when the doc absolutely can apply to anyone who experiences attraction to women. It also somewhat reads like an attempt by the writer to get her straight best friend to sleep with her. However, we still want to give some props for the Masterdoc being very purposefully inclusive of trans and nonbinary lesbians and at the very least not giving off terfy vibes. 
Even though the Masterdoc should certainly be taken with many grains of salt, some of the experiences listed really hit home (a little too hard if you ask Leigh). We’ve said it before, but comp het is a doozy! We dive into our own experiences with navigating comp het back in our ‘straight’ days and lament about why straight women have to speak so negatively about their male partners all the time (be less confusing, straight women!). If you are looking for a fun activity to bust out at your next shindig, we absolutely recommend pulling out this bad boi (fun for the whole family!) and seeing how many of your straight friends get clocked by the Masterdoc. 
Follow us on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). 
You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of perks including access to our exclusive Discord channel, monthly full-length bonus episodes (Currently at 19 and counting!), weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp!
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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that is in its Wachowski Sisters Era. 
This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) talk about the 1996 crime thriller Bound for this Lez-ssentials episode, a recurring segment on the essential movies and TV shows in the lesbian canon. Even though this film is from the 90s, it still has some of the best lesbian representation, including a sex scene that doesn’t just cut away to crashing waves and a happy ending a la Thelma and Louise where our lesbians escape together while making out in a pickup truck. 
If you haven’t seen Bound, it is a really fun thriller about recently freed ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) and high femme sex worker Violet (Jennifer Tilly). The two end up in the same apartment elevator and as soon as their eyes meet the game is on. Violet and her mob boyfriend Caesar live in the apartment directly next to the unit that Corky is currently working on, so Corky can hear everything that goes on. In a move taken right out of a porno, Violet ‘loses’ her earring down the sink and Corky shows up to save the day with her strong muscles and super gay arm tats. Corky does not make any immediate moves, wrongly assuming that Violet must be just a straight girl up for a little experimenting.
Luckily for Corky, Violet is not shy about making her wants known and after boldly pointing out that she knows what the labras on Corky’s arm signifies, she shows off her own tattoo which happens to be like a centimeter away from her nipple. We all know where this is going and it would have gone a lot farther if not for freaking Caesar who shows up and is so homophobic that he doesn’t even realize his girlfriend was getting railed by the plumber. Things escalate quickly after this, with Violet zeroing in on Corky as her perfect partner for planning her escape from Caesar and the mob (but not without stealing 2 million dollars first). They have sex all of one time and in true lesbian fashion, Corky is ready to risk it all, all over again. 
Bound holds up as a Lez-ssential after all these years, because it is so openly and unapologetically queer, especially for 1996. Both main characters are established queer women who are secure in their sexual identities, the story doesn’t revolve around them coming out or conflict specifically due to them being gay, there is a scene in a lesbian bar, and we get a happy ending. All the boxes are checked off and we genuinely can’t think of anything we would change. 
At the end of the episode, stick around to hear our original song based on Bound, also titled “Bound”, written by Leigh Holmes Foster and produced by Ellie Brigida. Join us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon for instant access to mp3 downloads of all our original songs or find us on Bandcamp to purchase songs individually.
Follow along on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay at the end of every episode. Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster) and Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow along on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod).
You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of perks like access to our exclusive Discord community, monthly full-length bonus episodes, weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by checking out our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop.
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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that just wants everyone to, “Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot.”
This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about why the 2005 cult classic film V for Vendetta Should’ve Been Gay. This film is based on a graphic novel and is set in a dystopian British society that is overrun by fascism. While it certainly made a splash in 2005, it really hits different watching it now after experiencing the tumultuous political environment of the past few years.
Whether you’ve seen V for Vendetta or not, you’re likely familiar with the character of V. V is incredibly recognizable with a flamboyant black cape, top hat, and Guy Fawkes mask. This super queer freedom fighter is honestly a gay icon that we are sure many drag troupes have replicated. In the film, V is basically a theater kid turned murderer fighting back against the tyrannical government that performed illegal experiments on him and countless others who didn’t fit within their standards of an ideal citizen. V was captured and kept in a top-secret government testing facility that was essentially a concentration camp. Thanks to being inexplicably immune to the toxic chemical being used, V was able to escape by setting the whole place on fire. He somehow survives the fire and comes out stronger than ever, which honestly is a pretty gay allegory. After this experience, he sets about his goal of destroying everyone who had been involved in the secret facility and bringing down the fascist government. 
During V’s attempt to overthrow the government, he encounters Evey, played by Natalie Portman. He somehow manages to recognize that she also stands on the fringes of society (ie. she’s gay af) and they both become a bit fascinated by one another. He is so excited to show her his own secret bunker full of banned objects (like homoerotic art, books, and music). Unfortunately for Evey, V’s time in the government facility twisted him quite a lot and his version of love ends up a bit toxic. He captures Evey and sets up these tests for her, making it seem like she’d been captured by the government the way he and her own parents had been in the past. He puts her through similar things to what he was subjected to including shaving her head so that she really looks like the lesbian she is inside. While trapped in what she thinks is a government cell, Evey discovers letters written by Valerie, a lesbian who had been captured previously and learns about her love story and everything that she endured just for loving who she did. This lesbian letter fills her with the strength to fight back and escape captivity. 
Although there is some gay content in the film with Valerie and her backstory, we wish there had been more! V and Evey both have transformative queer journeys and yet it is never really discussed. 
We know one thing for sure, V for Vendetta Should’ve Been Gay. 
Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). 
You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full-length bonus episodes (which there are already 19 of ready for you to listen to!), weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp!
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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that is absolutely not down for any Mr. Linguini erasure, thank you very much. 
This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with Sam (@conscious.altruism) and Aussie (@aussie_has_fomo), the Keep It Saussie (@keepitsaussie) duo best known for their appearance on The Ultimatum: Queer Love to talk about why the 2023 comedy Quiz Lady Should’ve Been Gay. We kick off the pod by taking a little walk down memory lane to revisit Sam and Aussie’s Ultimatum experience and congratulate them on being the last couple standing. Then, it’s time to dive right into one of the best direct-to-streaming comedies we have seen in awhile. 
For those of you unfamiliar with Hulu’s Quiz Lady, the movie follows queer-coded sisters Jenny (Sandra Oh) and Anne (Awkwafina) as they attempt to win a game show in order to save their beloved pug Mr. Linguini from dognappers (and pay off their mother’s gambling debt). Additionally, it stars Holland Taylor as grumpy neighbor Francine. From the cast alone, the movie is already off to a pretty gay start. Even though neither sister is ever explicitly stated to be part of the alphabet mafia, every single thing about them screams gay. Jenny is a classically chaotic bisexual with a Subaru and blue hair. She runs on nothing but pure 80s music video vibes and iced coffee. Younger sister Anne is a homebody gay with social anxiety, a game show hyperfixation, and an incredibly close connection with her emotional support dog Mr. Linguini. There is just no way at all to read these two as straight characters. We talk about ways to make the movie even gayer, like turning Mr. Linguini into a cat and shipping Jenny with Francine in a classic Holland Taylor age-gap relationship. 
We know one thing for sure, Quiz Lady Should’ve Been Gay. 
Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). 
You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full length bonus episodes, weekly ad free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp!
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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that is a little concerned about what the queer community’s obsession with ‘forbidden romance’ says about us. 
This week Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about the trope that has historically overwhelmingly dominated queer media- forbidden love. 
The allure of forbidden love makes it a popular trope across all media, not just queer media, and dates all the way back to Romeo and Juliet. However, forbidden love is so overrepresented in queer media that it is difficult to even name a story where it isn’t the dominant trope. Sure there are the obvious examples, the period pieces like Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Ammonite, but it goes much deeper than that. Everyone’s favorite romcom Imagine Me and You? Forbidden love. Campy classics D.E.B.S. and But I’m A Cheerleader? Forbidden love. It’s the one thing that nearly all queer stories in our media have in common with very few outliers. 
When considering why forbidden love is so pervasive within queer stories, it is impossible to ignore the very real consequences of gay relationships throughout history. For example, ignoring the forbiddenness of a queer relationship for an American film set in the years between DOMA and Obergefell would be historically inaccurate. Because of this all gay stories were technically stories about forbidden love up until quite recently. The interesting thing is that even after ‘gay’ no longer immediately equaled ‘forbidden’, queer stories continued to find ways to incorporate the trope. There is something too appealing about forbidden love to leave it in the past. Now there are just extra steps included for why the relationship is forbidden such as an affair (Imagine Me and You), a concerning age gap (Carol), or unhealthy power dynamics like the ever popular student/teacher relationship (Loving Annabelle). One of our favorite unique twists on the forbidden love trope is actually the short-lived Netflix series First Kill, which flipped the genre on its head by making the forbidden aspect be that one of the girls was a vampire and the other a monster hunter. Whether we should all be in therapy for our penchant for forbidden love remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, we aren’t going to stop eating these stories up anytime soon! 
Follow us on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). 
You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full length bonus episodes, weekly ad free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp!
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