'Orange Is the New Black' Season 2: Writer Lauren Morelli Comes Out Thanks to Show's Lesbian Relationships
Who knew that the rocky yet always steamy lesbian relationship between "Orange Is the New Black" characters Piper Chapman (played by Taylor Schilling) and Alex Vause (played by Laura Prepon) would inspire one of the "Orange Is the New Black" writers to come out as a lesbian too?
"OITNB" writer Lauren Morelli said that it was writing for the show that helped her realize that she's gay.
On Wednesday, Morelli wrote a blog post on PolicyMic with the title, "While Writing for 'Orange is the Black,' I realized that I'm Gay."
In the blog post, Morelli said that prior to her coming out, she had been married to her longtime boyfriend and then moved to New York for production on the show.
Much like the show's protagonist, Piper, who in the first season begins struggling with her sexuality and her love for her husband as well as her budding renewal of love for her ex-girlfriend Alex, Morelli also went through a bit of a sexuality crisis.
"Five months after my wedding, I flew to New York to start production on my first episode of 'Orange,' and from that moment on my life fell into a parallel rhythm with Piper's story in a way that went from interesting to terrifying in a matter of months," Morelli said.
"'You're so gay!' people exclaimed gleefully and often in the writers' room those first few months," she continued.
Morelli then went on to explain that in the writing room, the writers would engage in long discussions about sex, gender, and their personal experiences in an effort to accurately and efficiently portray the loving relationship between Piper and Alex.
As filming began and Piper and Alex's love story began to play out on-screen, Morelli said, "In Piper and Alex, I'd found a mouthpiece for my own desires and a glimmer of what my future could look like."
Morelli finally came out in 2012 with the help of the "OITNB" cast and crew.
Though she reveals that her divorce was not easy, she said now feels happier and more comfortable in her skin.
"I am now out to my family, my friends and most of my co-workers on Orange (and now to you, dear reader). Now, when I am in the writers' room or on set, I no longer feel like I am stuck in the middle of two truths. I belong because my own narrative fits in alongside the fictional stories that we are telling on the show: stories of people finding themselves, of difficult paths and of redemption."
To check out the full blog post, click here.
"Orange Is the New Black" season two will come out on Netflix on June 6. Will you be watching?