“Queer black characters have been the sidekick for long enough. It’s time for us to finally take the lead.”
American actress, producer and screenwriter Lena Waithe has created a brand new show revolving around queer black women.
Twenties has been picked up for a pilot episode by TBS, and will tell the story of Hattie, a queer, black woman in her twenties who lives in LA. The show is based on a YouTube series Waithe made in 2009.
In a statement, Waithe said: “I wrote [it] back in 2009. I always wanted to tell a story where a queer black woman was the protagonist… Queer black characters have been the sidekick for long enough. It’s time for us to finally take the lead.”
Waithe made history in 2017 when she won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series on Master of None, becoming the first black woman to win the award. The episode was based on her real life experience of coming out to her mother.
She also created the Showtime drama series The Chi, which was renewed for a second season last month.
Last year, she told Vulture: “I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot, but for me it’s about pushing to the point where I can be Mark Walhberg, Ryan Murphy, or Shonda Rhimes.
“I want to be at that table in terms of bringing new voices in. There’s a lot of Donald Glovers, Jordan Peeles, Justin Simiens. And there’s a lot of me’s, too. I just want to go find them and help open the door so they can walk in.”
Watch the trailer for Thanksgiving, Master of None’s Emmy Award winning episode below.
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