The L life : extraordinary lesbians making a difference / Erin McHugh ; photographs by Jennifer May.

Kate Clinton -- Alison Bechdel -- Marjorie Hill -- Jane Lynch -- Amy & Elizabeth Ziff -- Phyllis Lyon -- Randi Weingarten -- Christine Quinn -- Linda Villarosa -- Dr. Susan Love -- Kate Kendell -- Nan Buzard -- Hilary Rosen -- Lupe Valdez -- Elizabeth Birch -- Ann Bannon -- Lisa Sherman -- Roberta Achtenberg -- Lisa Vogel -- Tammy Baldwin -- Urvashi Vaid -- Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum -- Sally Susman -- Tenaja Jordan -- Mary Seton Corboy -- Christine Vachon.

With the debut of Showtime's The L Word, the entire world suddenly had a chance to glimpse lesbian lifestyle for the first time, albeit the glamorous, Hollywood version. Still, it opened people's eyes in a way that hasn't been done since the publication of The Well of Loneliness or Ellen DeGeneres' coming out on national TV. Now here is The L Life, the book that will show it all, through interviews and photos with real women who are real heroes. This book is a celebration of the lives of lesbians who have made their mark in our world: headline-makers like Elizabeth Birch of the Human Rights Campaign; out authors and comedians like Alison Bechdel and Judy Gold, who help the world see life from our side; Christine Quinn, who as City Council Speaker for New York City (and very possibly its next mayor) holds the second biggest job in the most powerful city in the world; and unknowns like Lupe Valdez of Dallas County, the country's first Latina sheriff.

Lesbian studies.