Netflix’s hit dark comedy series Orange is the New Black tells the story of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) inside the prison and how she deals with inmates and former lesbian lover, Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). This same sex relationship though seems to have inspired people close to the show.
Lauren Morelli, a writer for Orange Is the New Black, has divorced her husband of two years, Steve Basilone, after realizing that she’s gay. Morelli said that she realized this while she was working on the show. She is currently dating Samira Wiley who is also part of show playing as Poussey Washington.
Morelli revealed her story through an essay posted in MIC.
“I realized I was gay in fall 2012, one of my first days on the set. It wasn't so much one thing, but the sum of many small details: how uncomfortable I felt around groups of lesbians or how I considered myself (shrug) a "not very sexual person." When considered alone, these seemed like little quirks that made me me. Wanting to read a book instead of have sex is a perfectly reasonable preference to have, right?
But on set, these small moments came into sharp relief, and I found myself answering to an endless stream of cast members who peppered me with questions like a gaggle of kindergartners curious about their new teacher. "Are you dating anyone?" "You're married?" "To a man?" "But you used to kiss girls?" "Do you miss it?"
I was finally forced to consider a question that had never, ever occurred to me before: Holy shit, am I gay?”
One particular scene that had major effect on her was the one she wrote for Piper and Alex.
“The sound stage for Orange, where we proudly employ what has to be at least 64% of lesbians in the New York City metro area, is not a place where you can shy away from women or sexuality. And if you're trying to, Lea Delaria (Big Boo) will nip it in the bud by inviting you to sit on her lap.”
“Accordingly, I was nervous about the first love scene I'd written for Alex and Piper. I'd loved writing it, loved watching a tenderness emerge in their relationship where passion always seemed to be the ruling principle, but by that time, I was so deep in my own self-doubt that I constantly felt like a fraud. I was sure it was bleeding into my writing. How could it not? I was married to a man, but I wasn't straight.”
