100 Women We Love: Cynthia Childs

If anyone kept it real on The Real L Word, it was series Co-Executive Producer Cynthia Childs. An out lesbian, Childs was in a unique position to champion our stories, while adhering to the original premise of The L Word. "It [was] definitely a lot to live up to," she says. “The lesbian audience is so broad—from very young girls to very mature women. To strike a chord with the entire audience was a tricky thing to do.” Then and now, the Santa Monica resident has always supported LGBT stories with heart, showing that there's more to our community than lube wrestling. (Although that's fun, too.) Childs also is the co-founder of Bittersweet Productions, a Los Angeles–based production company dedicated to making documentaries that serve as catalysts for change and spotlight social issues. Bittersweet co-produced the award-winning film A Place to Live: The Story of Triangle Square, about the very first affordable-housing community for elderly gays and lesbians in the country. Whether she's producing documentaries or docu-series, Childs believes that “it’s up to us to create the next show that we want to watch.” –DN