The L Chat

Forum · Message Board
Name:	L Chat
Date(s):	2009 - Current
Moderated:
Type:	discussion forum
Fandom:	Multifandom
Scope:
URL:	The L Chat
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The L Chat is a popular web forum which discusses issues and pop culture relating to lesbians. It is named after The L Word.

The general environment of The L Chat, seemingly for its entire existence to date, is often incredibly hostile and bigoted towards other people in the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans and non-binary people, though hostility towards non-lesbian sapphics and other queer people occurs with regularity as well.

From a fandom documentation and archival perspective, the web forum has a large number of discussion threads about shows with lesbian and other sapphic characters or lesbian and sapphic RPF fandoms. Additionally, some of the threads pre-2018 on the old forum (when it was part of L Anon) can be accessed via the Wayback Machine where discussions of older fandoms can be found. Many of these fandom discussions are difficult to find or smaller in quantity elsewhere. For example, there are many threads, with thousands of responses, about the women's football fandom and shows with lesbian or other sapphic characters often have hundreds of pages of discussion dedicated to them.

Discussions about fandoms and fanworks regularly occur in the relevant threads for fandoms, with fic recs, reviews, criticisms, discourse, arguments, and meta all present with relative commonality. The hostilities and bigotries present in the forum overall are often reflected in these discussions; however, some fandom threads seem to be more likely to have lesbians and other sapphics who are supportive and inclusive of others in the queer community pushing back against bigoted arguments. This likely happens when threads from The L Chat are shared on other social media platforms; since the forum is primarily an anon forum there is no need to create an account to respond to comments.

History

Functioning since 2009, and with about 17 million published posts (1 June, 2017), The L Chat is an anonymous forum in the English language in which issues relating to current affairs and popular culture are discussed and speculated upon from a lesbian perspective, especially the threads about media products with lesbian or bisexual characters, or gossip about the sexual orientation of celebrities. Because of its anonymity, the forum enjoys popularity and influence among lesbian users worldwide who consider it a safe place on the internet, and it is frequented by so-called industry insiders to share private information and scoops, gauge reactions from fans, and generally monitor speculation.

The L Chat is the evil spawn of the popular site "L anonymous". It was created shortly after Lez.Admin's (the mod of L Anonymous) 22nd mental meltdown by a group of rogue Rohanites (Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson fangirls). It is now infamous for torturing small time lesbian vloggers.

Reputation

Mar Guerrero-Pico, María-José Establés & Rafael Ventura (May, 2018):

Despite the facetious tone of many of the posts, the pseudonymous/anonymous nature of the forum and public accessibility also enable trolling, hostile interactions among its users, and hate speech towards other individuals of the LGBTQ spectrum (chiefly, transgender or non-binary people) and heterosexuals.

iwearvondouche (July 08, 2010):

The vile and filthy septic tank where the worst elements of the lesbian community congregate and behave like cyber cunts. Its existence benefits the rest of the lesbian community by attracting trolls, antisocial personalities and mouthbreathers, thereby segregating them from the rest of the lesbian population in a virtual holding pen.