Black Lightning’s lesbian superhero opens up about getting a girlfriend

Black Lightning’s black lesbian superhero is set to get a new girlfriend – and the actress playing her could not be more excited.

The CW’s new show – which is available on Netflix – features Anissa Pierce, who finds out that just like her title character father Jefferson, she has powers.

Played by Nafessa Williams, Anissa must come to terms with her newfound abilities on the way to becoming Thunder – a process which Williams has compared to coming out as a lesbian.

(The CW)

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the actress said her character, who is also a medical student and a teacher at her father’s school, was in a period of “discovery”.

“She begins to struggle with it because she’s learning these things about herself and she’s finding out about how these powers work and where they came from,” Williams said.

“But it’s one of those things [where she wonders:] am I a freak? Do I share it? Is anyone going to believe me? My parents are overprotective, how are they going to accept it?

(Facebook/black lightning)

“It’s almost in the mental space you’re at if you’re coming out as a gay or a lesbian to your parents,” she continued. “It’s a parallel like that as well.

“It’s a secret that she holds onto for a while because she really doesn’t know who to talk to about it and how people are going to react to that.”