Jennifer Beals has said that the Trump administration has had an impact on The L Word: Generation Q.

The L Word ran for six seasons (2004-2009) on Showtime. The premium cable channel debuted the show's sequel, The L Word: Generation Q, on Sunday, December 8.

(Related: First look: Showtime releases trailer for lesbian drama The L Word: Generation Q.)

Returning for the new series are Beals, Katherine Moennig, and Leisha Hailey, who will appear as their original characters.

New cast members include Arienne Mandi, who plays a public relations representative; Leo Sheng, who plays a transgender man and social worker; and Jacqueline Toboni, who plays a religious woman struggling with her sexuality.

Beals said that the new characters on the series expand the show's discussion to include gender identification.

“You know, when we were starting the show, nonbinary was a mathematical term, and now we talk about it in terms of identity,” Beals said. “And we're being able in this new iteration of the show to talk about all the other ways that we now talk about gender identity and sexuality.”

“I think with this administration, they have given people permission to say really hateful things and they are perpetrating hateful things. I’m hoping that the Equal Rights Amendment can be passed for many, many reasons, but not the least of which that if you’re LGBTQ, you can be fired from your job still in 26 states. You know, you can be denied housing in 26 states. And so, certainly we haven’t reached any kind of state of equality, but I think that’s also the power of storytelling can help that issue,” she said.

The L Word: Generation Q airs Sundays on Showtime.