OITNB Cast: 'We Started a Trend' of LGBT Diversity on TV

The cast of Netflix's breakout hit Orange Is the New Black told critics this week that they are proud of the impact their show's diverse casting and inclusive storytelling has made.

Dateline Hollywood reports that during an interview earlier this week with members of the Television Critics Association, cast members acknowledged that the show, set in a federal prison, is not only in the vanguard of television's depiction of both LGBT characters and women of color, it also plays a role in cultural acceptance of LGBT individuals.

"What we've done is a large part of the LGBT community getting rights, fighting for rights and achieving our rights. It's been about winning the hearts and the minds of people, and Orange Is Tthe New Black has been an important part of what has happened in our community," said out actress Lea DeLaria, who plays Litchfield Penitentiary's resident butch lesbian, Big Boo.