Celebrating Pride Month: What is Your Favorite LGBT Story/Characters in Speculative Fiction (Canon Examples Only)

[Riedquat]

Cyberpunk 2077, where they actually lock their romance options behind the gender selection, one hetero and one homo for each. The homosexual options are:

1). Judy Alvarez, a computer genius and braindance (fully immersive recordings of one's senses AND emotions) director/editor trying to come to terms with the death of a friend/former lover and her conflicting desire to leave the city behind.

2). Kerry Eurodyne, a barely-still-relevant rock star trying to reclaim his lost fame and reconect with his long-technically-dead best friend and bandmate who is actually alive...ish... (and is currently a virus overwriting the PC's mind, don't ask).

Problem with Cyberpunk 2077 is that was still just one each (well two if your character's bi). Judy was the only one I really liked, although River's date with his family worked well, there's just too little other content for him, too minor a character to be an LI.

[Frustration]

Tchicaya, from Greg Egan's Schild's Ladder. Although there are so many alternate-sexuality or post-sexuality characters in his works it's impossible to choose just one.

[CharlesPhipps]

Problem with Cyberpunk 2077 is that was still just one each (well two if your character's bi). Judy was the only one I really liked, although River's date with his family worked well, there's just too little other content for him, too minor a character to be an LI.

He's in both the corruption and serial killer stories. It's just neither tie-together with the main plot.

[Riedquat]

Problem with Cyberpunk 2077 is that was still just one each (well two if your character's bi). Judy was the only one I really liked, although River's date with his family worked well, there's just too little other content for him, too minor a character to be an LI.

He's in both the corruption and serial killer stories. It's just neither tie-together with the main plot.

Maybe it's being in the main plot that gives Judy and Panam a great deal more game time (Kerry doesn't get much either, I couldn't say whether it's more or less than River).

[Riedquat]

Speaking of Cyberpunk Claire is a great character even if she doesn't qualify as more than a minor one because she is a trans character but doesn't have it as the sole focus of her character yet is clearly a major part of her identity. If you want to list Claire's traits, she's the bartender at the afterlife, a widower out for revenge, a street racer, and also enjoyably quirky.

Yeah, Claire's a pretty good character. Seems odd that you can't change your character once you've created them, especially in a setting like this where it's no problem in-universe to change anything and everything about your body (although it might seem a bit strange that everyone still recognises you).

[CharlesPhipps]

Speaking of Cyberpunk Claire is a great character even if she doesn't qualify as more than a minor one because she is a trans character but doesn't have it as the sole focus of her character yet is clearly a major part of her identity. If you want to list Claire's traits, she's the bartender at the afterlife, a widower out for revenge, a street racer, and also enjoyably quirky.

Yeah, Claire's a pretty good character. Seems odd that you can't change your character once you've created them, especially in a setting like this where it's no problem in-universe to change anything and everything about your body (although it might seem a bit strange that everyone still recognises you).

You can now. It was in the 1.5 update.

[McAvoy]

Xena: Warrior Princess

I always have issues with accepting that beyond fanon. My perception of that is, that neither character was ever intended to be bisexual/lesbian, but that this is something that came along to rationalize the ever increasing fan-service based off "male gaze". They do write it with romantic overtones lateron, but it absolutely doesn't start out this way.

I think originally they wee just companions and that was that. I think fanon did direct them to the whole 'soul mates' or 'connected souls' thing they did later on. But I don't think Xena and Gabriel were bi or lesbian in the traditional way as we saw it in the series.

[Winter]

Xena: Warrior Princess

I always have issues with accepting that beyond fanon. My perception of that is, that neither character was ever intended to be bisexual/lesbian, but that this is something that came along to rationalize the ever increasing fan-service based off "male gaze". They do write it with romantic overtones lateron, but it absolutely doesn't start out this way.

I think originally they wee just companions and that was that. I think fanon did direct them to the whole 'soul mates' or 'connected souls' thing they did later on. But I don't think Xena and Gabriel were bi or lesbian in the traditional way as we saw it in the series.

Maybe but the show Certainly leaned into the idea of the two being more then friends. Keep in mind that one of the last scenes Xena and Gabrielle had together was a straight up kiss on the lips. Yes it was intended as Gabrielle just giving Xena the water of life but LOOK AT THIS!!!


youtu.be/ojKGyI1TsJw

Look at the way the scene is shot, listen to the music, how Gabrielle rubs her nose against Xena's. This is framed as a romantic kiss between the two leads with the whole Water of Life thing just being a convenient excuse.

Xena and Gabrielle were really the Korrasami of their time in that the show was obviously doing eveyrthing they could to say these two were a couple in every possible way outside of Just Saying It. By today's standards it seems overly subdued but many W|W romances owe a lot to Xena and Gabrielle for pushing and outright breaking ground at the time.

Yesterdays "Overly Overt and Forced" LGBT Romance is today's "To Subtle and Not Brave Enough."

[McAvoy]

Xena: Warrior Princess

I always have issues with accepting that beyond fanon. My perception of that is, that neither character was ever intended to be bisexual/lesbian, but that this is something that came along to rationalize the ever increasing fan-service based off "male gaze". They do write it with romantic overtones lateron, but it absolutely doesn't start out this way.

I think originally they wee just companions and that was that. I think fanon did direct them to the whole 'soul mates' or 'connected souls' thing they did later on. But I don't think Xena and Gabriel were bi or lesbian in the traditional way as we saw it in the series.

Maybe but the show Certainly leaned into the idea of the two being more then friends. Keep in mind that one of the last scenes Xena and Gabrielle had together was a straight up kiss on the lips. Yes it was intended as Gabrielle just giving Xena the water of life but LOOK AT THIS!!!


youtu.be/ojKGyI1TsJw

Look at the way the scene is shot, listen to the music, how Gabrielle rubs her nose against Xena's. This is framed as a romantic kiss between the two leads with the whole Water of Life thing just being a convenient excuse.

Xena and Gabrielle were really the Korrasami of their time in that the show was obviously doing eveyrthing they could to say these two were a couple in every possible way outside of Just Saying It. By today's standards it seems overly subdued but many W|W romances owe a lot to Xena and Gabrielle for pushing and outright breaking ground at the time.

Yesterdays "Overly Overt and Forced" LGBT Romance is today's "To Subtle and Not Brave Enough."

I cannot speak for the other references you mentioned. But it is the nature of story telling of characters becoming more than they were from what they were in the beginning. The series did make it seem natural as the series went on. Whether it was fanon or the writers intent is up to interviews at this point.

I think male gaze played a part in it but it obviously became something else in the end. There is a reason why Xena overtook Hercules in short order.

[Winter]

Xena: Warrior Princess

I always have issues with accepting that beyond fanon. My perception of that is, that neither character was ever intended to be bisexual/lesbian, but that this is something that came along to rationalize the ever increasing fan-service based off "male gaze". They do write it with romantic overtones lateron, but it absolutely doesn't start out this way.

I think originally they wee just companions and that was that. I think fanon did direct them to the whole 'soul mates' or 'connected souls' thing they did later on. But I don't think Xena and Gabriel were bi or lesbian in the traditional way as we saw it in the series.

Maybe but the show Certainly leaned into the idea of the two being more then friends. Keep in mind that one of the last scenes Xena and Gabrielle had together was a straight up kiss on the lips. Yes it was intended as Gabrielle just giving Xena the water of life but LOOK AT THIS!!!


youtu.be/ojKGyI1TsJw

Look at the way the scene is shot, listen to the music, how Gabrielle rubs her nose against Xena's. This is framed as a romantic kiss between the two leads with the whole Water of Life thing just being a convenient excuse.

Xena and Gabrielle were really the Korrasami of their time in that the show was obviously doing eveyrthing they could to say these two were a couple in every possible way outside of Just Saying It. By today's standards it seems overly subdued but many W|W romances owe a lot to Xena and Gabrielle for pushing and outright breaking ground at the time.

Yesterdays "Overly Overt and Forced" LGBT Romance is today's "To Subtle and Not Brave Enough."

I cannot speak for the other references you mentioned. But it is the nature of story telling of characters becoming more than they were from what they were in the beginning. The series did make it seem natural as the series went on. Whether it was fanon or the writers intent is up to interviews at this point.

I think male gaze played a part in it but it obviously became something else in the end. There is a reason why Xena overtook Hercules in short order.

What's funny about the last bit as it retains to this topic is that Hercules is canonically Bisexual (I think he had like 8 boyfriends) but to changing times he was made into a heterosexual exclusive club. Xena, a character made as a spinoff of Hercules was MORE openly Bi then this incarnation of Hercules at a time when that was frowned upon. It's just something I've always found funny, how being gay in Ancient Greece was seen as perfectly normal in contrast to how it was and is viewed today. Really, it's not so much that being queer is seen as normal but rather people are realizing it's always been normal.