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

[Winter]

It's Awesome how we get a whole month to ourselves. And why not, we're kinda amazing when you get right down to it and by the looks of things the stories we are involved in are going increase if what I've heard about the MCU China and Russia import are true.

But that's for another day (July 8th hopefully) but right now I want to know, what LGBT stories and or character are your favorites. What's a show, movie, game, play, poet, novel or comic that features a Lesbian, Gay man, Bisexual, Asexual and so on in a LEADING Or Secondary Major Role in a series that you feel is not only a good story but a GREAT story.

For the record, this can ONLY include stories that are canon AND were Upfront with their Queerness so sadly Gargoyles can't be counted because no one knew Lex was gay until years AFTER the show went off the air and the same goes for Amphibia for the Calamity Trio as we didn't get anything to explicated and it was kept vague (Yunan and Olivia can be counted though). Some allowances can be made such as The Legend of Korra which was as upfront as you could get in 2014 along with Steven Universe or Adventure Time which likewise weren't that much more open then Korra was. Also, it can't be a minor character/s or a minor background event like what we've gotten in Star Wars recently (come on Lucas Film, you're never going to get China's approval so just stop trying and embrace the gay side of the Force... God imagine a Force user who shot out Rainbows from their hands instead of Lightning) and the series has to be ongoing on finished, no series that are not yet out.

And finally no series that made the character gay in a reboot which means Harley Queen in the Original Batman: The Animated Series doesn't count. You can count the Harley Queen TV Series and the recent comics but anything Pre-New 52 doesn't count as it was left vague for years.

Now that's all out of the way here's my least.

The Legend of Korra and Avatar on the Whole Right Now
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
The Owl House
Dragon Age
Mass Effect
Dreadnought/Nemesis
The Last of Us
Fear Street (Netflix)
Life is Strange
Wayne Family Adventures
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Sailor Moon
Cloud Atlas
Sense8
Arcane
Doctor Who
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Xena: Warrior Princess

I wish I could have added things like Raya and the Last Dragon, the Survivor Timeline of Tomb Raider or Frozen to the list but sadly none of them are open with said their LGBT elements despite having a rather massive LGBT fanbase.

But still, maybe in the near future that will change, after all, we're not going anywhere and, as stated at the start, we're kind of amazing.

[ProfessorDetective]

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).

[CharlesPhipps]

3) Leliana (Dragon Age): She may be the fantasy girlfriend of a lot of boys and girls with a leaning to the former in her presentation. But she's never less than upfront about her relationships with the latter being incredibly important to her and an important part of her identity.

4) Samantha Traynor (Mass Effect): Samantha is gay and no matter how much a straight or bi male Shepard wants to date her, the game makes it clear she's not into you. However, she's a charming, witty, and fun gal who serves as your gal friday.

5} Ellie (The Last of Us): I actually give major props after the controversial DLC that they leaned into Elllie being an enormous mess in her relationships. She chooses revenge over love and screws up things as good as Spider-Man. Just like a straight character.

[Madner Kami]

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.

My two favourite characters were already named and I just can't think of any other which stand out to me, though I am certain some names will come up by other posters, which I just didn't think of.

Leliana is generally a great character and she's written pretty darn well.

Judy made me wish I were a woman. Or rather, if I met her in reallife, I'd wish I'd be one.

I'd like to kinda add both River Ward and Panam Palmer from Cyberpunk though. Why? A) They're great and interesting characters for completely different reasons (compared with each other) and B) River can be romanced if you have a female V-body and either a female or male voice set and similar is true for Panam, as she accepts a romance with a male-bodied V with either male or female voice set. Now this can be argued as an oversight in how the romance-logic works, but, Judy only accepts female body plus female voice and Kerry only male body with male voice as a romance. So, not sure how this ended up this way, but it's there and embraced by the developers, as far as I am aware. Judy and Kerry don't accept trans characters (not sure if this is the right descriptor), while Panam and River do, hence I feel it's justified to be included. Argueably, Evelin Parker as well.

Cyberpunk in particular is full of intriguing characters with a notable presence of... rainbow options, for lack of a better word (actually, I like this word, can we make this a thing?). It makes a whole lot of sense for the setting and it's beautiful that this found it's way into the writing, whether by intend or accident.

[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.

Another good trans character is Danny Tozer AKA Dreadnought from the Dreadnought series by April Daniels. Basically, she gets the powers of Supergirl after Superman's equivalent dies and that opens up a shitstorm among the rest of the world.

So, not sure how this ended up this way, but it's there and embraced by the developers, as far as I am aware. Judy and Kerry don't accept trans characters (not sure if this is the right descriptor), while Panam and River do, hence I feel it's justified to be included. Argueably, Evelin Parker as well.

Well they're straight people who date trans men and women respectively. Which is a distinction that trans activists try to bring home.

[hammerofglass]

The only problem with this kind of discussion is the forum is self-selected to have so many of the same fandoms.

My entry in the Dragon Age lovefest: Krem. First time I'd seen a trans person treated respectfully and seriously in media. I didn't know any trans people at the time (well I didn't know I did, out of the same friend group I had then it's up to three now) and the whole "yeah he's a guy, why are you being weird about it" way they played it was eye-opening. It's weird how well they handled it there and then in Andromeda we had miss "hi stranger want to know my deadname?"

Just because of my pfp, I think Entrapta is about the only romantic ace representation I've seen. Maybe Todd from Bojack counts but it never goes anywhere there.

Double Trouble, also from She-ra. NB character played by an NB actor in a show with an NB showrunner, very cool.

Casually-genderfluid shapeshifter Loki from the Agent of Asgard run is fun. Basically a different character than earlier and later versioons, it's complicated.

Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Gay trans and non-binary characters handled well in the freaking 80's and early 90's.

Still haven't played Cyperpunk, just started Dreadnaught and enjoying it.

[CharlesPhipps]

The only problem with this kind of discussion is the forum is self-selected to have so many of the same fandoms.

Eh, better we all can discuss the subjects involved than go, "Who?"

[Thebestoftherest]

Amity and Luz.

[CharlesPhipps]

John Constantine for bisexual male protagonists.

[clearspira]

Tom Hanks in Philadelphia. I need to see that film again. Uplifting but sad at the same time.