A look at eight iconic LGBTQ+ characters on television and the performers who portrayed them.
Drama and queerness have long been intertwined, but it’s only in more recent decades that LGBTQ+ characters have had a chance to shine on the small screen. With television being one of the most accessible forms of media, it can be a first experience for many people of seeing queer characters and relationships.
It’s no wonder that many people under the LGBTQ+ umbrella speak of the impact certain television characters have had on their lives.
Here are eight of the most iconic LGBTQ+ roles in television, the actors and actresses who portrayed them and the reasons they’ve become such popular and beloved characters.
1. ‘Willow Rosenberg’ (Alyson Hannigan) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer developed a queer following from early on in its run, thanks to its relatable themes of female empowerment and ‘high school is hell’. It wasn’t until Season 4 that the show fully embraced queer representation by having one of its main characters – the computer nerd and witch, ‘Willow Rosenberg’ (Alyson Hannigan) – fall in love with another woman, fellow witch ‘Tara Maclay’ (Amber Benson).
Introduced at a time when lesbian representation was still rare in mainstream television, Willow quickly became a beloved icon for sapphic women.
2. ‘Sophia Burset’ (Laverne Cox) – Orange is the New Black
Orange is the New Black served as one of Netflix’s original flagship shows, running for seven seasons and garnering several Emmy awards. One of the breakout characters on the show was ‘Sophia Burset’ (Laverne Cox), who would go on to win an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Sophia, a transgender woman imprisoned for credit card fraud, quickly gained a following among fans of the show for her wit and sympathetic backstory and became one of the most instantly recognisable trans characters in television.
3. ‘Eric Effiong’ (Ncuti Gatwa) – Sex Education
Sex Education became an immediate hit for Netflix when the show debuted in 2019, in part due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the character, ‘Eric Effiong’ (Spotlight member, Ncuti Gatwa).
Introduced as the best friend of protagonist ‘Otis’, Eric was given his own storylines independent of Otis’s problems, allowing the show to follow his tumultuous relationship with his high school bully and delve into how he reconciled his sexuality and the culture of his religious Ghanaian-Nigerian family.
4. ‘Ianto Jones’ (Gareth David-Lloyd) – Torchwood
BBC’s Torchwood, a Doctor Who spin-off aimed at older teens and adults, was unafraid to embrace queer themes from its early days. One way in which these themes were explored was through the developing relationship between ‘Captain Jack Harkness’ (John Barrowman) and ‘Ianto Jones’ (Spotlight member Gareth David-Lloyd).
Ianto’s role was expanded from earlier episodes thanks to the cult following that developed around the character – especially regarding his bisexuality and blossoming relationship with Jack. His death in the third series of the show was met with widespread upset from fans and a shrine dedicated to the character was erected in the show’s setting of Cardiff Bay, which still exists today.
5. ‘Will Truman’ (Eric McCormack) – Will & Grace
One of the most successful television shows with a principal cast of queer characters, NBC sitcom Will & Grace is widely credited for improving public opinion of the LGBTQ+ community.
The titular ‘Will Truman’ (Eric McCormack) received a mixed reception in the early seasons, but many fans felt he was a positive depiction of a gay man who did not conform to stereotypes and he was praised for his compassionate nature and loving friendship with ‘Grace Adler’ (Debra Messing). The popularity of the character and the show led to Eric McCormack winning an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001.
6. ‘Anne Lister’ (Suranne Jones) – Gentleman Jack
‘Anne Lister’ is unique among the figures on this list as she is based on a real person – an English diarist dubbed ‘the first modern lesbian’ by scholars. Brought to life by Suranne Jones in the BBC/HBO series Gentleman Jack, the show gained an instant queer following for its depiction of a gender non-conforming lesbian in a lead role – a rare occurrence, especially in period dramas.
Though the show was unfortunately cancelled after its second season, it received critical acclaim and maintains a dedicated fanbase.
7. ‘Villanelle’ (Jodie Comer) – Killing Eve
The breakout character of BBC series Killing Eve, ‘Villanelle’, was introduced as a psychopathic, bisexual assassin obsessed with British intelligence agent, ‘Eve Polastri’ (Sandra Oh). Both the character and Spotlight member Jodie Comer’s performance drew instant acclaim.
Despite being a villain, Villanelle has been praised for her well-rounded characterisation, which allowed for a complex, layered relationship to develop between her and Eve over the course of four seasons.
8. ‘Shane McCutcheon’ (Katherine Moennig) – The L Word
Upon its debut in 2004, The L Word broke new ground as the first mainstream television series to feature an ensemble cast made up of almost entirely queer female characters. One of them was ‘Shane McCutcheon’ – an androgynous lesbian portrayed by Katherine Moennig.
Shane quickly became a sex symbol among fans of the show, with a long string of lovers due to her reluctance to commit to a relationship. Moennig went on to reprise her role in the sequel series The L Word: Generation Q, which began airing in 2019.
Find out more about the history of lesbian representation on television and discover LGBTQ+ film recommendations from Spotlight members.
