“Watch this show! It has lesbians!” You’ve probably heard this from your friends—or said it to them—countless times. It’s no secret that mainstream media isn’t always great with providing a wealth of quality LGBTQ+ representation, so seeing characters like ourselves is super uplifting. Check out these characters—you’ll definitely relate to at least one.
1. Sophia Burset – Orange Is the New Black
Sophia is a kind, sympathetic and smart trans woman whom we’ve all come to love on the hit show Orange Is the New Black. She ended up in prison after stealing credit cards to pay for her sex reassignment surgery, a procedure that is extremely costly. Okay, sure, we bet most of you haven’t gone to prison for theft, but the transmisogyny (the negative attitudes and discrimination directed toward trans women specifically) she faces on the show will definitely hit close to home for young trans women.
2. Amy Raudenfeld – Faking It
In MTV’s Faking It, best friends Amy and Karma pretend to date to become more popular in high school—at least, it’s pretend for a while. Through acting like girlfriends, Amy (spoiler alert) realizes her feelings for her best friend. Her straight best friend. Yeah, who hasn’t had an annoying, all-consuming straight-girl crush in their lives? And okay, it may suck, but hey—you’ll find someone right for you in the end.
3. Lisbeth Salander – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Attention girls who didn’t have the easiest childhoods: We have a fictional soul sister for you. Though her experiences teaming up with a journalist-gone-detective to solve a murder mystery are pretty unique, Lisbeth Salander didn’t have parents to be dependent on when she was younger, and it forced her to grow up and take care of herself pretty early on in her life. Despite that, Lisbeth grew up into a very intelligent and independent young woman. She also doesn’t place too much of a label on her sexuality, having had romantic and sexual experiences with men and women. Like some LGBTQ+ individuals, Lisbeth doesn’t make her sexuality the focus of her life; it’s one aspect of her, but it doesn’t define her.
4. Luisa Alver – Jane the Virgin
Luisa, an openly gay woman, has many complicated relationships with women in her life. From her wife, whom she walked in on as she was cheating on her; to her step-mother, Rose, whom she had a relationship with before Rose married Luisa’s much older father; Luisa’s partners will definitely remind you of your own relationship problems.
Luisa is a kind and smart doctor who has worked hard to get to her position, despite the fact that she grew up with a rich father which could have helped her lead a simpler life, maybe even free of her previous substance addiction. This is a sad reality, as LGBTQ+ individuals are two to three times more likely than heterosexual people to suffer from alcohol addiction. Her character reminds us that there is much we need to do to support the LGBTQ+ community, as we are at such a bigger risk.
5. Delphine Cormier – Orphan Black
You remember the first time you ever fell for a girl, don’t you? It can be more than a little confusing. When scientist Delphine Cormier falls in love with Cosima, one of the clones she’s studying, she falls hard, and at first, she doesn’t quite want to admit it to herself or Cosima. After some other complications in their relationship, she and Cosima work through it and become the cutest couple on the show. Delphine teaches us to not be afraid of our feelings, even if they surprise us. Just take some time to think about it and stay true to yourself, and do what you know will make you happy.
We all know how exciting it is to find a relatable character in our favorite shows, especially when they’re queer like we are. Hopefully you were able to see yourself in some of these characters and maybe find a new cool show to watch, too!
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