The 25 Best LGBTQ+ Characters on Television, Period

It wasn't so long ago that watching a character come out as LGBTQ+ on television, or be introduced as openly queer in any way, seemed rare. But in 2020, it would be frowned upon to turn on a show and discover that it only had heterosexual characters. That's progress, y'all! Here's a look at some of the best LGBTQ+ characters on television.

That doesn't mean the representation issues on television are gone, obviously. We're slowly (but not quickly enough) moving out of a period in pop culture where it feels like every LGBTQ+ character is defined by some kind of trauma or tragedy. There's also the "Bury Your Gays" trope that still lurks in the shadows—for those unfamiliar, that is an unsettling trend that shows like The Walking Dead, The 100, and Doctor Who furthered in which characters are revealed as queer and then quickly killed off. The trend is not only traumatic for the viewer, but it sends a message that television producers have the guts to really engage with these characters and tell their stories.

So for this list, we're going to focus not only on the characters that broke LGBTQ+ ground on television and captured the hearts of viewers everywhere, but try to shine a spotlight on characters that don't exist solely to suffer on screen. Enjoy!