The following is a list of film franchises with fictional and factual lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender characters. The films were released theatrically, direct-to-video, or on a streaming platform (non-television network).
(For fictional queer characters (the "Q" in LGBT-Q), see lists for asexual, intersex, non-binary, and pansexual characters.)
Film franchises, as well as sequels and prequels, share common universes. The following film series collectively feature LGBT characters in a leading or supporting role (guest characters are also included).
Franchise | Year | Title | Character(s) | Identity | Actor | Notes | Country | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austin Powers | 1997 | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | Frau Farbissina | Bisexual | Mindy Sterling | Frau has a girlfriend named Una Brau in the second film who she met on the LPGA tour and fell in love. Later, when Dr. Evil and Past Frau have sex, she comments that she'll never love another man. Dr. Evil remembers her, responding "Yes, that's true". The sex between Dr. Evil and Frau results in their "love child", Scott. | United States | [1] |
1999 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | |||||||
2002 | Austin Powers in Goldmember | |||||||
Bridget Jones | 2001 | Bridget Jones's Diary | Tom | Gay | James Callis | Tom is Bridget's flamboyant 'gay best friend'. | United Kingdom, United States, France | [2] [3] [4] [4] |
2004 | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason | |||||||
Rebecca Gillies | Lesbian | Jacinda Barrett | Rebecca is Mark Darcy's colleague who Bridget thinks is enamoured with him; it turns out her affections lie with Bridget. | Germany, Ireland | ||||
2016 | Bridget Jones's Baby | Tom | Gay | James Callis | The same character from the 2001 and 2004 films. | United Kingdom, United States, France | ||
Bullyparade | 2001 | Der Schuh des Manitu | Winnetouch | Gay | Michael Herbig | Older twin brother of the Apache chief Abahachi. | Germany | [5] |
2004 | Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1 | Captain Jürgen T. Kork | Gay | Christian Tramitz | Parodies of Star Trek characters Captain James T. Kirk, Scotty, and Mr. Spock. Spoof and characters originate from the television show Bullyparade . | Germany | [6] | |
Schrotty | Gay | Rick Kavanian | ||||||
Mr. Brigitte "Spucki" Spuck | Gay | Michael Herbig | ||||||
2017 | Bullyparade: The Movie | Captain Jürgen T. Kork | Gay | Christian Tramitz | Germany | [7] | ||
Schrotty | Gay | Rick Kavanian | ||||||
Mr. Brigitte "Spucki" Spuck | Gay | Michael Herbig | ||||||
Child's Play | 1998 | Bride of Chucky | David | Gay | Gordon Michael Woolvett | He has an unnamed ex-boyfriend. | United States | [8] [9] [10] [11] |
2013 | Curse of Chucky | Jill | Lesbian | Maitland McConnell | The live-in nanny of Alice, she has an affair with Barb, who is Alice's mother, making out with her in the kitchen. | |||
DC Extended Universe | ||||||||
2020 | Birds of Prey | Harley Quinn | Bisexual | Margot Robbie | In the opening 10 minutes, Harley says she is unlucky in love, which is represented by an animated sequence showing two of her previous partners as men and one as a woman. | United States | [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] | |
Renee Montoya | Lesbian | Rosie Perez | Renée and Ellen are exes. | |||||
Ellen Yee | Ali Wong | |||||||
2021 | The Suicide Squad | Harley Quinn | Bisexual | Margot Robbie | Same character from the 2020 film. | |||
2023 | Shazam! Fury of the Gods | Pedro Peña | Gay | Jovan Armand | In one scene, Pedro comes out to his foster family as gay. | |||
D. J. Cotrona | ||||||||
Deadpool | 2018 | Deadpool 2 | Negasonic Teenage Warhead | Lesbian | Brianna Hildebrand | Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio are in a relationship. | United States | [18] [19] |
Yukio | Shioli Kutsuna | |||||||
2024 | Deadpool & Wolverine | Negasonic Teenage Warhead | Brianna Hildebrand | |||||
Yukio | Shioli Kutsuna | |||||||
The Hangover | 2009 | The Hangover | Leslie Chow | Bisexual | Ken Jeong | The main antagonist in two films. In The Hangover he mentions his bisexuality. (GLAAD criticized the character as stereotypical.) | United States | [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] |
2011 | The Hangover Part II | |||||||
Kimberly "Kimmy" | Trans woman | Yasmin Lee | A beautiful stripper and sex worker who Stu falls for. | |||||
2013 | The Hangover Part III | Leslie Chow | Bisexual | Ken Jeong | Chow escapes from a prison in Thailand and is a major presence with a parade of hookers, as he remains sex-obsessed. | |||
It | 2017 | It | Richie Tozier | Gay | Finn Wolfhard (young) Bill Hader (adult) | It is revealed that when Richie was younger, he struggled with his sexuality and feelings for his best friend Eddie Kaspbrak, and was bullied for it. When he returns to Derry 27 years later, we find out Richie had been in love with Eddie, who dies, which devastates Richie, but leads him to accept who he is and re-carve his and Eddie's initials on the kissing bridge that he had carved when he was 13. He loved James Ransone as an adult. | United States | [27] |
2019 | It Chapter Two | |||||||
Jurassic Park | 2022 | Jurassic World Dominion | Kayla Watts | Bisexual | DeWanda Wise | Watts is a former US Air Force pilot who aids Owen and Claire on their mission. Wise confirmed the character's bisexuality in an interview. | United States | [28] [29] |
Knives Out | 2019 | Knives Out | Benoit Blanc | Gay | Daniel Craig | Blanc is a master detective who has a domestic partner named Philip. | United States | [30] [31] [32] |
2022 | Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | |||||||
Philip | Hugh Grant | |||||||
Mannequin | 1987 | Mannequin | Hollywood Montrose | Gay | Meshach Taylor | A flamboyant black man. | United States | [33] [34] |
1991 | Mannequin Two: On the Move | |||||||
Marvel Cinematic Universe | 2017 | Thor: Ragnarok | Valkyrie | Bisexual | Tessa Thompson | The scene confirming the character's bisexuality was deleted from the film and her sexual orientation is instead only alluded to. (Valkyrie is canonically bisexual in the comics the movie was based on.) | United States | [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] |
2018 | Black Panther | Ayo | Lesbian | Florence Kasumba | Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name who has a lesbian lover in the Dora Milaje. | |||
2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Grieving man | Gay | Joe Russo | The first openly gay character portrayed in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, he was at a support group brought together by Steve Rogers. | |||
Valkyrie | Bisexual | Tessa Thompson | In the film, she is crowned King of Asgard. | |||||
2021 | Eternals | Phastos | Gay | Brian Tyree Henry | Phastos is the first superhero to be depicted as gay in an MCU film, living with his husband and their child. Ben is Phastos' husband. | |||
Ben | Haaz Sleiman | |||||||
2022 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Aneka | Lesbian | Michaela Coel | Aneka and Ayo are a couple. | |||
Ayo | Florence Kasumba | |||||||
2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Amalia Chavez | Lesbian | Chess Lopez | Amalia and Elena are America Chavez's mothers. | |||
Elena Chavez | Ruth Livier | |||||||
2022 | Thor: Love and Thunder | Korg | Gay | Taika Waititi | At the end of the film, Korg has entered a relationship with a fellow Kronan man named Dwayne. | |||
Millennium | 2009 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Lisbeth Salander | Bisexual | Noomi Rapace | Sweden | [48] [49] [50] [51] | |
The Girl Who Played with Fire | ||||||||
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest | ||||||||
2011 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Rooney Mara | Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, United States | |||||
Miriam "Mimi" Wu | Elodie Yung | |||||||
2018 | The Girl in the Spider's Web | Lisbeth Salander | Claire Foy | Canada, Germany, United States, Sweden, United Kingdom | ||||
Pitch Perfect | 2012 | Pitch Perfect | Cynthia Rose Adams | Lesbian | Esther Dean | She reveals to the Barden Bellas that her gambling addiction has been causing problems with her girlfriend (stated in dialog near the end of the first film). | United States | [52] |
2015 | Pitch Perfect 2 | |||||||
2017 | Pitch Perfect 3 | |||||||
The Producers | 1967 | The Producers | Carmen Ghia | Gay | Andreas Voutsinas | Carmen is the companion of Roger De Bris, a flamboyant director who is directing "Springtime for Hitler". | United States | [53] [54] [55] [56] |
Roger De Bris | Christopher Hewett | |||||||
2005 | The Producers | Carmen Ghia | Roger Bart | Just as in the 1967 film, Carmen is the confidente of Roger De Bris. | ||||
Roger De Bris | Gary Beach | |||||||
Star Trek | 2009 | Star Trek | Hikaru Sulu | Gay | John Cho | The film franchise is based on the television series of the same name, and the changing of the character's original sexual orientation from heterosexual to gay led George Takei to express his disappointment with the decision. | United States | [57] |
2013 | Star Trek Into Darkness | |||||||
2016 | Star Trek Beyond | |||||||
Wizarding World | 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Albus Dumbledore | Gay | Richard Harris | Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts. In the Harry Potter series, although Dumbledore's sexual orientation is not portrayed or explicitly mentioned in the films and books they are based on, J. K. Rowling (author of the Harry Potter series of fantasy novels) revealed in 2007 that he is gay. [lower-alpha 1] | United Kingdom, United States | [59] [60] [61] [62] |
2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | |||||||
2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Michael Gambon | ||||||
2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | |||||||
2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | |||||||
2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | |||||||
2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | |||||||
2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | |||||||
2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Gellert Grindelwald | Johnny Depp | In the prequel series, Fantastic Beasts , the relationship in their youth between Dumbledore and the dark wizard Grindelwald is referenced. | ||||
2018 | Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindlewald | Albus Dumbledore | Jude Law | |||||
Toby Regbo | ||||||||
Gellert Grindlewald | Johnny Depp | |||||||
2022 | Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore | Albus Dumbledore | Jude Law | |||||
Gellert Grindlewald | Mads Mikkelson |
Historically, the portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in media has been largely negative if not altogether absent, reflecting a general cultural intolerance of LGBTQ individuals; however, from the 1990s to present day, there has been an increase in the positive depictions of LGBTQ people, issues, and concerns within mainstream media in North America. The LGBTQ communities have taken an increasingly proactive stand in defining their own culture, with a primary goal of achieving an affirmative visibility in mainstream media. The positive portrayal or increased presence of the LGBTQ communities in media has served to increase acceptance and support for LGBT communities, establish LGBTQ communities as a norm, and provide information on the topic.
LGBTQ+ media or gay media refers to media whose primary target audience is members of the LGBTQ community. Secondary targets are LGBTQ+ allies, and in some instances those who oppose gay rights may be targeted as a form of activism. Gay or queer media can also be defined as web sites, films, magazines and other cultural products that were created by queer individuals, or groups that are typically out, meaning that they are public or open about their identity. LGBTQ creators do not always include LGBTQ themes or issues in the media that they produce, but there are often at least subtle references to queerness in these media.
Since the transition into the modern-day gay rights movement, homosexuality has appeared more frequently in American film and cinema.
Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation. The purpose of this method is to attract ("bait") a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion or possibility of relationships or characters that appeal to them, while not alienating homophobic members of the audience or censors by actually portraying queer relationships.
The portrayals of bisexuality in the media reflect societal attitudes towards bisexuality in the existing media portrayals. Throughout history, numerous bisexual characters have appeared in television series, including cartoons, anime, video games and web series, along with literature, comics, radio, and other mediums.
Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term's use as a reference to male homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the mid-20th century. In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the community, practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. In the 1960s, gay became the word favored by homosexual men to describe their sexual orientation. By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex, although it is more commonly used to refer specifically to men. At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. Among younger speakers, the word has a meaning ranging from derision to a light-hearted mockery or ridicule. The extent to which these usages still retain connotations of homosexuality has been debated and harshly criticized. This page examines gay characters in fictional works as a whole, focusing on characters and tropes in cinema and fantasy.
This article features the history of the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) characters in animated productions under The Walt Disney Company, including films from the studios Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, and programming from the Disney Branded Television channels as well as the streaming service Disney+. From 1983 onward, Disney struggled with LGBTQ representation in their animated series, and their content often included LGBTQ stereotypes or the content was censored in series such as Blazing Dragons. Some creators have also criticized Disney studio executives of cutting LGBTQ scenes from their shows in the past, or criticized that their shows were not seen as part of the "Disney brand", like The Owl House.
getting help from their gay friend, David.
David pretends to be straight to take Jade ... to the prom.
And the hot lesbians making out in 2013's Curse of Chucky was pretty gay
Cynthia Rose (Ester Dean), the only explicitly lesbian character in the series.