Because we deserve more than one-liners, fashion advice, and tragic story arcs
You know the character I’m talking about. The sassy, sidekick stereotype that exists solely to deliver a zinger, offer unsolicited dating advice, or cry on a couch before getting promptly written off the next season. The Gay Best Friend™ — trademark pending, but culturally cemented.
For years, LGBTQ+ characters on TV were little more than glittery accessories to the cishet leads. We were there to prop up the main storyline, add flair, die tragically, or vanish mysteriously after the Very Special Episode aired.
But finally — finally — the tides have started to shift.
We’re seeing queer characters who are messy. Multifaceted. Flawed, fabulous, broken, brave, boring, brilliant — in other words, human. These characters don’t just exist to support the lead; they are the lead. Or at least, they could carry the show if the writers had the guts to let them.
So here’s my list — deeply personal and entirely biased — of five LGBTQ TV characters who shattered the cliché, embraced the complexity, and reminded me (and maybe you, too) what authentic queer storytelling can look like.
1. Pray Tell – Pose
Billy Porter’s Pray Tell doesn’t walk into a room — he arrives. Loud, bold, unapologetic, and somehow still soft as hell when it matters most, Pray is the voice of an era that tried to silence him. He’s not just a narrator — he’s the heart of the show.
What makes Pray so vital is his layers. He’s bitter. He’s broken. He’s brilliant. He calls people out, calls them in, and then calls the ball at the next category. His pain is palpable, his strength is earned, and his vulnerability? Devastating.
Watching Pose felt like someone reached into the part of queer history most shows gloss over and said, “Here. Feel this.” And Pray Tell, with all his sharp tongue and trembling hands, made sure we did.
2. Eric Effiong – Sex Education
The joy. The style. The audacity. Eric is what happens when a show lets a queer Black teenager be more than his trauma. Played with dazzling charm by Ncuti Gatwa (now Doctor Who royalty, mind you), Eric is equal parts comedic relief and emotional core.
He navigates bullying, family pressure, cultural identity, and first love with a complexity that never feels performative. He’s not just the gay best friend — he’s the gay best friend you wish you had in high school.
Also, let’s talk about fashion. Eric dresses like joy personified. He makes chaos look couture. And every time he walks down a hallway like it’s a runway, I feel a little more alive.
3. David Rose – Schitt’s Creek
You want growth? You want vulnerability with a side of biting sarcasm and oversized sweaters? Enter David Rose.
What’s revolutionary about David isn’t just that he’s pansexual and says it out loud, but that he gets a love story without tragedy. He finds acceptance, builds a business, develops real self-worth — all without giving up his dramatic flair or aesthetic standards.
His relationship with Patrick is tender and awkward and honest in ways that felt like a love letter to every queer person who never thought they’d get a happy ending.
Also, let’s be real: “I like the wine, not the label” should be engraved on a plaque and hung in every LGBTQ+ youth center immediately.
4. Sophia Burset – Orange Is the New Black
Before most shows even dared to touch trans representation, OITNB gave us Sophia Burset — brought to life by the brilliant Laverne Cox. Sophia was more than a token or a teachable moment. She was a parent, a hair stylist, an inmate, a victim, a fighter.
Sophia’s storyline wasn’t perfect (neither was the show’s handling of race and gender), but it was groundbreaking in its time. It gave a trans woman of color screen time, dignity, depth, and real emotional stakes — and it gave Laverne a historic Emmy nom to boot.
Sophia’s presence mattered. It still does.
5. Blanca Evangelista – Pose
Yes, Pose again. Because it gave us not one but many characters worth celebrating — and Blanca deserves her own damn spotlight.
As the matriarch of the House of Evangelista, Blanca is the kind of character queer folks don’t get nearly enough of: fiercely maternal, full of love, and relentlessly hopeful even in the face of death, rejection, and systemic cruelty.
Mj Rodriguez’s performance is stunning in its restraint. Blanca doesn’t need to shout to lead. She leads with warmth, stubbornness, and a bone-deep belief in chosen family. Her storyline reminds us that survival is resistance, that kindness is power, and that real strength isn’t loud — it’s consistent.
Honorable Mentions (Because I’m Nothing If Not Extra)
- Callie Torres (Grey’s Anatomy): Bisexual queen with the emotional messiness of 17 seasons of drama. We love to see it.
- Victor Salazar (Love, Victor): For every kid still figuring it out. Gentle, honest, necessary.
- Rue Bennett (Euphoria): A mess, but a real one. Queer, broken, still here.
- Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder): Bisexual, brilliant, and broken in all the best TV ways.
Final Thought:
Representation matters. But authentic representation? That’s the game-changer.
These characters didn’t just check a box — they opened a door. For nuance. For complexity. For the right to be as gloriously, disastrously human as anyone else on screen.
They’re not here to decorate the narrative. They are the narrative.
So let’s keep demanding better. Let’s keep celebrating when shows get it right. And let’s never settle for being the accessory in someone else’s story again.
Because honey, we’re the main character energy now.