Well Written LGBT+ Characters - Who is/what makes a well written homosexual?

[Kari Kamiya]

READ A DIFFERENT BOOK.

Done and done. Someone just had to get it off their chest.

Had to go back and think for more characters since I tend to not remember sexualities of characters right off the top of my head, mainly because I don't give a shit just as long as the character is good. No one's mentioned a trans character yet (...wait...), so I'll bring up Hana from Tokyo Godfathers.

Hana's the heart of the three godfathers. She's goofy and a connoisseur of the arts who's been homeless ever since her partner died and after she couldn't show her face again at the club she worked for after an incident. But she's the one who loves the baby Kiyoko more than her own life, she's the most emotionally in tune with everyone and looks after them, and she's the most thankful character in the entire movie in spite of everything that happened in her life. I personally haven't seen a lot of media with transgender characters, but she's the best I've seen.

Whether Ivankov is truly trans or it's because of his Horm-Horm Fruit, I don't care, he's one bad-ass motherfucker and I love him and his Okama. One Piece just wouldn't be the same without him. HEE-HAW

 

[Terror Rism]

Might as well get it out of the way: Albus Dumbledore.

His sexuality is not the central part of his character, it wasn't even mentioned in the books (if at all).

while i'm sure you're just saying this for the meme, stuff like this can be done extremely well without just being a twitter afterthought to attempt to give your young adult novels more depth in writing

Emil from Nier is a phenomenal gay/bisexual character, as there's no direct indication at all that he has any romantic feelings for the male player character in the entire game script, and can easily be taken as merely being extremely grateful for the companionship (being blind/a skeleton) or selfless in his actions at several points when he does things that could be seen as affectionate
this fact was only revealed when an intuitive fan asked the games director directly at an event if his actions were in part due to him being actually gay, and the director reluctantly had to mention that his head writer came up with the idea and he liked it enough to run with it during development

this leads to it being incorporated into the writing and character itself, as opposed to being a small detail thought of afterwards. when you go back after learning this information a lot of subtext and character development is added to scenes, similarly to looking back on real events after learning a hidden trait about someone and understanding more about their reasoning and actions. it's a massive part of what makes a character like this feel like a person as opposed to just the quota-filling homosexual in my opinion

 

[MediocreMilt]

This guy:

Question remains on if you pitted him against Gandalf, who would win (probably Gandalf)

Not probably. Easily Gandalf. Wizards in Harry Potter are like another race of people who can do magic. Wizards in Tolkien's work are basically a primeval force of nature (this is related to why Gandalf resurrects after he and the Balrog kill each other)

 

[Y2K Baby]

well let's get the obvious one out of the way

this guy is a well written character with his own ambitions and goals, has interesting flaws, is funny as fuck sometimes, and he only reveals he is gay if you A: have the gay perk, B: ask him personally
what a champ

I like the subtext of him being kind of ashamed of it in light of being the son of what is basically a Nazi America officer.

 

[Y2K Baby]

The one gay couple in Night in the Woods. Feels like an actual relationship since they're faithful to each other and they don't act like sexual deviants. Moreover, it's not the only interesting part of their characters and they aren't defined by their sexuality. If you can describe a character in 3 sentences without mentioning their sexuality, then it's an actual good example of LGBT representation.

There's nothing wrong with having 'bad' gay characters, just so long as you don't make a correlation between a character being gay and a character being evil.

Lol, kys.

 

[Tanti-Fanti]

There's a game called "The Missing" that makes a really good trans metaphor that I didn't expect.

Essentially, the game starts out with what we presume to be about two lesbian lovers who are in college going on a small trip before heading home, but it turns out to be better written than I thought.

Spoiler: Story Things

The main characters gender being hidden well very well done. The game shows this in a way that is so obvious yet somehow really well hidden. I totally expected shitty lesbian story, but got something better.
The fact you're called the "heir" the family name something commonly used for guys, the fact that Emily has a secret she won't tell, the fact JJ's douchebag mother finds clothes that don't fit them. It all makes sense as you go along. Not ONCE did the creators try to shove how great they were for making a trans character and the story details you find really paint the picture of how trapped JJ feels in their life.

And the best part is that when you play the game the whole breaking down and being dismembered thing makes sense as a metaphor for dysphoria, the feeling of being so uncomfortable with your body, you feel like ripping it apart. Plus, it's fun playing as a rolling head.

One of the few games to actually get dysphoria right. You might be put off by the whole millennial speech thing, but it's overall a nice story.

 

[Y2K Baby]

There's a game called "The Missing" that makes a really good trans metaphor that I didn't expect.

Essentially, the game starts out with what we presume to be about two lesbian lovers who are in college going on a small trip before heading home, but it turns out to be better written than I thought.

Spoiler: Story Things

The main characters gender being hidden well very well done. The game shows this in a way that is so obvious yet somehow really well hidden. I totally expected shitty lesbian story, but got something better.
The fact you're called the "heir" the family name something commonly used for guys, the fact that Emily has a secret she won't tell, the fact JJ's douchebag mother finds clothes that don't fit them. It all makes sense as you go along. Not ONCE did the creators try to shove how great they were for making a trans character and the story details you find really paint the picture of how trapped JJ feels in their life.

And the best part is that when you play the game the whole breaking down and being dismembered thing makes sense as a metaphor for dysphoria, the feeling of being so uncomfortable with your body, you feel like ripping it apart. Plus, it's fun playing as a rolling head.

One of the few games to actually get dysphoria right. You might be put off by the whole millennial speech thing, but it's overall a nice story.

You're a faggot.

 

[PorcupineTree]

Essentially whenever a character functions as a normal person without their homosexuality blotting our other aspects of their personality, they become more intriguing.

I’m really fond of Chanterelle and Alice from the podcast “Alice isn’t Dead”, they’re literally just two people trying to live normal lives in the face of terrifying supernatural circumstances.

The story is a bit preachy but the ladies are written well and avoid blatant stereotypes. It’s a big step up from Cecil and Carlos from Welcome to NightVale (they’re both authored by Joseph Fink). As much as I enjoyed the latter, the pandering was obvious and it took away from the believability of the characters.

 

[Some Manajerk]

Vanyel Ashkevron from the Heralds of Valdemar series. Helps that being gay is just one small part of how hes written rather than it being crammed in your face, and when he struggles with romance and loneliness its actually believable. and the poor guy gets so much dumped on him as all his friends are killed off one by one and he has to take on more responsibilities you just want to give him a hug.

 

[RumblyTumbly]

When I think of well written gay characters, my mind immediately goes to Jodie Dallas from Soap, played by a young Billy Crystal.

In the first few episodes, the character was kind of a stereotype, but he soon evolved into something more natural. He felt like a normal person, and dealt with some intense issues.

 

[The Fifth Waltz]

To be fair, you have to be gay as shit to understand Steven Universe. The lesbianism is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of gender studies most of the queerness will go over a typical viewers head. There's also Pearl's horny outlook, which is deftly woven into her characterisation- her personal gayness draws heavily from the lesbians in Sailor Moon, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the gay capacity to truly appreciate the depths of the gayness, to realise that they're not just gay- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Steven Universe truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the gayness in Pearl's existential catchphrase "You do it for her," which itself is a cryptic reference to being sexually attracted to your adopted sons late mother. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Rebecca Sugars genius wit unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools.. how I pity them

And yes, by the way, i DO have a Steven Universe tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- and even then they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 gay points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand

 

[PorcupineTree]

To be fair, you have to be gay as shit to understand Steven Universe. The lesbianism is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of gender studies most of the queerness will go over a typical viewers head. There's also Pearl's horny outlook, which is deftly woven into her characterisation- her personal gayness draws heavily from the lesbians in Sailor Moon, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the gay capacity to truly appreciate the depths of the gayness, to realise that they're not just gay- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Steven Universe truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the gayness in Pearl's existential catchphrase "You do it for her," which itself is a cryptic reference to being sexually attracted to your adopted sons late mother. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Rebecca Sugars genius wit unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools.. how I pity them

And yes, by the way, i DO have a Steven Universe tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- and even then they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 gay points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand

wow faggot

 

[The Cunting Death]

View attachment 638542 View attachment 638543

Stephanie is an incredibly likable character. She's funny, witty and kind, and the episode that brings up her sexuality is very well-done (though that can be said for every season 3 episode). I love her relationship with Orel and her relationship with her father.

Meanwhile Clay is a very unlikeable person, but he's fleshed out. He's abusive, selfish, misogynistic and bitter, and we get to see how he became that way. The narrative doesn't excuse him, but explains. There's nothing wrong with having 'bad' gay characters, just so long as you don't make a correlation between a character being gay and a character being evil.

Clay isn't so much gay as much as he is a person that just wants attention, and he'd do anything to get attention.
Like look at the way he's raised

Spoiler: spoiler for season 3

The only way he's ever able to feel love is if someone's beating him like his dad did, since he accidentally killed his mom. The only way he can feel love is through abuse.

 

[Rand /pol/]

Your father is a gay and libtard

 

[Kuchipatchi]

My favourite gay character is Kung Jin from MKX. Not my favourite character from the series but he does have his moments.

I didn't even realise that he was gay. The hint was dropped when Kung Jin refused Raiden's invitation to train with the White Lotus society because "They wouldn't accept me" and Raiden replied, "They only care what's in your heart, not whom your heart desires." That went over my head because lack of context.
Kung Jin is very cheeky, sarcastic and can be a bit rude to people like when he unnecessarily brought up Jax's days as an undead revanent which still upsets Jax and Jacqui Briggs.
He also made a practice mission go wrong as he didn't listen to Cassie to stay hidden.

Despite his flaws, he has good moments too such as helping the team by using his silver tongue to get Errands Black and Kotal Kahn to side with Special Forces.
When the team spend more time with each other, he becomes a great member of said team. When he gets injured, I actually felt sorry for him.

I look forward to more Kung Jin moments in the upcoming sequel.

 

[Marco Fucko]

I'd say Oberyn Martell and Arcade Gannon but they've already been mentioned. Book!Loras Tyrell was done pretty well too, shame they cheapened the loss of Renly with him sleeping with Littlefinger's assistant manager in the show.

I actually really like Catra from She-Ra 2018. She's pretty open about her sexuality, flirting with Adora and Entrapta, but that never gets in the way of her objective. The sting of losing Adora to the rebellion feels real, and coupled with all the abuse she suffered growing up you can totally see why she's developed into someone that is self-interested and manipulative and still feel some empathy for her.

 

[Bread Fetishist]

Captain Holt from Brooklyn Nine Nine. He's just a funny, likable guy overall, and he isn't defined by his race or sexuality. While they still tie into his character somewhat, I feel they go about it quite well.

 

[Judge Holden]

Well this is fucking obvious

 

[Girlycard]

Erica Anderson from Catherine is a pretty well written trans woman character, I'd say. She's criticized for not telling Toby she's a trans woman but honestly she didn't have to. He'd never have known had people that knew her before not told him and would have been perfectly fine sleeping with her, a woman fully transitioned and had surgery. She passes well and is clearly happy with herself by the events of the game.

She's smart, sweet, and offers the group much needed advice on the happenings of the game. I personally found her prescence refreshing after having to listen to Vincent gripe about how cheating is SO hard to do and feel good about.

 

[AF 802]

If your media has any gay characters, it's shit.