Top 10 LGBTQ+ Character Cliches
#10: Gay / Lesbian Characters Are Often the Villains
Top 20 LGBTQ+ Animated Characters
Though things are improving, there’s no denying that the media has relegated LGBTQ+ characters to the dark side, sometimes presenting them as less moral or even morally ambiguous. Case in point: “Buffy the Vampire”’s Dark Willow. Though she starts off “good,” she later becomes evil while seeking revenge for her girlfriend’s death. Another case in point: Disney villains. Okay, so Disney baddies aren’t explicitly sexualized, but it’s been argued that they are, instead, queer-coded. Think about it: how many express behavior normally attributed to women and/or that is extremely exaggerated? The linking of such mannerisms with antagonism and villainy, whether implicit or explicit, is obviously damaging and reinforces negative stereotypes about the diversity of human sexuality.
#9: Your Sexual Orientation Affects Your Fidelity
Top 10 Moments That a TV Character Became Our Favorite
Of course, infidelity is an issue we see often in TV shows and movies, because it makes for a compelling storyline. But we’ve noticed that LGBTQ+ characters seem to be more highly represented in this trope than they should be. This cliche focuses on the idea that if a character isn’t heterosexual, they must have fidelity issues. This trope seems to hit bisexuals particularly hard — since people wrongly assume that just because you CAN be sexually attracted to more than one gender, then that somehow equates acting on all of those attractions and being unable to control them.
#8: Asexuality Doesn't Exist
Yes, asexuality is real and a natural variant of human sexuality for those who aren’t aware. Now with that being said, how often have you seen asexual characters depicted accurately in film, television, or anywhere else? Most media seem to show every character desiring sex when given the opportunity. In the rare instance of a lack of sexual attraction being shown, it’s usually a side-effect of something, not a sexual orientation. Asexuality is usually seen as a “problem” and the plot might even involve “fixing” that character by getting them to have sex. Pretending that there are people who don’t desire sexual activity is extremely harmful, and can lead to discrimination.
#7: All It Takes Is the ‘Right’ Man / Woman for Them to Switch Teams
Ah yes, the “homosexuality is just a phase” cliche. This very false and harmful trope pushes the idea that if you are homosexual, you just need to find a “good” partner of the opposite gender to “get back to normal”. It’s taken further in the incompatible orientation cliche in which the characters’ sexual orientations don’t match, which means they’re unable to be together. Both of these tend to focus on lesbians and the idea that they supposedly haven't had “good sex” with a man yet. In reality, they affect all queer characters, so let's set some things straight. First of all, implying that people can simply change their sexual orientation is problematic. And second, heterosexuality isn't the “correct” orientation. Human sexuality is varied.
#6: Bisexuals Don't Exist
Though it’s becoming more common to see a wide spectrum of sexual orientations represented in media, there’s still a lack of accurate portrayals. When a character is shown to be bisexual, for example, they’re usually accompanied by a wide range of myths and stereotypes. You know the ones. Having lots of promiscuous sex, being just “curious”, and even being predatory are all behaviors that seem to be synonymous with bisexual characters in TV, film and so on. And, again, that’s presuming they are even shown at all. Obviously, these cliches can be extremely harmful when people see these tropes as legitimate and presume them to be accurate.
#5: They Have a Lot of Promiscuous Sex
Top 10 Most Unexpected Character Returns
Speaking of promiscuous sex, a lot of media seem to love showing non-heterosexual characters having tons of it. This trope is usually used for homosexual and bisexual characters for different reasons. Since bisexual people are attracted to more than one gender, it's assumed, for some reason, that this translates to tons of sex. Maybe even a threesome or group sex. Homosexual women are stereotypically depicted as very masculine, and therefore, have and want to have much more sex. This cliche also assumes that since non-heterosexual characters have super high sex drives, they totally hate monogamy.
#4: The Gay Best Friend
Top 10 Times Joey Was the Best Friend on Friends
A classic. We guarantee you have seen the “gay best friend” trope somewhere. And what kind of gay best friend? Well, a flamboyant gay man, of course! Yes, the over the top, very offensive depiction of this character is always friends with a heterosexual woman — helping her shop, giving her dating advice, and vetting potential suitors. It’s not too difficult to see how this trope negatively impacts homosexual people in real life, in particular gay men; who, believe it or not, aren’t one-dimensional, vain fashionistas but actual, complex human beings.
#3: Lesbians Are ‘Butch’ & Gay Men Are "’Effeminate’
When you think of how lesbians and gay men behave, what do think of? If you thought of all lesbians being super masculine and gay men being super feminine then you hit this horrible trope right on its head. The idea that if you like certain things, you must be homosexual is enforced in this trope as well. If women enjoy sports, they are masculine and must be lesbians. On the flip side, if men enjoy theatre, they must be gay. This cliche completely ignores the fact that real human beings enjoy a variety of different hobbies and have many interests — which are dependent on their personal agency and not their sexual orientation.
#2: Characters Are Reduced to Their Sexual Orientation
Top 10 TV Show Characters With Main Character Syndrome
This cliche is pretty common in all forms of media that involve any LGBTQ+ characters. Whether the entire plot or just one character’s arc, at some point the story will focus on a character’s sexual orientation exclusively. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, when done correctly. Instead, this trope will portray characters, not as fully fledged human beings with problems and pleasures outside their sexual orientation, but as one-dimensional. It will almost solely focus on either their “coming out” or finding a compatible partner. By reducing characters to their sexual orientation, a number of negative stereotypes can be enforced.
#1: Gay Characters Die
Top 10 LGBTQ+ TV Characters Who Were Ahead of Their Time
This trope was extremely prominent in older media, but is surprisingly still relevant today. Commonly known as the “bury your gays”, in this cliche, LGBTQ+ characters cannot have happy endings, which usually results in them being dead by the end of the story. This can happen to one character or multiple, as long as the story ends in tragedy. It should be noted that the killing off of LGBTQ+ characters isn’t off limits. However, it’s important to handle those deaths with careful and complex writing. And, to remember that LGBTQ+ people don’t only live happy lives, but also to tell those stories.
