X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

These characters kick ass on the screen and on the page. Oh: And they just happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans.

130722mag-orphan-black1.jpg
1 of 25 BBC America

1. Cosima (Orphan Black)

Like the other clones, Cosima is played by Tatiana Maslany. There are a host of traits that make Cosima different from the other clones, one of which is her sexuality. Cosima's relationship with her monitor, Delphine (played by Evelyne Brochu) tipped off Orphan Black fans to the fact that Cosima is gay.

2 of 25 Eric Liebowitz/NBC

2. Titus Andromedon (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)

Titus (played by Tituss Burgess) is Kimmy's roommate and first (even if slightly reluctant) real friend in New York City. He is self-proclaimed "gay as a penguin." Titus is a struggling performer with a killer imagination and zero funds. His advice is suspect, his one-liners are fantastic, and his music video for "Peeno Noir" is a work of art.

3 of 25 Mitchell Haaseth/ABC

3. Connor Walsh (How To Get Away With Murder)

Is he a slut, or does he just know how to get the information he needs? Connor (played by Jack Falahee) is a student of Annalise Keaton (Viola Davis) and a witness/accomplice to a serious crime. He's also in love with Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) and the two have an strained yet sweet relationship.

4 of 25 Chuck Hodes/FOX

4. Tiana Brown (<I>Empire</I>)

Tiana (Serayah) is the next big thing on the Empire label. She's also got a smokin' hot girlfriend. Never mind the fact that she was also dating possible heir to the Empire throne Hakeem Lyon (Bryshere Y. Gray).

5 of 25 Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

5. Tara (<i>The Walking Dead</I>)

Before Aaron and Eric were introduced, we met Tara (Alanna Masterson). In her first appearances, Tara seemed unsure about how brave she could be. One thing was always clear, though: Tara is attracted to women. We've seen her mature into a strong fighter, but we've yet to see Tara hold down a relationship. It's a bit tough with all the death and zombies around.

6 of 25 Paul Shiraldi/Netflix

6. Sophia Burset (<I>Orange Is the New Black</I>)

Sophia (Laverne Cox) is a transgender woman who just so happens to be incarcerated. The other inmates rely on her to keep their hairstyles looking right and know she can whip up a hot pair of sandals if you give her a bit of duct tape.

7 of 25 EA

7. Sera (<I>Dragon Age: Inquisition</I>)

She's an elf who slings insults and arrows in equal measure. She's a relentless prankster. She's also, you know, available ... if your main character happens to be female.

8 of 25 Warner Bros.

8. Dumbledore (Harry Potter series)

Readers and viewers alike fell in love with Dumbledore's character long before knowing anything about his sexuality. Moral of the story? It makes little difference when it comes to Dumbledore's powers and abilities who he decides to love. When some fans got into a tizzy about the fact that Dumbledore doesn't "look gay," author J.K. Rowling took to Twitter with a great response: "Maybe because gay people just look like...people."

1035x1554-boymeetsboy-1800-1400592108.jpg
9 of 25 Knopf Books for Young Readers

9. Paul and Noah in <I>Boy Meets Boy</I>

Published in 2003 by David Levithan, this novel totes a number of gay characters, most notably high schoolers Paul and Noah who are central to this story of young love. There is also a drag queen star quarterback. Bottom line: This high school sounds awesome.

10 of 25 Matt Dinnerstein/FOX

10. Jamal Lyon (<I>Empire</I>)

The middle child with the raging talent and beautiful voice, Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett) pushes to prove to his father (and the public) that the fact that he is gay has nothing to do with whether he can run the family business.

11 of 25 Gilles Touca/CBS

11. Maya Avant (<I>The Bold and the Beautiful</I>)

Maya (Karla Mosley) has been a part of The Bold and the Beautiful's storyline for years now. But recently, Maya's storyline has unwrapped a "secret" about her past: She's transgender.

12 of 25 Justina Mintz/AMC

12. Bob Benson (<I>Mad Men</I>)

Now that Mad Men has come to a close, we won't see more of Bob Benson. His sweet yet condescending proposal to Joan (Christina Hendricks) was a sign that he may go on pretending to be something he's not in order to continue rising in the ad world. Oh, Bob. You deserve love, too!

13 of 25 Eric McCandless/ABC

13. Cyrus Beene (<I>Scandal</I>)

Cyrus (Jeff Perry, left) is ruthless, unforgiving and borderline evil. The only proof we have that he has a heart at all are his moments (now flashbacks) with his late husband, James (Dan Bucatinsky, right), and their adopted daughter.

14 of 25 AMC

14. Aaron and Eric (<I>The Walking Dead</I>)

Fans can apparently withstand bludgeoned, flesh-eating zombies, but some had a bit of trouble stomaching the first gay kiss on The Walking Dead. Aaron and his boyfriend Eric were a team, seeking out prospective civilians to join Alexandria. They happen to be a romantic team as well.

15 of 25 JoJo Whilden/Netflix

15. Piper and Alex (<I>Orange Is the New Black</I>)

Alex (Laura Prepon) + Piper (Taylor Schilling) = seriously sexy television. Piper is bisexual while Alex is (from what we can tell) female oriented. Piper's struggle with her history with Alex and her love for her current fiance made for interesting television in the first season of the show.

16 of 25 Netflix

16. Poussey (<I>Orange Is the New Black</I>)

Yet another adorable LGBT member of the Orange Is the New Black cast is Poussey (Samira Wiley). She's in love with buddy Taystee (Danielle Brooks) but nothing is to be done about it because Taystee is straight. But oh my goodness, Poussey's unrequited love is so precious.

17 of 25 MTV

17. Danny (<I>Teen Wolf</I>)

Danny (Keahu Kahuanui) is gay and a human. But he doesn't limit his dating life to fellow norms. He dated an Alpha werewolf in the third season.

18 of 25 CW

18. Luca (<I>Jane the Virgin</I>)

In the break-out hit Jane The Virgin, Luca (played by Brian Dare) is a waiter at The Marabella restaurant and is buds with Jane. Among other things, Jane and Luca have their attraction to men in common.

19 of 25 Amazon Studios

19. Maura Pfefferman (<I>Transparent</I>)

In 2014, Amazon brought us Transparent, the story of Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor). Maura is a trans woman whose family has more secrets than she does.

20 of 25 Lane Savage/Comedy Central

20. Ilana (<I>Broad City</I>)

Ilana (Ilana Glazer) is bisexual on Broad City. Ilana. Likes. Sex. There's not a damn thing wrong with that, and she gets in where she fits in, be it with a hilarious dentist or with her very own doppelganger. Get it, girl.

21 of 25 Justin Stephens/CBS

21. Kalinda (<I>The Good Wife</I>)

Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) is a go-getter investigator at the firm. She also happens to be bisexual. Though she keeps her private life pretty private, she sometimes uses her sensual nature to get the answers she needs on a case.

22 of 25 BET

22. Mark Bradley (<I>Being Mary Jane</I>)

Mary Jane has her share of drama, and her bestie Mark Bradley (Aaron D. Spears) is always by her side to get her through it.

23 of 25 OWN

23. Jeffrey Harrington (<I>The Haves and the Have Nots</I>)

Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots features a family struggling with a lot of different things. Jeffrey (Gavin Houston) is struggling with one main thing in particular: his sexuality. Jeffrey is gay, but it's not always easy to come out in any family, let alone a religious one.

24 of 25 Summit Entertainment

24. Patrick (<I>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</I>)

Patrick (Ezra Miller, right) has a thing for Brad (Johnny Simmons). Brad is trying to keep things under wraps and Patrick is devastated when they are busted and the relationship is forced to end. When Patrick's bud, Charlie (Logan Lerman, center) consoles him, Patrick kisses him. The scene where Charlie holds his sad friend instead of freaking out about the random kiss is the stuff real friendships are made of.

25 of 25 NetherRealm Studios

25. Kung Jin (<I>Mortal Combat X</I>)

After plenty of heated fan speculation, an exec at NetherRealm confirmed that the fighting monk prefers the company of men.