10 TV Characters Who Accurately Portray Sexual Fluidity
Pop culture and entertainment have been making strides in helping to expand the boundaries of conversations surrounding sexual identity. While there’s definitely room to grow, television especially has been putting more and more LGBTQ characters at the forefront of storylines. And in a day and age where representation matters so much, this is huge. When it comes to the LGBTQ community, especially LGBTQ youth, every letter of the spectrum deserves its own icons – people, whether real or fictional, who embody the identity that you feel is closest to your own.
With that, it's also important to acknowledge that not everyone feels like they're ready to commit to a label – and sometimes there isn't just one term that feels like a perfect fit. Some people might know they're not 100% straight, but might not necessarily want to choose one piece of the LGBTQ spectrum. For people who identify as sexually fluid, attraction and emotion don't necessarily depend on gender identity. All sexual orientations are valid, and they can be endlessly unique. The only label you need is one you give yourself — if you even want to at all.
As progressive as our society has become, and for as forward-thinking as so many try to be, it can still be extremely challenging to be sexually fluid in our culture without facing a lot of incorrect assumptions. Erasure is an emotionally taxing thing that so many men and women face, and it can be endlessly hurtful to feel as though your sexual orientation “isn’t as real” as someone else’s. It’s crucial to be able to watch characters and see yourself within them. It’s essential to feel that connection, especially in a world that can be so quick to judge or assume. Here are 7 characters who have shown us that love and attraction is not limited by gender.
1/10Alison DiLaurentis from Pretty Little LIars
Pretty Little Liars has been praised over the years for its LGBTQ characters and striving to represent a diverse range of sexual identities. In season 1, Emily comes out as gay, and Hanna's reaction was everything: “Last year, you were Emily dating Ben, and this year, you’re Emily dating Maya. We love Emily.” Amen, Hanna Marin!
Unlike Emily or Paige, Alison’s sexuality is never concretely labeled. She has feelings for both men and women, and all of her romantic plot lines are treated exactly the same, regardless of gender. There are other characters whose sexuality are also portrayed in this open manner, such as Jenna, Maya, and Shauna.
2/10Pretty much everyone on Sense8
Sense8 is one of the leading shows in terms of LGBTQ representation with gay, lesbian, and transgender characters at the series’s forefront. But earlier this summer, actor Brian. J. Smith (who portrays Will Gorski) tweeted that one of Sense8’s showrunners believes that all the characters are pansexual. Brian agreed and said, “I think that’s a great way of putting it.”
Just a quick scroll through his mentions immediately following that tweet will show you why this matters. One user wrote, “I’m literally crying. I’ve never seen any canonically pansexual characters and as a pansexual girl this is huge.” Another tweeted, “There is almost NEVER pansexual representation in the media ever and if this is true, I may just cry a bit.”
3/10Brenna Carver on Chasing Life
While Brenna eventually identifies as bisexual, she spends a lot of the series refusing to label her sexuality. She is seen throughout the whole show as having attraction to boys and girls, and wants other people to accept her for who she is. As a strong-willed and confident teenager, Brenna is an extremely relatable character for young women, and she is a reminder that every sexuality is valid.
4/10Ali Pfefferman from Transparent
Ali’s sexuality is something that is explored deeply within both seasons of Transparent. Having had attraction to men and women, Ali falls in love with Syd after their friendship evolves into something more romantic. Regardless of what you might think of Ali’s character, her introduction to the queer community is something that anyone who has made discoveries about their own sexuality can relate to.
5/10Miles on Degrassi: Next Class
Miles has had both boyfriends and girlfriends and has romantic feelings for people of all genders. He gets caught in a bit of a love triangle when he starts dating Tristan but still has feelings for Maya. When he's asked if he's gay or straight by other characters on the show, Miles refuses to label himself, showing us that it's okay to not choose one specific identity if we don't want to.
6/10Marissa Cooper from The OC
Season 2 of The OC showed Marissa falling for Alex (Olivia Wilde’s breakout role!) after dating Ryan. (These episodes aired more than ten years ago, when these plot lines in shows that weren't specifically developed for an LGBTQ audience were much less common.)
Marissa’s sexuality is never specifically labeled. We watch her develop a crush on Alex, which turns into a full-blown relationship. She struggles at first with being open about her sexuality, as she’s worried about her friends and classmates judging her. However, she soon grows more comfortable in her identity and is able to proudly accept her sexuality as part of who she is.
7/10Jude and Connor on The Fosters
Jude and Connor's kiss on The Fosters was a huge moment, as it was the youngest same-sex kiss on television to date. The Fosters has followed Jude's journey to identify his sexuality throughout the series, and actor Hayden Byerly has explained that journey perfectly when speaking of Jude and Connor's relationship in interviews.
Hayden said, "[Jude] was confused as to whom Connor liked and I think that really played through Jude’s head. Like, 'Wait a minute. He just kissed me but he’s been kissing Daria. How does that work?'" Even within levels of the spectrum, fluidity can exist, and their romance tells us that there simply are no rules.
8/10Ilana on Broad City
Not only is Broad City’s Ilana completely hilarious, she’s also endlessly relatable. Played by Ilana Glazer, the character of Ilana is open about being attracted to all genders, and is also extremely confident in her sexuality. She’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind, and she doesn’t shy away from talking about sex. Part of what makes the character so great is the fact that she shatters so many of the taboos when it comes to having conversations about sex. She seems to have no fear about being judged, and she’s not afraid to put herself – all of herself – out there for the world to know.
9/10Frank Underwood on House of Cards
Kevin Spacey’s character on House of Cards is endlessly fascinating. He’s the epitome of an anti-hero in the sense that he’s not your typical protagonist, but he’s still sympathetic and we’re going to root for him until the end, no matter what. (But we’ll also root for Claire at the same time. We can be both Team Frank and Team Claire, right?)
Over the course of the series, Frank has been involved with men and women, and without a whole lot of commentary. In one episode, Frank pretty much sums up his sexuality with just a few words. He says, “When I’m attracted to someone, I’m attracted to them. Period.” In fact, the series’ showrunner Beau Willimon has also said that Frank’s attraction and desires has more to do with trust and much less with gender.
10/10Annalise Keating from How to Get Away With Murder
Viola Davis's Annalise was revealed to have feelings for both men and women when we were told about her ex-girlfriend, Eve. And like other characters on this list, the fact that she’s had involvement with men and women was introduced without a theoretical blink of an eye in the plot. Her sexuality is just a piece of who she is; she's a genius defense attorney and professor who just so happens to have dated men and women. While sometimes a character’s sexual identity is the forefront of the plot line (like Ali’s journey in Transparent), it’s also refreshing to see characters like Annalise, whose sexual fluidity is introduced without a second thought. For those who relate, it’s an important reminder that it’s normal and beautiful and okay to fall in love with any gender.
