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5 Straight Actresses Who Play Lesbian Characters

It is extremely typical for lesbians to play straight characters on TV, it’s true. However, have you ever stopped and thought about the straight actresses who play lesbian and bisexual women? How does that impact the message of the show itself? You see this phenomenon with male actors like NPH playing Barney on How I Met Your Mother, but can you name a straight actress that plays a gay character off the top of your head? Likewise, why is it that when you can name the straight actress, we immediately assume that she is either 100% straight or 100% a lesbian? AfterEllen is here to question these things and draw your attention to some actresses that we can’t help but wonder… you know… if she is…

Oliva Wilde

Olivia Wilde infamously played Thirteen on House MD, who was constantly bullied in a homophobic fashion the entirety of being out as bisexual on the show. While Wilde is notably involved with men in her personal life, it has never stopped us from wondering about her sexuality. For a lot of people, Thirteen was a voice for bisexual women in the early ’00s, and we thank her for that!

Aisha Dee

Any fans of The Bold Type up in here? It’s true, we love Kat Edison more than life itself. A staple character for bisexual women who dismantles stereotypes of what it means to be gay, Black, and a young woman in today’s society. However, Dee is yet another actress who openly plays gay characters but hasn’t ever come out in real life, passing as straight. Like Wilde, we can’t help but speculate as to what Dee’s sexuality could be and notice a running theme with these actresses not explicitly stating one way or the other.

Shay Mitchell

Shay Mitchell quite honestly could be number one on this list. Why? Because she is in a straight passing relationship but almost strictly lesbian characters! When was the last time you saw Mitchell in something where she wasn’t interested in women? The most wild part is that for what we know, Mitchell is straight, and out of the PLL gang, Ashley Benson ended up being the one to date women. Still a W for us!

Natasha Lyonne

Ugh, Natasha Lyonne, one of our biggest celeb crushes. Lyonne is for sure sapphic-coded, as she infamous has played multiple lesbian characters and just generally has this awkward girl confidence that screams *lesbian.* However, Lyonne is straight, leaving us WLW’s in the dust behind her. Unfortunate!

Vanessa Morgan

You have probably seen Vanessa Morgan on Pimp or Riverdale playing openly bisexual/lesbian characters, and we love to see it! However, Morgan is straight – she has said in the past she loved playing the first bisexual character on Riverdale so she could draw attention to equality. We do appreciate an ally!

So, what do you think AE readers? Is it better to hire lesbians to play sapphic characters or are they simply hiring the “best” actresses for the job? It could be argued that by keeping their sexualities private and playing lesbian characters these actresses are creating more PR and rumors which levels up their projects in the public eye. Food for thought!

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