TV

2014: The Year in Lesbian/Bi Television

Holy wow, you guys. If you thought last year was great, 2014 was an AMAZING year for queer women on television. I remember in college, one of the only shows that had more than one recurring lesbian characters was The L Word, and casually mentioning it to see if anyone recognized the title was a way to sniff out other queer girls. This summer, the same (straight, married, mom of two) coworker who once asked me if turkey baster insemination was a real thing (because I’m a lesbian and, therefore, an authority on these things) was telling me emphatically that Piper needs to ditch Larry for Alex pronto after she went on an Orange is the New Black binge. I have in-depth conversations with my straight best friend about Emily Fields and her various lady loves on Pretty Little Liars. I discuss the precarious nature of Cosima and Delphine’s relationship on Orphan Black with my parents (OK, fine, with literally anyone who will listen, but also with my parents.) Times have changed, and, “Does it have queer women? Because I don’t have time to take on a show without queer women,” is a thing I said in earnest this year, because it’s true.

Though, as far as we’ve come, we still have a long way to go. While the number of lesbians/bisexuals on television has grown, some of them are not great representations, too many of them are underused, and there’s definitely still room for improvement in the diversity department. But we’re on an upward trajectory, and it’s a fun ride.

If you had asked me before I started gathering information for this master post, I would have estimated that I watched about 75% of the shows currently airing that had main or recurring non-straight female characters on it. Now, I’d say I was very wrong, and I have a LOT of shows to catch up on.

I decided to organize this into a giant imperfect metaphor, because imperfect metaphors are my jam. I imagined that all the television shows with queer women on television go to AfterEllen Academy, which is a school that accepts fictional queer women of any age. Much like schools ON television, time does not move normally at AfterEllen Academy, so some shows will be graduating, having completed their term, some will be expelled before they finish, and for others this will just be a midterm assessment. [And I think this goes without saying, but just in case it doesn’t, I’ll say it: MAJOR spoilers ahead for pretty much every show on television. You’ve been warned.]

Let’s start with those who graduated this year.

CLASS OF ’14

This year, we lost a lot of queer women on television, and I broke them up into three categories; those that graduated, those that were expelled, and those that we lost in a more tragic way. Those that graduated are the ones whose shows had more of a heads up they were going to end, and had proper series finales.

Being Human. Josh’s sister Emily, one of the few humans on the show, was more OK with her lesbianism than Josh was with his werewolfism. Her part tapered out toward the end of the series, but in a show where pretty much everyone died at least once, the fact that she, an open lesbian from the start of the series, survived through the end of it, is nothing short of a miracle these days.

Warehouse 13. In the controversial final abridged season of the show, Myka and Helena hardly had any screen time together, and the writers missed an opportunity to do what fans of the show and the actors themselves wanted to do, which was to let them ride off into the sunset on unicorns together. Instead, they ruined (in my opinion) a well-established brother-sister relationship by making it romantic. What was nice, however, is that H.G. was given a girlfriend to end the series with. Unfortunately, it was all off-screen, and that girlfriend was not Myka, but it’ll do. Diplomas issued.

True Blood. After years of being Head Vamp In Charge and sassing all over everyone, Pam hung up her fangs and said goodbye. Ever since the tragic beginning of the final season (more on that later) she has not always met full sapphic standards, but she still had her bite (both literal and verbal) down to the end. And once again, in a show where anyone’s head could be on the chopping block at any moment, being a survivor earns you a diploma. Congratulations, Pam.

White Collar. The show ended its six-season run, sending Diana Berrigan, badass lesbian FBI Special Agent, back to D.C. Throughout the series, this out-from-the-start agent was a respected and well-written character, though, like too many on this list, incredibly underused. But, all in all, as pleasant a goodbye as goodbyes can be.

Legend of Korra. The most recent diploma was issued to the Nickelodeon duo, Korra and Asami. This was a huge step for the network, as programming geared toward children tend to shy away from the “controversial” topic of same-sex relationships (I say “controversial” with proper amounts of eye-rolling, because it’s ridiculous that there are still people who would oppose such a thing), or at least they used to. But this series ended with its title character going on a trip to the Spirit World (which sounds super romantic) hand-in-hand with another female character. And for those who insisted it was fangirls projecting, that the ending was just about two best friends, don’t worry, the creators have spoken out and assured everyone that the ending was exactly what it seemed.

And actually, while we’re on the topic of children’s networks, I’d like to issue an honorary diploma to Good Luck Charlie, a Disney Channel show that featured a lesbian couple in an episode. The running joke of the episode was that Charlie’s parents each thought they were right about the name of Charlie’s friend’s mom, and in the end they discover they were both right because Charlie’s friend had two moms. It was treated just like any other antic storyline in the show, and it was a great first step for the Disney Channel.

RISING SENIORS

This year’s Senior Class includes shows that are on their final season, or shows whose queer characters have already been declared as having their final season. They will still have episodes in 2015, but then we’ll have to say goodbye. This is a bittersweet time for these beloved characters, because as much as we would love to believe their storylines will be wrapped up in rainbows and glitter, we’ve discovered time and time again that sometimes final seasons crash and burn. But the final season is a season for hope, so let’s look at who we’ll be saying goodbye to next year.

Glee. Oh, Glee. Our love for you burned bright once, Glee. Our hearts were shining just for you, but perhaps it was too much, because our love seems to have blinded you, and you have been stomping around aimlessly for a while now, crushing those who once loved you along the way. But now, for better or for worse, Glee has reached its final season. Over the years, Glee has given us so much. Scenes that spoke to the souls of the broken, that healed cracks in our hearts. So despite, well, everything, Glee is still important. And even though this year, they had Brittany and Santana separated for most of the season, and they criminally underused Demi Lovato during her stint as Dani, Santana’s rocker-chick girlfriend, they have been hinting at the potential for a Brittana wedding this season, so it can’t be all bad, right? (Laughs nervously.) So soon we will have to say goodbye to lesbian Latina Santana, Brittany the bicorn, and Quinn, who sadly I doubt will admit on screen to anything more than the two-time thing, and hope that the final season brings us the best of all of them.

The Good Wife. Actress Archie Panjabi had decided to leave her show for a new pilot, taking with her the beautiful, smart, queer investigator she plays, Kalinda Sharma. Kalinda has given us some steamy storylines over the years, and it will be sad to see her go. Hopefully her departure won’t mean the end of some of the queer characters she had romantic ties to, like Agent Lana Delaney (Jill Flint). Here’s to what will hopefully be an exciting final season for Kalinda, and just like always, we whisper the mantra we always say when we hear news like this: Please don’t die, please don’t die, please don’t die.

Two and a Half Men. While this show is not exactly known for its tact or grace, arguably the best thing it ever did was introduce Charlie’s daughter, who is exactly like Charlie, only female. Right down to her lady-killer ways. No wait, that was the second best thing. The best thing was getting Amber Tamblyn to play the part. Jenny spent the first part of her run with a revolving door of beautiful women in her bedroom, much like her late father. She had a devil-may-care attitude but somewhere along the way, a bombshell she took to bed took her heart in return and soon Brooke (played by the stunning Aly Michalka) was her girlfriend. Two and a Half Men is in its final season (finally) and I’m not sure how much Jenny or Brooke will play a part in that, but either way, we will be saying goodbye to them in 2015.

Lost Girl. I won’t even lie to you: I was devastated when I found out that this season was to be Lost Girl‘s last. This show is wonderful for so many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is the way it handles sexuality. Bo Dennis is a succubus who needs orgasms to survive. Needs them. Often. And there is no shame in it. She sleeps with anyone and everyone and no one gives two hoots; in fact, it’s often encouraged. And it doesn’t matter what gender or even what species they are, if she’s into it, she’s into it. End of story. She has been in more meaningful relationships with human doctor Lauren and werewolf cop Dyson, and she has teetered on the edge of something bigger with Tamsin. And what’s great is that it’s not even like everyone sleeps with everyone. Even though sexuality is undefined, everyone still has their tastes. Bo is less picky; especially if she’s healing. Dyson is pretty Bo-sexual but will tryst with a pretty lady if they cross his path. Lauren and Tamsin are also kind of Bo-sexual (maybe everyone on this show is), but Lauren has only dated/slept with females over the course of the show, while Tamsin goes both ways. And it’s never an issue, it’s never a question, it’s never a storyline. The sex is, the relationships are, but gender and sexuality never is. Which is so damn refreshing. Because sometimes talking about sexuality is important, but sometimes fighting demons is more important, and who has time for talking when you could be kissing. This is also one show I’m less worried about them screwing up on the way out the door. I think partly because it was their decision, they had time to plan the ending, but partly because they’ve handled it all so well in the past. Hell, the show could end in a multi-gendered, multi-species, polyamorous four-way relationship and it wouldn’t be all that surprising. It will be sad to see this show go, but I’m oh so glad we have it on the record books.

TOP OF THE CLASS

These are returning students that are doing a stellar job of having well-rounded queer women front and center, with complex storylines and complicated characters. If AfterEllen Academy had a student council, these folks would be on it, and they’d be running the school with pride, setting good examples for their peers. And we couldn’t be happier to have them on board.

Orange is the New Black. Lezbehonest, probably student body president of AEA. Because not only do they have the most queer characters on one show currently on air (though Pretty Little Liars is trying to give them a run for their money), they are also the most diverse, and they have one of the only trans women of color of ANY media outlets, played by an actual trans woman, and an amazing one at that. The character of Sophia has a wide range of storylines, from depicting the struggles a transgender woman faces in prison, to being a source of emotional (and beauty) support for her fellow prisoners. The show also boasts openly queer Piper, Alex, Poussey, Nicki, Big Boo, and Crazy Eyes, and in-denial-but-sleeping-with-Nicki Lorna. In Season 2, we got a peek into Poussey’s backstory, and learned that her feelings for her best friend Taystee were more complicated than they appeared. Piper and Alex danced their dance throughout the whole season, especially since Larry seems to be finally out of the picture. Like I mentioned in the opener, the best thing about this show being so queer is that it’s also so viral. I know I live in New York City, so my stats are a little skewed, but most of the people I encounter have seen it; whether or not they’re straight, whether or not they’re young. And I’m all for exposing anyone and everyone to well-developed queer stories, especially when they range from purely sexual to unrequited to intensely emotional all in the same show. And I’m sure Season 3 will be no different.

Orphan Black. “My sexuality is not the most interesting thing about me,” is an actual thing Cosima said in the second season of this show, but the show had been saying it without words since the introduction of Cosima’s character. When it became clear that all the clones were being given monitors disguised as love interests, and Cosima suspected hers was a woman she met in the lab, no one blinks twice. Sarah doesn’t drop the phone and demand an explanation, she just tells Cosima to be careful. When Delphine starts falling for Cosima, she only fights it for a minute, before admitting sexuality a spectrum and that Cosima could swing just about anyone to her side of it. Their relationship becomes so central to the storyline, that Delphine’s love for Cosima is actually used against her at the end of Season 2. So I have no doubt this show will continue to treat sexuality as just another trait a character could have, instead of the only trait. Season 2 also introduced Tony, a clone who is also a transman. He was met with mixed response by the fans (I blame the mullet more than anything) but it was another way of showing that just because they shared the same genetic material at conception doesn’t mean they did by the time they were born; they might all look the same, but the clones are as different from each other as anyone else. I’m not sure if we’ll see Tony again in Season 2, but I know we’ll see Cosima and Delphine, and I look forward to seeing what kind of crazy science they get into.

Pretty Little Liars. Not unlike Orange is the New Black, Pretty Little Liars has a diverse range of queer characters, and is exposing a new demographic to them. Who knew ABC Family would be the gayest network on television in 2014? But it is, and teens who watch Pretty Little Liars will see themselves reflected back in any of the Liars, though hopefully without the murder plots. Emily Fields and her storylines are treated with the same respect and chaos as any of her friends’, and even though lesbians in Rosewood have a life expectancy of like 17 (more on that later, too), she always finds a new girl to hold onto. Emily had her coming out story, but now being a lesbian is just as much an inherent part of her character as unending empathy and off-the-shoulder sweatshirts. This season has also had her going on emotional journeys with on-again-off-again girlfriend Paige and on-again-off-again alive person Alison. This season also had Jenna and Shana in some sort of twisted relationship, though what that’s about is anyone’s guess. This is one of the shows I regularly point to and say, “If this show was on TV when I was 15, I would have come out a good 6 years before I actually did.” Who knows what’s in store for the girls next year, but once again I find myself chanting “please don’t die” at these characters.

Rookie Blue. Gail Peck has been through a lot over the course of the show, but luckily coming out wasn’t nearly the worst one. Thanks to Holly (aka “Officer Lunchbox”), Gail was able to find herself and realize that maybe the reason she sabotaged her relationships with men was because her whole heart wasn’t in it. Gail resisted at first, but quickly accepted it with the same level of snark she accepts everything else. Gail and Holly went on a rollercoaster this season, and both dropped bombs on each other, so their future in Season 6 is up in the air, but it’s very important to Charlotte Sullivan that Gail’s sexuality be handled respectfully, so I’m not worried about that, I just don’t want to say goodbye to Holly just yet.

The Fosters. The Fosters is your typical ABC Family family drama, it just so happens that the family in question has two moms. And while they could have considered that “enough” representation (again, hear my eyes roll), they don’t shy away from other storylines, like Jude wanting to wear nail polish and maybe having a crush on his best boy friend and Callie meeting a transgender boy in her group home (run by Rosie O’Donnell as an added bonus). The show doesn’t glorify two-mom households, nor does it admonish it; all it does is show that Lena and Stef’s family is just like any other family in that it is complicated and stressful but at the very core of it is the same thing that makes any group of people a family: Love. And I look forward to seeing more of that love next year.

Grey’s Anatomy. Callie and Arizona are not spared any of the dramatics shared by the doctors at Grey Sloan Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital for the Sexually Promiscuous and Disaster Prone. They’ve broken up and gotten back together and cheated and had a baby and broken up again and not all in that order, and not all only once. This year also revealed that resident Leah wasn’t exactly straight, when a fling with Dr. Robbins turned out to involve her heart as well as her ladybits. Though we lost her to the Parking Lot of No Return, Callie and Arizona are still battling their demons side by side, sometimes together, sometimes just in parallel, and we can expect to see more from both of them next year.

Degrassi. Nickelodeon strikes again. This time on their network geared toward teenagers, but loved by a wide range of ages. And for as long as I can remember, they’ve had inclusive storylines. As in, pretty much any type of storyline you can possibly dream up, they’ve included it. This year, the queer storylines revolved around quirky Imogen and most recently with her lady love, Jack, who might be polyamorous, which would be awesome. Degrassi is a show with eighty million characters, so not all characters get to be in the spotlight often, but hopefully we’ll see some fun stuff coming up with Imogen.

NEW STUDENTS

We’ve got a lot of new kids this year! Actually, in total, there were over 120 queer women on television last year. As in, I eventually had to stop counting because it was getting ridiculous. I can’t highlight every single show like I’ve been doing or we’d be here until 2016, but there are a few that warrant a little extra love.

Faking It. When I first heard the concept of this show, I was highly insulted – two girls who pretend to be lesbians to be popular?! But I’m in the camp that you can’t speak out against something you don’t understand, so I decided to watch it to see what was all about before I got out my trusty soapbox. And I fell in love. It’s a weird, quirky little show that’s 75% snarky and ridiculous antics and 25% heart. Which is a lot of heart for an MTV show geared toward teens. Amy’s journey has been a pleasure to watch, as she tries to sort out her feelings for Karma and Reagan and just her feelings in general. Plus, the show features the fabulously bitchy Lauren, who is intersex, something I personally have never seen explored on television before. Welcome, Faking It, and keep up the good work.

Chasing Life. Another point for ABC Family. Brenna is just Brenna; sometimes sulky, independent, and not into labels (unless her grandparents pressure her into picking one in which case she’ll use bisexual because it’s the closest to her true feelings that is also easily understandable for that generation). Greer is also just Greer; cheery, kind-hearted, optimistic tennis player and out lesbian from long before we met her. They make an unlikely pair, but they fit like puzzle pieces, and they are a welcome addition to the growing list of queer characters on television.

Gotham. The first season of Gotham had Detective Renee Montoya telling her Barbara Kean, her ex-girlfriend, that her fiance was a nogoodnik over and over, and by the end of the season, Barbara seemed to agree, since we found her in bed with Montoya. Since that’s the last we saw of her, I have no doubts that we’ll be exploring this relationship further when the show returns in January.

Transparent. Amazon is following Netflix’s footsteps and created an original series of its own. It’s centered around a woman who comes out as trans to her family, and just her family in general. Also it just so happens one of her children, Sarah, is dating a woman named Tammy and might just get married next season. If all the internet streaming sites are going to start creating binge-worthy content that include queer characters, I’m 100% on board.

Other new students to say hello to: New queer women of color, recurring character Jean Fishman on The Mindy Project, M-Chuck on Survivor’s Remorse, and Kay on Marry Me. Also of note, the queer-inclined on Strange Empire, Jane on The Comeback, Dr. Luisa Alver and her stepmother/lover Rose on Jane the Virgin, newly out Cricket on Hart of Dixie, and ex-lovers Eleanor and Max on Black Sails.

THE STUDENT BODY

These are shows that have queer recurring characters, but aren’t quite Student Council material. Some of them do a great job with the characters, they just don’t feature them enough.

For example, Nyssa Al Ghul on Arrow is a great queer character (of color!) and when she’s featured in an episode, she’s a powerful addition to the story, but she’s not always around. Though she was featured prominently in the season finale, and hopefully will stay in the forefront of the quest for Justice for Sara next season.

Red Band Society‘s main mean girl has lesbian moms, and The Walking Dead has Tara who has (thankfully) so far been surviving the zombie apocalypse. Salem boasts strangely sapphic sorcery, and lady-loving ex-prostitute Rachel is tied up in the dramatic goings on of House of Cards.

Defiance is one we’ll also talk about again later, but has Jaime Murray making it onto the list again as Stahma, who loved Kenya Rosewater so much she killed her dead. And who, whether she means to or not, flirts with every female who gets within arms’ reach of her. Doc Yewll is an alien who loved her late wife so much she delayed healing herself so she could hallucinate seeing her and talking to her just a little bit longer.

There are some other shows that are part of the student body, but need some extra help to reach their full potential, and some that are just underwhelming in general. For example, Angela on Bones is bisexual but she’s been married to her husband for so long I’m sure most people forgot; which is fine and great, but I just don’t have much more to report on that front. The Last Ship had Lt. Alisha Granderson mention that she had a girlfriend back home, but as far as I know that was the extend of acknowledging her queerness.

Masters of Sex has given Betty some attention this year, but in general she is generally underused, as are her love interests like Helen (played by Sarah Silverman). Ex-Shane Kate Moennig plays gay again as Lena on Ray Donovan. The season finale of Shameless gave us hope that hilarious hooker Svetlana could embark on a same-sex relationship in the upcoming season of Shameless, so hopefully we’ll have more to talk about on that front next year. Under the Dome‘s Carolyn has been without love since her wife, Alice, died last year, but she’s still under that dome and hopefully will be given more screentime in the future. And Switched at Birth has a cute lesbian couple, Natalie and Hilary, whose friends rallied behind their right to wear suits to the prom in one episode, but who are sadly absent for most of the season.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS

If you ever run out of American/Canadian shows to watch (which, if you do, please lend me your time turner), or just want to spice things up, there are plenty of queer things happening around the world. This year, Australia gave us the enigmatic Franky Doyle (and the poor girl she uses for sex) on Wentworth and the lesbian title character on Janet King. In other parts of the world, we have a handful of queer ladies on Emmerdale, Marlene and Rebecca on Verbotene Liebe, and Esther on Hollyoaks (who will hopefully keep on keeping on without Tilly). Though she lost her other half, Isabel is still on Tierra de Lobos, and while our hearts still ache for Sian, Sophie found a new love in Coronation Street.

Gillian Anderson plays Stella Gibson on The Fall, on which she kissed a character named Reed Smith, who is also played by Archie Panjabi. (I confess, I haven’t watched this show yet, but I did watch that scene, and holy heart attack.)

I’m positive I missed some of the wonderful things going on in queer culture all around the world, but these are just some of the ones who especially piqued the interest of us over here in the US in 2014.

TRUANT

Luckily this section will be short, but I’m sending out truant officers to find some missing queer characters. Mulan on Once Upon A Time almost confessed her love to Aurora and then WAS NEVER SEEN AGAIN. Not even mentioned! Once Upon A Time is still trucking along, and we even saw Aurora and her baby, as well as Robin Hood’s Merry Men, who Mulan supposedly joined up with, so now that Jamie Chung‘s other show got cancelled, I would like to be able to add “Mulan” to a different category next year, okay? Okay.

Also missing are Madame Vastra and Jenny from Doctor Who. They had such a promising start, and even a life-saving lip-lock, but then were woefully absent for the rest of the season. They’re such awesome characters and if Doctor Who isn’t going to utilize them properly, I demand a spinoff!

HOMESCHOOLED

You know how when you’re growing up, there’s this rumor about kids who are homeschooled, that they’re weird or lame and probably don’t know how to socialize and are going to be outcasts forever? But then you actually meet someone who was homeschooled and actually they’re just as likely to be weird as anyone else and actually some of them are pretty rad? That’s how I feel about webseries. I used to wince at the idea of them, imagining them as half-assed works done by bored college film majors with webcams. But oh how wrong this year proved me to be.

Most recently, Carmilla swept the internet with a slew of characters who are queer, and a slew of cast members too. It was silly and supernatural and fun and nothing at all like I expected when someone told me to watch a webseries about a journalism major at a magical university and her lesbian vampire roommate.

Other queer-inclusive webseries include Out with Dad, Nikki and Nora, Kiss Her I’m Famous, Girl/Girl Scene, RED, Rods & Cones, East Los High, Entangled with You, Beacon Hill, Venice and Hashtag. Look at that list! I love how long it is! I hope it gets even longer in 2015.

EXPELLED

These are the shows that have been expelled from AfterEllen University. Most of them are expelled because they got cancelled unexpectedly, but featured a lesbian character, but some are because they axed their queer character, whether it was literally or figuratively. For example, Ascension gave and took away a lesbian character before I could even get to it on my catch-up queue. And Joss on Mistresses is still around, and still occasionally mentioning her fling with Alex last season, but is back to being “straight” instead of just owning the bisexual label.

Crossbones, Super Fun Night, Gracepoint, and The Bridge sadly will not get to explore their queer characters further, since they all got cancelled between seasons. Whitney and Lacey had a little almost-fling on Twisted, but their path will have to be left to our imagination. Star-Crossed featured Sophia, a beautiful pansexual alien, will never get to get her happily ever after with Taylor. Though Dracula‘s Lucy was doomed to be in unrequited love with Mina forever, things were starting to heat up when she became a vampire, and she might have been able to do all the lady-loving she wanted, until her show got a stake through the heart. I’ll include Matador here too, because even though they killed off their lesbian character, Reyna, they also got hella cancelled. And toward the end of an eventful season, Witches of East End revealed that immortal matriarch Joanna Beauchamp had an awesome ex-girlfriend named Alex (and played by the wonderful Michelle Hurd), and they toyed with the idea of rekindling that relationship before the entire show went down in flames. (Okay it wasn’t that dramatic, it was just cancelled like anything else, I was just extra sad about it.)

Some of these cancellations were more surprising than others, but they’re all a reminder to never stay quiet about your love for something. Tweet your fingers off, shout from the mountaintop, because if a network doesn’t see the love, they’ll tank a show and take your heart down with it.

THE FACULTY

Every year, the number of out actresses and television personality grows and grows. From talk show hosts like Ellen Degeneres, who has been going strong for over a decade, and has already been renewed through 2017, to sketch comedy stars like Kate McKinnon (who is easily the best part of SNL right now), Hollywood is slowly getting louder and prouder about saying, “We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re ready to be on your televisions all the time.” It would be actually impossible to list all the out television actresses in shows right now, but some recently out include Emily Rios from The Bridge (and soon a new show), Orange is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli (who is dating OITNB actress Samira Wiley), and Chicago Fire’s Monica Raymund.

We’ve also seen lesbian and bisexual women on reality shows like the Real World, Top Chef: Boston, American Idol, The Linda Perry Project, Sisterhood of Hip Hop and The Voice. Exposure like this is important, because it means we’re not hiding anymore, and no one is hiding us. People are diverse, and someone’s sexuality shouldn’t be a factor in whether they’re a good chef or a talented singer. And it seems we’re headed in that direction, based on the number of shows on this list.

GUEST SPEAKERS

This section will also be short, but not because there’s not a lot to talk about, but because it’s literally impossible to include everyone. Guest speakers are those one-shot lesbian storylines, the murderers on Criminal Minds or the victims on Stalker. More and more, people are realizing that not making people’s sexuality “a thing,” you can use it to make for interesting storylines. (OK, I just realized my only two examples were murderers and victims but I promise there are other serial dramas that do other things with the characters, too.)

Notable “guest speakers” this year included Ashley Tisdale playing a tattooed lesbian, and hitting on Emily Osment and dating Jessica Lowndes on Young & Hungry, a role she said she would possibly consider reprising in Season 2, and Felicia Day‘s recurring lesbian gamer character on Supernatural.

IN MEMORIAM

If the AfterEllen Academy was a real school for the television shows, it would be somewhat akin to Buffy’s alma mater, Sunnydale High. Not only were there heroes and villains, witches and vampires, pirates and aliens, but we also lost a few classmates along the way. These are queer characters on shows that are still trucking along, leaving bodies in their wake.

Chicago Fire killed lesbian paramedic Leslie Shay right out of the gate this year. Shay was a character that was so great in the beginning of the series, unabashedly gay, strong and smart, though not when it came to her choice in lovers. But after a while, the writers seemed to come up blank when it came to giving her more of a storyline, so they gave her baby fever for a while. Once that was over, they ran out of ideas, so they killed her. Some people try to spin it and say she was the most central character, the one that touched the most lives, so she was the most dramatic to kill. Which would be all well and good if this wasn’t one of over TEN queer characters that died this year, added to a very full fictional LGBT graveyard.

Arrow did a similar thing, in that it killed Sara Lance in the first episode of the season, and used her death to fuel storylines as the year went on. But no one ever reached out to Nyssa al Ghul to tell her that the woman she loved was dead, so when she got back to Starling City, it was really no surprise she went on a murderous rampage. What is nice is that Nyssa is not shy about telling everyone exactly what kind of feelings the had for Sara, and no one is denying her that right to grieve. Oliver and Laurel seemed to not understand it for a hot minute, but they get it now, that’s for sure. I’m just hoping 2015 will bring us a few flashbacks into Nyssa and Sara’s relationship.

Agents of SHIELD really dropped the ball on their queer characters, because they never even made them queer. Victoria Hand and Isabelle Hartley have a fling in the Marvel comics, but on the show, the two were never even alive in the same episode. Victoria Hand was introduced then killed, then Isabelle Hartley was introduced in killed. And Isabelle Hartley was Xena for crying out loud! (And by that I mean she, too, was played by Lucy Lawless.)

True Blood killed off Tara, which is part of the reason aforementioned Pam was lacking in lady love this year. Even though I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to kill queer women named Tara because otherwise you hear all the Buffy fans shout TOO SOON from somewhere in the distance.

Kenya on Defiance was an extra little stab in the heart, because it was like Jenny Schecter had risen from the grave and given a chance to redeem herself, and redeem herself she did, only to die again. She was a hooker with a heart of gold who seduced Jaime Murray’s Stahma, who ended up being the cause of her demise. Being killed by the woman you love (or want to love but can’t trust because who can you trust in a town called Defiance) is just the worst.

Pretty Little Liars also committed another queer murder, this time to Shana, ex-lover of at least Jenna and Paige, and probably Ali because I think to have a conversation with Ali is to date Ali. It’s not like there is a lack of queer girls with Shana gone, because in Rosewood when one lesbian is killed, two more appear in her place, but she IS the second queer girl of color to be murdered on this show. Granted, if you stack all the bodies A has accumulated, there are more straight white people dead than anything else, there are an infinite number of straight white people on TV, we can spare a few. Queer women of color on the other hand, while thankfully growing in number, are still rare enough that I’d prefer to see them alive and well and kissing on ladies, thank you very much.

YOU GUYS. Was that the longest post ever or what? And you know what the best part is? That this here post of every LGBT female fictional character that appeared on television in 2014 is almost definitely incomplete. I did a lot of research, read a lot of articles, sifted through a lot of memories, watched a lot of YouTube clips (like, a lot of YouTube clips), and I think I got a good percentage of them, but chances are I missed a few. But do you know how awesome that is?? That there are so many LGBT characters on television that it is practically impossible for one person to accumulate them into one post? Now, don’t get me wrong, we still have a long way to go to make sure that the quality of these characters keeps up with the number of them, but I’d bet my bottom dollar that in a few years, or maybe even sooner, the year end list for queer women on TV will have to be more like a highlights reel than an all-encompassing list.

So take to the comments! Tell me who I missed! And tell me this: Who were your favorite queer characters of 2014? What shows do you think made AfterEllen University’s dean’s list for doing the very best job of representing our community? What do you hope to see in 2015?

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