19 Of The Best LGBT Characters On TV Right Now

Oh, how far we've come.

1. Clarke – The 100

The CW

Clarke is a badass, fearless leader who slays every scene she's in. She's bi, but that has never been an ~issue~ for her to overcome. And though we'll never recover from losing Lexa, who the hell knows what this new season has in store for her.

2. Annalise Keating – How to Get Away With Murder

ABC

Annalise is another bi character who is constantly inspiring us to be our best, most confident selves. Though she's had a tough time lately, she'll still never back down from a challenge and won't let anyone tell her who to be.

3. Sophia – Orange Is The New Black

Netflix

I'm like two seasons behind on OITNB and don't want to look anything up in case of spoilers. What I do know is that Sophia is one of the best trans characters on TV, handling everything that's thrown at her with more poise than I could even dream of.

4. Marceline – Adventure Time

Cartoon Network

Marceline is hella cool, and her and Princess Bubblegum were way better relationship goals than Chrissy Teigen and John Legend will ever be. Even though she's the Vampire Queen she's actually a good person deep down, and reminds us that we're all allowed to make mistakes.

5. Josh – Please Like Me

ABC

Josh is a hilarious and refreshingly realistic gay character who we all never realised we needed. Though Please Like Me just wrapped its last season, it's one of those perfect shows we can always go back to and rewatch a million times.

6. Maura – Transparent

Amazon

The best part of this show has been watching Moira transition and finally get to be true to herself. The way she navigates tough discussions and situations is admirable, and the show itself sets a stellar example for trans characters on TV.

7. Ilana – Broad City

Comedy Central

Though it's not specified whether she's bi or pansexual, this iconic queen is one of the best characters on TV at the moment. I think we can all say that we either want to be her, or sleep with her. She's not afraid to speak her mind and has complete confidence in herself, even though she doesn't exactly ~fit the mould~.

8. Cyrus – Scandal

ABC

By no stretch of the imagination is Cyrus a good guy, but oh boy he is a great character. It's also a pretty big deal that he was an out gay Chief of Staff to the President, and without spoiling anything, his career can only go up from here. God I hate him, but I love to watch him.

9. David – Schitt's Creek

CBC

David gave the best-ever explanation for pansexuality that we've seen on TV. He's perfect in everything that he does, from facial expressions, to creative insults. He's a big fish in a small pond, but he's never shied away from his unique personality, despite his surroundings.

10. Eliott – The Magicians

SyFy

Eliott is so much more than the gay best friend. He adds a depth to the show which most teen dramas are lacking, and knows how to deliver the perfect scene-stealing line. He's also incredibly smart, and the hottest magician since Neville Longbottom.

11. Titus – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Netflix

Does Titus even need an explanation? His total love of life and desire to be himself, even when times are tough, makes him the best character on this show. He never lets his haters bring him down, and he's the best friend that Kimmy could ask for.

12. Billy – Difficult People

Hulu

Though at times he can be mildly irritating, and he's pretty far off from being a kind and caring person, Billy is one of those characters that you can't help but love. He uses his sense of humour to keep him sane while everything's going wrong, which is honestly all of us in 2017.

13. Captain Holt – Brooklyn 99

FOX

Though we usually only see him getting harangued by Jake, it's made pretty clear that Captain Holt has had to deal with a lot of shit as he came up through the ranks of Brooklyn PD. But he never let it get him down, and didn't stop him from becoming the hardened but (secretly) caring captain we all know and love.

14. Cosima – Orphan Black

BBC America

The best part of Cosima is that her sexuality is just a minor detail, not the most interesting part of her character or the centre of every storyline. She's insanely smart and incredibly tough. Orphan Black honestly is just so good at portraying LGBT characters as they are in real life, without playing into any dumb stereotypes.

15. Alex Danvers – Supergirl

The CW

In the first season, she was just Supergirl's sister, but in Season Two we were all blessed by Alex coming out and hooking up with Maggie. Seeing her slowly realise she's gay was a beautiful and well-executed storyline. Plus, she's a damn intelligent and super cool chick who's never shied away from a fight.

16. Nomi – Sense8

Netflix

Nomi has been through a lot but instead of letting it break her, she's learned to turn the pain from her past into a fuel that makes her determined to be the best. Though she was surrounded by people who were hell-bent on stopping her from expressing herself, she never gave in.

17. Stef and Lena – The Fosters

ABC

It's about time we had a successful lesbian relationship on mainstream TV. Stef and Lena are loving and caring, and perfect role models for their kids. And not to spoil anything, but they've proven that love can survive really tough times, and remind us that we should never give up.

18. Mac – It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

FXX

After twelve seasons of serious innuendo and one fake-out coming out, Mac finally came out for real earlier this season, thank god. Now the resident badass of Paddy's pub can admit that those ocular pat downs are actually just him checking out beefcake bros, and fans are loving that Mac is finally out of the closet and embracing his true identity.

19. Emily – Pretty Little Liars

Freefrom

Apart from a brief moment in Season One, Emily's sexuality has only ever been a background detail, not a defining storyline. She may be as dumb as a box of hair, but at least she is confident in who she is, even if she has shocking taste in women. Sara Harvey anyone...?