We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which popular LGBTQ+ characters were unfortunately done dirty.
People didn't hold anything back, and revealed just how frustrated they've been with Hollywood's tendency to write queer characters in an unrealistic light.
So, here are some LGBTQ+ movie and TV characters who got the short end of the stick:
Note: Not all submissions are from Community users.
Note: Some submissions include insensitive anti-trans and anti-gay TV/movie moments. Please proceed with caution.
1. Jenny and Kitty from Jenny's Wedding (2015)
"The whole movie is about Jenny’s straight family coming to terms with her being a lesbian. The main couple — Jenny and Kitty — have no chemistry and no character traits. It’s a movie made entirely by straight people, and I wish I could have that hour and a half of my life back."
"When they cast big names like Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel, I thought there'd be more substance to the movie, but there was barely any romance — the story focused on a coming-out story, when that's always the main plot in queer media."
2. Carol Willick and Susan Bunch from Friends (1994–2004)
"Yes, we’ve all said it, but during my most recent rewatch of Friends, all the lesbian and LGBTQ+ jokes during the early seasons were horrible. Carol and Susan announcing their marriage, Ross making a face, and the laugh track comes in — instant cringe and face palm."
3. Albus Dumbledore from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
"There was one line when Dumbledore told Grindelwald he was in love with him, but that's pretty much it. Warner Bros. Pictures cut out other important dialogue in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Some lines were removed in all movie theaters in China, which obviously sparked a lot of reactions from fans and the LGBTQ+ community. The fact that they did this to Dumbledore was so disheartening, especially in 2022."
—BuzzFeed
4. Maria Diega Reyes from Sex and the City (1998–2004)
"Samantha broke up with Maria because they talked about their feelings too much. Maria responded in an emotionally heated way, perpetuating a false stereotype about woman-loving-woman relationships."
5. Willow and Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
"Willow and Tara's entire relationship was just poorly written. First off, killing Tara like that was absolutely unacceptable and unnecessary — all of the 'Bury your gays' moments were bad, and Tara was just another example of that. And the pure bisexual erasure of Willow in relation to her romance with Oz felt like obscuring bisexuality as a whole. Her romance with Oz felt as visceral and real as her relationship with Tara did, and it could have been a really excellent step for bisexuality as a whole...but it wasn't."
"Willow was attracted to and in love with multiple men over the first few seasons, had a healthy sex life with them, and then suddenly became a lesbian, to the point where she later expressed that men repulsed her and she could only be with women. I loved the lesbian representation, and I know for its time it was groundbreaking, but they did young bisexuals trying to figure themselves out so dirty. That’s not even to mention the 'Bury your gays' issue in the show."
6. CeCe Drake from Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017)
"The show finally revealed a character who identified as trans after she'd been on the show for three seasons. And her transition was only written as part of the big reveal that she was a 'villain' who kidnapped and tortured the girls. She was murdered in the very next episode...thanks for the representation. 🙄"
"They did her SO wrong. You could really tell that there wasn't anyone trans in the Pretty Little Liars writers room."
7. Max Sweeney from The L Word (2004–2009)
"They totally mishandled Max's transgender storyline on The L Word, and dismissed the transitioning experience. Even though actor Daniel Sea recently revealed to IndieWire how The L Word: Generation Q tried to repair Max's original storyline by bringing him back as a happy father to four kids, it's still pretty awful and did not age well."
—BuzzFeed
8. Charlie from Legends of Tomorrow (2016–2022)
"She was done absolutely wrong — wasn't she supposed to be genderfluid? The show only ever used she/her pronouns for them, and it's shitty considering that most genderfluid people use multiple or changing pronouns. Also, the fact that Charlie was pansexual and had this ambiguous relationship with Zari that even the actors wanted to happen was ridiculous. When Behrad showed up (whom they referred to as the 'male version' of Zari in his very first episode), they had Charlie hook up with him IMMEDIATELY, which played into that 'if one of them were a man' trope, I suppose."
9. Alexis Meade from Ugly Betty (2006–2010)
"They did Alexis from Ugly Betty SO wrong. It wasn't the character herself that was the problem, but how her journey was portrayed. She had the potential for a compelling story arc, but the writers didn't seem to know anything about trans people (they had people dead-name her in the show, and she was shown to be interested in girls before she transitioned — then afterward she wasn't, for whatever reason). The audience didn't really get to see her transition process — she was just sitting in a lot of silk scarves for a while until we find out who she was. Overall, not a great portrayal."
10. Stanford Blatch from Sex and the City (1998–2004)
"They used Stanford's character to perpetuate a false stereotype of queer men by making him say some of the most over-the-top things in the original series."
—BuzzFeed
11. Daniela and Carla from In the Heights (2021)
"Daniela and Carla from In the Heights were done so wrong. I didn’t even know they were a couple until someone told me. During my second viewing, sure, if you’re really looking out for it, they’re a couple. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that there weren't any anti-gay storylines, but I take issue when LGBTQ characters and relationships are ONLY in the background (considering that straight characters and relationships are both in the spotlight and in the background). Stephanie Beatriz was still a queen, though."
12. Damian from Mean Girls (2004)
"Damian from Mean Girls was done wrong. Yes, I know he's a fan favorite, but I hate how they made 'gay best friend' his primary personality trait. In the story, he was just there to add comedic relief and make Cady's life more 'fabulous' — he deserved his own complexities."
13. Hope Mikaelson from Legacies (2018–2022)
"Hope was written horribly on Legacies because they never allowed her to explore her sexuality beyond one-liners, even though the actor who played her confirmed that she's bisexual. They also did Josie dirty, too — they only gave her relationships that were rushed, with absolutely no development, and her love interests were always written off the show."
14. Mo from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020–2021)
"Mo was definitely an interesting character, but I hate how for most of the show he was just Zoey's queer sidekick. He didn't have his own storyline until the last few episodes."
15. And Poussey Washington from Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019)
"It was seven years ago, and I'm still devastated by her death. For one, she was one of the few Black lesbian characters on the show, and this was amid the discussion of LGBTQ+ characters always being killed. The writers clearly intended for it to be a commentary on the Black Lives Matter movement, but they made the white guard who killed her sympathetic and portrayed him as having done it by accident. It was awful."
Note: Some submissions were edited for length and/or clarity.
If you or someone you know has experienced anti-LGBTQ+ violence or harassment, you can contact the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs hotline at 1-212-714-1141.
You can check out more posts that celebrate National Coming Out Day and LGBTQ+ History Month over on our LGBTQ+ page.
