In this installment of my list of the 40 best LGBT TV characters from current shows, I have some characters who are new this summer, some kickass bisexuals and more than one person who’s been unfairly thrown into a prison. You can check out 40-31 on my list here.
30. Amy Raudenfeld (Faking It)
Played by: Rita Volk
Network: MTV (catch up on Hulu)
Amy started off convinced she can’t be a lesbian because “I don’t even like looking at my own vagina”, but she’s grown, learned about herself and even gotten a girlfriend (a non-fake one). She’s sarcastic, at times insecure and struggles with family and friends. It’s no surprise that teen audiences relate to her.
29. Loras Tyrell (Game of Thrones)
Played by: Finn Jones
Network: HBO
Loras is a fun character to watch and easy to root for. His scenes with Renly Baratheon were some of the best scenes on the show. It was very distressing when he was thrown into prison for homosexuality in the most recent season.
28. Angela Montenegro (Bones)
Played by: Michaela Conlin
Network: Fox (catch up on the most recent season on Hulu or start from the beginning on Netflix)
The adorable Angela Montenegro is open about her sexuality and currently married to the also adorable Jack Hodgins. The character serves as a reminder that bisexual women who are married to men are still bisexual.
27. Jay (UnREAL)
Played by: Jeffrey Bower-Chapman
Network: Lifetime
When UnREAL began, Jay seemed like one of the few genuinely good people on the crew of The Suitor. But, the show revealed that everyone has a dark side when he was willing to out another gay person for the sake of his own success. It’s exciting to watch this flawed character develop more and more with each episode.
26. Clarke Griffin (The 100)
Played by: Eliza Taylor
Network: The CW (catch up on the latest episodes on Hulu or start from the beginning on Netflix)
The 100 took a big step for television by establishing that their protagonist was bisexual in season two of the series. Aside from the importance of the precedent she set, Clarke is simply a great character who’s easy to root for as she struggles with extreme situations.
25. Nyssa al Ghul (Arrow)
Played by: Katrina Law
Network: The CW (catch up on the latest episodes on Hulu or start from the beginning on Netflix)
Nyssa has always been a badass character, but she really started to shine in the latest season of Arrow when we not only saw her vulnerabilities, but also got to see a lighter side of her as she took time to laugh and enjoy a milkshake every now and then. Her friendship with Laurel was one of the best aspects of the past season and it would be great to see more of the two of them together in the future.
24. Connor Walsh (How to Get Away with Murder)
Played by: Jack Falahee
Network: ABC (catch up on Hulu)
Connor is How to Get Away with Murder‘s resident adorable pervert. In the pilot, he rimmed a guy to get ahead with the case the team was working on and he’s been known to go on Grindr while in a courtroom. How could anyone not love him?
23. Sol Bergstein (Grace and Frankie)
Played by: Sam Waterston
Network: Netflix
Sweet Sol just wants everyone to like him and to avoid conflict as he navigates the difficult situation of leaving his wife for his best friend. His scenes with his fiance Robert are wonderful and show off a truly unique and nuanced relationship dynamic.
22. Audrey Jensen (Scream)
Played by: Bex Taylor-Klaus
Network: MTV
Scream is a new series but they’ve already given us every reason to love and be invested in Audrey. She took it in stride when she was outed by a video of herself with a girl named Rachel that circulated the school, but that was just the beginning of her story as things quickly got much more intense for her. It’s impossible not to root for her to be one of the characters who makes it to the end.
21. Sophia Burset (Orange is the New Black)
Played by: Laverne Cox
Network: Netflix
Sometimes it feels like the Orange is the New Black writers aren’t letting Sophia live up to her full potential, but despite this she’s still become an audience favorite. Hopefully, next season she’ll be out of the SHU and given a substantial storyline. The mix of Laverne Cox’s charismatic performance and the way Sophia’s personality combines a sort of sweet easygoing nature on the surface with deep cynicism and bite has made her a wonderful character that people want more of.
