10 times queer characters weren't reduced to solely being queer

While there's a lot more representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in mainstream cinema today, we can't deny that barring a few, most characters are reduced to their identity even today.

Labels are imporant. Conversations around our sexual preferences, gender and how we choose to indentify ourselves will always be important but that's not all there is to us, queer or not. And while this might seem obvious when cishet people are portrayed onscreen, somehow, the same memo isn't sent when it comes to telling stories of people from the LGBTQIA+ community. Sure, we've come a long way from when queer characters were simply introduced for comedy. But is inclusion the same as representation? I'm not too sure! Thankfully, we've had some onscreen queer representation over the years in series like Sex Education, Euphoria, Modern Family, and The Bold Type that show us how it's done! Maybe it's time we learn from them; maybe it's time we learn how to represent people as a whole.

Also Read: 10 Indian queer characters we can't have enough of!

Check them out!

All Of Us Strangers - Adam and Harry

Adam dealing with the loss of his parents shows us how grief is often not spoken about. Harry feels like a stranger within his own family and that's a by-product of him being different than the rest of them!

The Bold Type - Adena

Besides being queer, Adena is also a Muslim photographer who's in America on a work visa and this series shows us how she juggles it all. We see mutiple identity issues being overlapped in this series and The Bold Type does a damn fine job of portraying it all without reducing her to her sexuality.

Downton Abbey - Thomas Barrow

You hate Thomas as a villain in the start of the show, but slowly, you end up realizing how he is fighting to survive in a time where being himself is taboo and not just as a queer person but also as an ambitious, working-class servant in the Victorian period! 

Pose - Angel

At first, Angel seems like a starry-eyed trans person who lives in her dreamland but then you see that she is just another girl who dreams of having a hopelessly romantic love life and becoming a successful model or at least having the luxury of wanting to have those dreams!

Modern Family - Cam and Mitchell 

Yes, Cam and Mitchell are the poster image of gay men dealing with adoption but there are so many moments in the show where they represent the trials and tribulations of being a parent, gay or not! They represent fatherhood so well throughout the series.

Good Grief - Marc

After suddenly losing the love of his life in a horrible accident, Marc is grieving his husband's death when he finds out that he was cheating on him. The movie then focuses on how he heals, finds closure and a second chance at love. 

Killing Eve - Villanelle

Villanelle is a professional assassin, but her all-consuming attraction to Eve makes her realize how consumed she is by her professional life that includes adventures, a thrilling life of murdering people around the world in fashionable clothes, when all she wants is to spend some quality time with Eve!

This Is Us - William

William is on the brink of death when Randall finds him but apart from building a connection with his biological son and his family, he also wants a second chance at love and to have some company till his last breath.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Captain Raymond Holt

Captain Raymond Holt breaks many stereotypes attached to gay men, but apart from that, he is also a passionate police officer who loves his job and knows how to handle the wackadoodle unit of the nine-nine! His relationship with his arch nemesis, Madeline Wuntch added another layer to this already interesting police captian.

Harry Potter - Albus Dumbledore

For the uninitiated, Albus Dumbledore was gay. His sexuality was mentioned in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore where he was said to have feelings for Grindelwald. The Harry Potter series and the two Fantastic Beasts movies have successfully managed to show us who Dumbledore was with all his quirks without making his sexuality his only USP.

Which other movie or show has showcased their queer characters well? Tell us in the comments below!

For more binge-centric content, follow us on @socialketchupbinge