# Gay Main Characters in SF **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001 "2013-06-14T17:21:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/61 "2013-06-15T23:55:40Z")
Sam Adama, the bad-ass Mafia\* hitman and uncle of Willy Adama in Caprica(which really deserved to last longer than it did) was gay. The show also did a really good job of showing just what it would be like to be gay in a society where there really was no homophobia. I still love the scene where he’s talking to Willy as there walking along street and he’s telling Willy about how when he and Joseph(Willy’s father) were growing up how he and Joseph would go to this particular teenage hangout where Joseph would try and pickup “all the cute girls, while I’d try and pick up their brothers. He was more successful”, and how Willy doesn’t even bat an eyelash. \*. Yeah, technically he’s not a member of the Mafia, but it’s an organization that’s clearly modeled in part on La Cosa Nostra and on the Russian Mafiya(or “Thieves-in-law”). ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/62 "2013-06-15T23:58:11Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Well, I guess all the groundswell of interest in retconning Sulu as gay after George Takei came out kind of died down… Wasn’t it revealed in Generations, that he was married and had a daughter. She’s actually serving as his helmsman. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/63 "2013-06-16T00:51:19Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Now Dumbledore we were told i s gay, but there is nothing really gay about him in the books to be honest. Which makes his gayness realistic in my view, however fantastical the rest of the book is. The vast majority of gay people I’ve known are just like everybody else, except for whom they have sex with. There’s nothing “gay” about their behavior in most aspects of their life outside of sexuality. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/64 "2013-06-16T00:53:41Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > The Baron Harkonnen is a sadistic boylover, who favors youths that look like Paul Atreides. I don’t THINK that he has sex with actual kids, but rather with young teens. He’d probably have sex with little kids if only to hear them squeal, but what really turns his crank are teen boys who resemble The Fated One. This gets even creepier when it’s revealed that Paul Atreides is the Baron’s grandson… although the Baron was unaware of that fact. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/65 "2013-06-16T00:58:30Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > It’s not estrus, it’s kemmer. Estrus is strictly a female occurrence, just as rut is a male occurrence. Kemmer is when a person changes from a neuter being into a sexualized being. It’s been a while since I read the book, but I was under the impression that the people of Winter didn’t really have partners…when they knew they were starting kemmer, they went to kemmer houses, to have orgies with the other folks in those houses, and maybe they had sex with the same people in later kemmerings, and maybe they had sex with new people, but I thought that they didn’t pair bond. I might be wrong. They certainly were capable of pair bonding, but not all of them chose to do that. Clearly it was an option for them. And outside of kemmer it’s wrong to say they’re “male” or “masculine” - in _The Left Hand of Darkness_ male pronouns are used but that’s because it’s written in English. Outside of kemmer Gethenians are neither male nor female. From their viewpoint, being continually male or female is freakish and perverted. I don’t think “homosexual”, “heterosexual”, or “bisexual” really applies. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/66 "2013-06-16T01:01:29Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I think it’s clear what was meant by this was that he doesn’t do or say anything at all that speaks to him having romantic inclinations towards anyone. By the account in “Deathly Hallows,” Dumbledore had a strong emotional bond with Grindlewald, which was broken only by the disaster regarding Dumbledore’s sister; the fact that Dumbledore appears to have never again had such a bond with a peer is certainly consistent with the idea that Grindlewald was Dumbledore’s first love and that the disastrous end of that relationship led to Albus’ lack of romantic inclinations later in his life. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/67 "2013-06-16T01:20:08Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Now Dumbledore we were told i s gay, but there is nothing really gay about him in the books to be honest. What exactly do you want him to do, that would be gay enough for you? Do you complain that there is nothing really straight about straight characters? And if a character’s sexual orientation isn’t stated, and can’t be ascertained by his actions, do you just assume he’s asexual? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/68 "2013-06-16T01:34:26Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > What exactly do you want him to do, that would be gay enough for you? Do you complain that there is nothing really straight about straight characters? And if a character’s sexual orientation isn’t stated, and can’t be ascertained by his actions, do you just assume he’s asexual? To be honest, if a character’s sexual orientation isn’t stated, I’ll assume he’s probably straight. Gays make up only about 3-4% of the US population, which is not meant as a knock. I’m a Muslim and we make up a smaller percentage and Iranian-Americans make up an even smaller percentage. For that matter, if its never stated whether a character is right-handed, left-handed or ambidextrous, I’ll assume he’s right-handed. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/69 "2013-06-16T01:50:48Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > To be honest, if a character’s sexual orientation isn’t stated, I’ll assume he’s probably straight. > > Gays make up only about 3-4% of the US population, which is not meant as a knock. I’m a Muslim and we make up a smaller percentage and Iranian-Americans make up an even smaller percentage. > > For that matter, if its never stated whether a character is right-handed, left-handed or ambidextrous, I’ll assume he’s right-handed. Sometimes I’m thrown when a character in a book suddenly turns out to be something “unusual”. To use your example, perhaps a Muslim. I will realize I have assumed he is “normal” and will often find there are clues that I’ve overlooked because of making that assumption. I suppose I fill in the gaps of the character quite quickly in my imagination, before all the details come out. So I can understand making the assumption, but I don’t think it’s a good one to make. Having thought about it I’ve made the conscious decision to try to avoid doing so. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/70 "2013-06-16T01:51:34Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Gaby in John Varley’s **Titan** was. She had a big crush on the protagonist, Cirocco Jones, who sort-of reciprocated. Actually, no. She was bisexual. Before the events of the first book she was barely sexual at all and primarily interested in academic pursuits. When the protagonists ship was then captured and the crew isolated for a time, she experienced it as 20 years of sensory deprivation and it affected her outlook profoundly. The first person saw next was Cirocco, and she fell for her hard. But she wasn’t exclusively gay before or after. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/71 "2013-06-16T01:52:45Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > And outside of kemmer it’s wrong to say they’re “male” or “masculine” - in _The Left Hand of Darkness_ male pronouns are used but that’s because it’s written in English. I once read an essay by Le Guin in which she lamented her use of the masculine pronouns in the book; she considered it a major flaw, but at the same time wasn’t really comfortable with any alternatives. –God, I love the Internet. [Here’s that essay](http://theliterarylink.com/afterword.html). ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/72 "2013-06-16T01:59:37Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > The main character in Richard Morgan’s _Steel Remains_ is gay, and a badass swordsman. Also, I’ve been trying to remember the title of this book for years now. I loved it, and my happiness in being reminded of the title is matched only by my irritation that Morgan still hasn’t written the sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/73 "2013-06-16T02:06:22Z")
Oh, and Tom in Cell by Stephen King is gay. I don’t know if you want to call that SF, but if we’re talking about Harry Potter… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/74 "2013-06-16T02:09:16Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Actually, no. I’m not sure what you’re disagreeing with **RealityChuck** about. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/75 "2013-06-16T02:25:32Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m not sure what you’re disagreeing with **RealityChuck** about. Sorry to hear that. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/76 "2013-06-16T02:42:06Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > What exactly do you want him to do, that would be gay enough for you? Do you complain that there is nothing really straight about straight characters? And if a character’s sexual orientation isn’t stated, and can’t be ascertained by his actions, do you just assume he’s asexual? I enjoy a pile-on as much as anyone, but maybe the OP is interested in SF protagonists who are gay because s/he wants examples that really feature the impact it has on the book/movie. If nobody knew Dumbledore was gay but for an extra-canonical statement from the author, it’s not a great example. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/77 "2013-06-16T03:00:10Z")
Melissa Scott has written a large number of science fiction novels with gay protagonists. She also wrote 2 fantasy mysteries featuring a pair of gay protagonists (\*Point of Hopes \*and _Point of Dreams_) with her partner, Lisa Barnett. Another example, Maureen McHugh’s \*China Mountain Zhang \*is one of my favorites–set in a world where communist China takes over the US, it features a gay main character. It is never preachy, however, and his gayness is simply marker of his foreignness in the world he inhabits, not his defining character trait. There are also a lot of new fantasy / speculative fiction writers who have gay or bisexual main characters. It’s increasingly no longer something to be remarked upon. Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear, for example, both feature GLBT main characters in some of their works. Here are some other lists: [Lambda Awards list on Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda_Literary_Awards_winners_and_nominees_for_science_fiction,_fantasy_and_horror)[Gaylactic Spectrum Award list on Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaylactic_Spectrum_Award) Not all of these necessarily feature main characters who are gay, but a large number of them do. Also, needless to say, if you want science fiction or fantasy stories about gay characters, the internet has you covered. ETA: I just realized the OP itself specified TV shows or movies. My bad! I’ll leave this post up in case anyone is interested, though. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/78 "2013-06-16T04:16:30Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Also, I’ve been trying to remember the title of this book for years now. I loved it, and my happiness in being reminded of the title is matched only by my irritation that Morgan still hasn’t written the sequel. Yes, he has: [The Cold Commands](http://www.amazon.com/The-Cold-Commands-Richard-Morgan/dp/0345493060/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0). It’s even better than the first book, I thought. Morgan is supposed to be working on the next one now. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/79 "2013-06-16T05:35:59Z")
I’d like to second “The Lost Girl” because the protagonist is a LOT gayer than the other TV series gay people. She’s a fae, a succubus, and she is bisexual, and being a succubus is VERY sexually oriented, since she draws people’s life forces frm them during sex. She learns how to control it, winds up in a relationship with a male werewolf and a female doctor who specializes in treating the fae, and it’s the female doctor that she winds up in a long term relationship with, and it’s very front and center, though not in a porny way. I would say the gayest character on non premium TV because her sexuality is so central to her character. Also, what was the deal with those sime/gen novels by what’s her name? Weren’t they gay or something? Or gay-ish? I don’t recall, I read one of them but it was a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001/80 "2013-06-16T05:48:10Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > What exactly do you want him to do, that would be gay enough for you? Do you complain that there is nothing really straight about straight characters? There is something straight about the straight characters, almost everyone in the series has an explicitly stated romantic interest in someone of the opposite sex. Dumbledore doesn’t have any romantic interest. There’s no reason to think he’s gay, other then what Rawling’s has said outside of the books. **Gangster’s** meaning is perfectly clear. Anyhoo, I’ll add the TV show **Orphan Black** which has three gay central characters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-main-characters-in-sf/661001.md?page=5)