# Positive lesbian characters in film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 7, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010 "2009-06-07T14:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/1 "2009-06-07T14:56:13Z")
A lesbian friend of mine was off on a rant yesterday on how lesbian characters in films are always villians. I told her that there were many positive lesbian characters. I came up with Ellen D. in her old TV show (not even a film), then I pretty much died. She said, “See, see!” I challenged her for villians and she pointed to Sharon Stone’s character in that one she did with Michael Douglas. My response was she was at the very least bi… She said there were a bunch of others but that she simply couldn’t remember them at the moment. I, of course, using my brilliant comeback ability, went “a ha” to prove my point. But I got to thinking and I could remember a few other negative lesbians, a couple of just irrating ones, but no real positive characters. The closest I came up with was the woman in Dodgeball and she doesn’t really count despite what Rip Torn’s character “Patches” said throughout the film. Any that come to mind? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/2 "2009-06-07T15:12:00Z")
She’s a background character, but how about the woman that wrote the letter in _V for Vendetta_? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/3 "2009-06-07T15:49:48Z")
I just saw _The Wrestler_ on DVD last night. The title character’s daughter was a lesbian and a good person. _Kissing Jessica Stein_ has more than one. _Serving in Silence_. A true life biopic of an Army Officer who was discharged for being gay starring Glenn Close. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/4 "2009-06-07T15:52:11Z")
Just found something with Google. > **[Lesbian-Films.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=lesbian-films.com)** > > Own this domain today. We make your shopping experience easy. Friendly and quick customer service. Some fairly exhaustive lists here separated by category like comedy, drama, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/5 "2009-06-07T15:57:52Z")
I haven’t seen Bound yet but do the lesbians there qualify as good or as evil? ETA: Also, what about Boys Don’t Cry? (For positive.) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/6 "2009-06-07T16:15:09Z")
Brandon Teena in _Boys Don’t Cry_ certainly wasn’t the villain, though I don’t know about positive. She was a just regular guy, I guess. The two ladies in _Bound_ were… sort of positive. I mean, they robbed the Mafia. That doesn’t make them the good guys, but the bad guys are infinitely worse than them. Also, they were hot as lava. Very positive in my book 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/7 "2009-06-07T16:45:43Z")
Brandon Teena also wasn’t a lesbian. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/8 "2009-06-07T17:18:52Z")
One of my favorite miniseries, _Jekyll_ by Steven Moffat, has a couple major characters who are lesbian (a detective and her partner) and definitely portrayed in a positive light. In fact, I’d love to see him do an offshoot with them in the starring roles. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/9 "2009-06-07T17:20:53Z")
Laurie Metcalfe in **Internal Affairs**. More of a sidekick than a central character. Marsha’s pal in **The Brady Bunch Movie**. \*\* The Eleanor Roosevelt Story\*\*, although the lesbian themes were conspicuously missing. Molly, the central character in Lizzie Borden’s **Working Girls**. Not a positive positive character, but certainly likable and admirable in context. I guess I should leave the protagonists of **Monster** , **Heavenly Creatures** and **I Shot Andy Warhol** out if this… ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/10 "2009-06-07T17:46:46Z")
**But I’m a Cheerleader** is kind of a goofy satire, but it portrays homosexuals as being regular, normal people. The main character is a lesbian, and not a villain. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/11 "2009-06-07T17:50:11Z")
Also: **D.E.B.S.** ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/12 "2009-06-07T17:54:12Z")
There are also crypto-lesbian heroines, like the ones in **Times Square** and **Thelma & Louise**. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/13 "2009-06-07T17:57:05Z")
Shakima Greggs in The Wire. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/14 "2009-06-07T17:58:27Z")
Sandra Oh in **Under the Tuscan Sun**. She’s the protagonist’s best friend, is in a relationship with another woman. She’s also the best thing in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/15 "2009-06-07T18:07:50Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > There are also crypto-lesbian heroines, like the ones in **Times Square** and **Thelma & Louise**. I thought about _Thelma & Louise_, but I’m not sure they’re positive characters, really. I mean, they lose control, go on a careless crimespree and end up committing suicide. They’re good people, I think, but… y’know, not positive models. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/16 "2009-06-07T18:25:51Z")
Idgie & Ruth in _Fried Green Tomatoes_. The lesbian thing was downplayed in the film, but those who have read the book know that they really were lesbians. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/17 "2009-06-07T18:25:56Z")
Can I name a positive lesbian character from literature? I know it’s a hijack but I like this character really well. S.M. Stirling’s Nantucket trilogy, that starts with Island in the Sea of Time, introduces a main character named Marian Alston. She’s a US Coast Guard captain caught up in the Event that propelled Nantucket back in time, and she ends up being their war leader. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/18 "2009-06-07T18:27:15Z")
I thought Idgie in **Fried Green Tomatoes** would be first to be mentioned. She was watered down a bit compared to her portrayal in the novel, but still, unabashedly gay and very positive. ETA: D’oh! ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/19 "2009-06-07T18:33:16Z")
If TV series count, there’s Susan Ivanova from **Babylon 5**. Positive, bad ass, and sometimes funny. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010/20 "2009-06-07T18:52:05Z")
Am I really stupid or is this really the best we can do? Is there no female movie equivalent of say _Milk_ or _Philidelphia_ or _Brokeback Mountain_ or _Priscilla, Queen of the Desert_ or \* My Beautiful Laundrette \* or piles of other gay male representations? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-lesbian-characters-in-film/499010.md?page=2)