It’s been a pretty good few years for queer women in fictional media (which I think we deserve, because it’s been a bad existence for queer women in general in this society). It’s always amazing for wlw (a blanket term for women who love women) to see representation in media. I briefly discussed why representation is important in media (especially children’s media) in my article about Poe Dameron.
For those still skeptical about media representation, it comes down to this: people want to see themselves represented in the media that they consume. Especially for people whose identities have been traditionally looked down upon in society and told that there’s something “wrong” with them, seeing people like them portrayed in media makes them feel better about themselves. It shows that there’s nothing wrong with their identities at all.
A problem that is often seen in terms of f/f relationships (and general non-straight relationship) in media and real life is that they’re portrayed as friendships. People try and write off potential relationships with queer characters saying “What’s wrong with friendship?” or “There’s no way this character can be gay, they showed interest in xyz…” (as if pansexual and bisexual people don’t exist).
The erasure of queer identity is a whole other issue that one could spend a very long time writing about. This list is simply to highlight real, canonical (that means it is true in the context of the media it is in) relationships between women. The fact that there are still people that attempt to argue against these despite the evidence is baffling. Because sometimes you just want to take a breath and think to yourself “thank god there are some canon queer girls in media”. And hopefully you can prove people wrong next time they try to say that any of these relationships aren’t actually real.
Note that these aren’t in any particular order, and obviously I'm not naming every single instance that a fictional woman has dated a fictional woman.
1. Chloe Price/Max Caulfield (Life is Strange)
From the hit game "Life is Strange," I’ve seen many people argue that Max Caulfield is straight because of her relationship with Warren. While it’s true, in the game, you can choose to pursue him instead of Chloe, that doesn’t make her any less bisexual. While it’s determinant to the player as to who you choose to be with, there is still the possibility of Max being involved with both of them.
They kiss twice in the game, and while some people may think that their original kiss (which was on a dare) wasn’t “real”, the last passionate one in front of a tornado certainly is.
This relationship is a take on the age old story of “they were friends as children and meet again and become lovers when they’re older”. Although one could comment that their relationship could be an example of the “bury your gays” trope (essentially that no queer couple can have a happy ending), at least they’re still alive at the end. Most of the time.2. Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe)
Ruby replies to Sapphire's question about whether she was hurt.
I’m going to have two "Steven Universe" sections here just because I’m so pleased about the representation that is present in it. Ruby and Sapphire are two homeworld gems that are “fused” together (an act which is shown to be intimate in the show, at least involving a lot of trust between the two parties) at all times. If their intimate interactions with each other aren’t enough to convince you that they are romantically involved, Ian Jones-Quartley, a co-executive producer to the show, says (x) “R & S are in a romantic relationship and I don't believe any different…” (although he does say people can headcanon however they want-- but that doesn’t stop the pretty clear representation from being there).This relationship showcases how important support in a relationship is. Although Ruby and Sapphire fight, they’re able to solve it in a healthy way by talking through their problems. Ruby also has a habit of being self deprecating, which Sapphire always rebukes. They support each other, and portray an example of a healthy, happy queer relationship to the audience, which is very important for children watching.
3. Anthy/Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
An oldy, but a goody. From the 90’s anime/manga "Revolutionary Girl Utena", this couple has been around for a while. While the anime may be questionable in terms of themes and the like, their relationship is still confirmed by the director, as stated in some of the DVD commentary. They also kiss, a lot, which is probably another good indication of the relationship/ There’s also another character who is explicitly stated to be a homosexual by the author of the manga. Considering how old this show is, it was important at the time (and still is).
4. Alphys/Undyne
From the newly released game "Undertale," Alphys and Undyne are one of my favorite pairings because in order to get the good ending of the game, they have to end up together. Frankly, getting cute girls to get together in order for a good ending should be an aspect put into other video games. Proof isn’t really necessary for this couple, since it’s pretty explicitly stated in the story. In fact, the creator Toby Fox had the filename of the hearts that appear when they kiss titled “tinygayheart”, so I don’t know how much more evidence you need.
This relationship is very sweet, because in the game we see Undyne working hard to support Alphys, a character who clearly struggles with self esteem issue and depression. They’re realistic (despite being monsters), they’re loving, and their relationship is essential for a good ending.
5. Korra/Asami (The Legend of Korra)
This is a couple that is often controversial in terms of its validity, for whatever reason. In the ending of "The Legend of Korra", Korra and Asami are shown walking together romantically into the spirit world. In the last shot, they’re holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes. I don’t know how many straight people do this with their platonic friends, but it seems pretty obvious to me. For those who believe the ending scene isn’t enough evidence, the creators made a post confirming their relationship.
This couple is wonderful because throughout the four books, you really get to see their relationship evolve, from romantic “enemies” (they were both interested in the same boy initially), to friends and finally to lovers. They have many real, believable interactions and you can really see their romantic relationship develop.
6. Sailor Uranus/Sailor Neptune (Sailor Moon)
Like Utena/Anthy, another oldy. If you were like me and ever watched the old "Sailor Moon" anime, you might think: “Hey, weren’t they cousins?” You also probably thought: “They had a pretty intimately close relationship for cousins…” That’s because in the original Japanese, they weren’t cousins-- they were dating. When the show got translated into English, they made them cousins, which leads to some pretty funny results. But it also shows just how far we’ve come in terms of representation. While we still have much farther to go, at least we’re not dubbing any of the aforementioned couples as cousins anymore (at least in the United States).
7. Bubblegum/Marceline (Adventure Time)
From the show "Adventure Time", there was a lot of speculation around this couple for a long time. During the end of 2014, the voice actress of Marceline confirmed what many had already suspected; that the two had previously dated. Although not shown in the show because of censorship reasons, they were officially involved at one point.
