Top E11 LGBTQ Women On TV In 2015 | The Odyssey Online
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Top E11 LGBTQ Women On TV In 2015

A list of the top lovely ladies who have graced our screens this year.

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Top E11 LGBTQ Women On TV In 2015
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I may not watch a whole lot of TV, but I watch enough to write up a list of my favorite LGBTQ women I’ve seen so far in 2015. From new girls we’ve said hello to, to favorites we had to say goodbye to, so far 2015 has given us a lot of LGBTQ women to work with and admire. So here’s the most difficult list I have ever written – my top eleven favorite LGBTQ female characters of 2015.

11. Audrey Jensen, "MTV’s Scream"

(image credit: afterellen.com)

Watching "MTV’s Scream" was a no-brainer for me – I love the "Scream" franchise and was curious to see what the show would be like. While the show itself didn’t have the same witty, self deprecating feel to it, it did give us Audrey Jensen. Making up one half of the crime solving team Bi-Curious and The Virgin, Audrey was a breath of fresh air, and luckily for us, didn’t fall into the Bury Your Gays trope that television often demands of LGBTQ women (*spoiler* though I can’t say the same for her girlfriend, Rachel). That means she’ll be back for next season with a new mystery that she may or may not play a major role in.

10. Brenna Carver, "Chasing Life"

(image credit: afterellen.com)

When I started watching "Chasing Life" last summer, I expected it to be just a story about a girl named April with cancer. And while the show does focus a lot around that, it also revolves around the lives of those whom April loves and who love April, including her younger sister, Brenna. At first, Brenna seems like your typical snarky teenage girl who parents love to complain about. But the more the show delves into her world, the more we get to see of Brenna. Though Brenna begins uncovering the truth about April’s cancer, she also grapples with school and her dating life, and it’s there that we uncover that Brenna isn’t totally straight. We get to see Brenna’s journey from not labeling herself to falling in love with the cutest girl at school to coming out to her grandparents as bisexual. The downside is that "Chasing Life" was cancelled after it's fall finale, so Brenna will no longer be gracing our screens with her presence, but it was fun to have her while she was here.

9. Poussey Washington, "Orange is the New Black"

(image credit rollingstone.com)

Whenever a new season of "Orange is the New Black" comes out, I watch every episode within two or three days, which means some details get lost and story lines get blurred together. But Poussey Washington always sticks out in my mind. She is kind and good and funny and it’s heartbreaking to see her fall for her best friend Taystee. This season found her sort of joining a cult, saving a girl’s life, and maybe falling in love with said girl. Season 3 ended with a cliffhanger for her love life, so we get to wait a whole other year to see Poussey in all of her glory.

8. Lena Adams-Foster, "The Fosters"

(image credit: autostraddle.com)

I’m not sure why I love Lena so much, but I do. Maybe it’s because her and her wife, Steph, have the most beautiful family on television. Maybe it’s because she’s such a good mom and always listens to her kids and understands them. Or, maybe it’s because she’s not afraid to stick up to her racist half-brother and demand an apology. I don’t know. But she’s one of TV’s best lesbians and one of TV’s best moms, so go Lena.

7. Brittany S. Pierce, "Glee"

(image credit: afterellen.com)

Brittany is such a fun character to watch. She’s a good singer, an even better dancer, and she says things like, “Did you know that dolphins are just gay sharks?” She’s always bouncing around, either showing off her super smart mind or saying something so sweet and naive that you just want to wrap her in a blanket and protect her from the evils of the world. She loves so much and so hard and is so kind and good that she even plans to get Kurt and Blaine married on the same day she and Santana were. She succeeds with that plan and, thanks to her, two of the best relationships in "Glee" tied the knot before the show’s curtain call.

6. Amy Raudenfeld, "Faking It"

(image credit pinterest.com)


When it was first introduced, "Faking It" had an awful premise: Two girls, seeking popularity, pretend to be lesbians, because in the show’s fictional high school being gay makes you cool instead of a social pariah. As the show went on, though, Amy realizes she might not be faking it at all – she might actually like girls. And by girls she means her best friend, Karma. With everything that’s wrong with the show (that’s an article for a different day), Amy is one of the bright spots. Watching her get into crazy antics like hitting on girls in lesbian coffee shops is just as endearing to see as the more serious topics of the show, like when Amy admits her feelings for Karma. She feels like a real teenager – a little jaded and bitter and sarcastic, but she has a big heart.

5. Paige McCullers, "Pretty Little Liars"

(image credit: youknowyoulovefashion.com)


Putting Paige on this list, let alone placing her in the top five is probably super controversial. A lot of people don’t like Paige because of how she was in season one when she dunked Emily’s head underwater to scare her, but I love Paige because she’s grown so much as a person since then. She’s loving and supportive and always means well, even if she does the “wrong” thing, like the time she let the cops know that Ali was alive and not dead like they’d assumed for the past year and a half. Paige lives in such a grey area and it’s what makes her such a great character. And she loves Emily so much, she would do anything for her.

4. Sophia Burset, "Orange is the New Black"

(image credit: buzzfeed.com)

Sophia was introduced back in season one when she suggests to Piper that she should invest in some good shower shoes, or just make her own. Ever since then, I have loved and admired Sophia, and she’s easily become my favorite character on the show. Like most of the women on the show, she faces the cruel injustices of the prison system and struggles to be a good mom to her son while she’s in jail. Unlike the other women, she also faces transmisogyny within the system, ranging from having her hormones denied to her to being brutally attacked by a few of the other inmates, like she was this season. Sophia is such a good person and, like most of the women on this list, has a big enough heart to move mountains.

3. Annalise Keating, "How to Get Away with Murder"

(image credit: zap2it.com)

"How to Get Away with Murder" is one of my favorite television shows, so I was thrilled when Annalise's ex girlfriend showed up early in Season 2, revealing that Annalise lies somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum. She's a powerhouse -- she's dynamic, complicated, determined, resilient, and vulnerable. She's one of the best additions to television in general, not just the fictional LGBTQ community. Plus, Viola Davis won an Emmy this year for her portrayal of Annalise. I can't wait to see what this season has in store for her, besides the obvious murders.

2. Emily Fields, "Pretty Little Liars"

(image credit: pretty-little-liars.wikia.com)

Emily Fields means the world to me. She’s tough, kind, loyal, and loving all stirred up into one little liar. Making up one-fifth of the show’s main girls, Emily has always had the most tumultuous love life. She also receives the brunt of A’s antics – in the first season, she outed, and in other seasons she’s been drugged a few times, injured so badly that she can’t swim, and framed for murder. Also once her ex-girlfriend’s stalker/murderer went after her. She wound up killing him.

1. Santana Lopez, "Glee"

(image credit: www.lezpop.it)

Saying goodbye to Santana Lopez this year was tough, because I love Santana so much I could write odes to her that would rival Shakespeare’s. She is my all time favorite fictional character, so maybe I’m a little bias putting her in the No. 1 spot, but I love her too much to care. It’s almost impossible to describe her, but I’ll try: She’s ambitious, clever, tough, honest, and a million other things. She went from being in the closet and terrified to being outed and still terrified to being out and proud. In season six we got to watch her marry the love of her life, Brittany, and make up with her abuela after she disowned Santana for being gay. As much as I may joke about how "Glee" was a terrible show and I hated every minute of it, Santana truly helped me out of the closet and showed me exactly why media representation for minorities is so important. I have had the pleasure of seeing Santana rise and fall and rise again and I know I will miss her on my television screen for many years to come.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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