20 of the best LGBTQIA+ works of science fiction

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JULY 13: Actor John Barrowman speaks for the television show ‘Torchwood’ during the BBC portion of the Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 13, 2007 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

12. Torchwood

Television, for all that it may deal with lower budgets and smaller audiences, has a lot going for it. Series can take the long view on their stories and characters and, with the right creative people involved, can create beautifully rich and deep experiences. Under the right circumstances, TV creators may also be somewhat more free to take risks and push for more progressive tales.

At least, that was the case with Torchwood, a BBC science fiction series that ran from 2006 to 2011. It follows a small group of alien hunters based out of the titular Torchwood Institute. They’re led by Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who first appeared on a 2005 episode of the rebooted Doctor Who.

Harkness is a probably immortal, mostly reformed con man from the future. He is also unconcerned with heterosexuality — Harkness is oftentimes described as one of the most prominent bisexual characters on television. He might also become a giant head in a tank, known as the “Face of Boe”, some many millennia into the future, but that’s a story for another day.

But Harkness isn’t the only character on Torchwood who doesn’t feel angst about his feelings or dalliances with people and aliens of all kinds. According to series creator Russell T. Davies, he originally intended for the whole program to be “bisexual”:

"I want to knock down the barriers so we can’t define which of the characters is gay. We need to start mixing things up, rather than thinking, ‘This is a gay character and he’ll only ever go off with men.’"