15 best LGBTQIA+ characters in movies

Frank N Furter and his gruesome sidekicks pose at a photocall for the cult musical ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, directed by Jim Sharman for 20th Century Fox. Cast members include Tim Curry, Patricia Quinn, Richard O’Brien and Little Nell Campbell. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)

Queer representation is still a work in progress, but we can always appreciate the decades worth of iconic LGBTQIA+LGBT characters throughout cinematic history.

With cult icons like Frank-N-Furter to strong-willed drag divas like Lola from Kinky Boots, these LGBTQ characters have a lot to offer. While they’re not all exactly great role models — unless you aspire to be an alien trying to destroy the Earth by doing the Time Warp, which, if so, you do you, just warn us — they  still represent important moments in queer history. And in some cases, they’ve provided us with snappy quotes that will stay in our vocabs for years to come. She doesn’t even go here!

There are so many great characters that could have filled this list, but that doesn’t mean that the fight is over. Queer characters still aren’t that common, and when they do appear in major motion pictures, they usually still leave something to be desired. There’s still so much work to be done in regards to LGBTQ representation in movies, but in the meantime, at least we have some of these beloved characters to look to for inspiration. 

Did we leave out any of your favorite characters? Let us know in the comments below!