15 best LGBTQIA+ characters in movies

Vida Boheme (To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar)

Look, drag queens have always been fierce, dedicated defenders of LGBTQIA+ rights throughout history, so you had to expect a bunch of them on a list of great LGBTQIA+ characters. Vida Boheme is the ultimate elegant, motherly queen who takes a young queen named Chi-Chi under her wing to help teach her how to be a real drag queen.

Similarly to Priscilla, To Wong Foo follows Vida and her drag sister Noxeema Jackson as they travel cross-country with Chi-Chi to attend the Miss Drag Queen of America Pageant in Hollywood. The girls are stranded when their convertible crashes down outside a small town named Snydersville. Despite this setback, Vida is the eternal optimist and is a gracious guest in the town.

Even when she’s approached with hate and ignorance, Vida replies with kindness and tries to educate them instead. She may not be as rough and abrasive as Noxeema or as sweet and naive as Chi-Chi, but when the time calls for her to toughen up, she can definitely put up a fight.

Like a true drag fairy godmother, Vida uses her short time in Snydersville to try and open up the minds of the small town folk. She treats the local women to a day at the salon and helps them find their confidence with wild hairdos and even crazier costumes. She even helps young Bobbie Lee gain the self-assurance to ask out the boy she likes, even though the boy’s interested in Chi-Chi.

When Vida witnesses the severity of the domestic abuse Carol Anne is subjected to from her husband Virgil, she kicks open the door and takes care of Virgil herself. You might think a man in a dress is a wimp or a joke, but don’t get in the way of a drag queen or you will be sorry.