15 best LGBTQIA+ characters in movies

Angel Dumott Schunard (Rent)

If you’re not fond of drag queens, you better close this tab now, because honey, we have several coming your way!

Angel Dumott Schunard is one of the main characters in the movie-musical Rent. She is a fabulous drag queen who lives in New York City, and she’s first introduced to us in the film out of drag as a street performer playing the drums. She ends up finding Collins after he was mugged, and nurses him back to health like the true Angel she is.

In Rent, we find out almost immediately that Angel has AIDS. For some people, living with AIDS leads to depression and anger, but Angel is eternally optimistic and spreads light to those around her. That’s especially rare in the late ’80s, when the disease was almost definitely a death sentence.  But no, Angel keeps her spirit up, even when attending Life Support meetings on Christmas.

Unfortunately, spoiler alert, things don’t end well for Angel. But even down to the last day, Angel is smiling. Everyone around her remembers her fondly, reminiscing about times she graciously helped lost tourists who were terrified by the sight of a drag queen, or when she stood up to gangsters by telling them “I’m more of a man than you’ll ever be. I’m more of a woman than you’ll ever get.”

Angel is fearless, and she loves her friends. After she passes, her friends speak of how envious they were of Angel, of her spirit and the love she had with Collins. That sounds like a pretty great way to be remembered.