15 best LGBTQIA+ characters in movies

Hedwig (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)

Hedwig is a bit of an anomaly, but she’s still an absolute rock star. Born Hansel Schmidt in East Germany, Hedwig falls in love with an American soldier, who vows to marry her and take her away from her communist country. However, two men could not get married and flee the country, and even if Hedwig dressed as a woman, they would surely examine her to ensure she wasn’t hiding anything.

With permission from her mother, who gives her child her name and passport, Hedwig gets gender reassignment surgery. But the procedure is botched.

The surgery leaves Hedwig with a one-inch mound of skin between her legs, which she refers to as The Angry Inch (hence the name). Despite that setback, Hedwig and her soldier flee to the United States. On their one year anniversary, he leaves her for another man.

Hedwig works odd jobs, but finds her way back to her passion, music. She meets and befriends young musician Tommy Speck, who she teaches all about rock’n’roll history and helps him find his voice. When he feels her “inch,” he runs out on her, taking all the music Hedwig worked on with him and uses it to become a famous rock star.

Hedwig is an angry character, but she has every reason to be angry. Whenever she lets a man in, they use her and then throw her away when they get what they want. She is a rock star at heart, but she’s stuck performing in rundown restaurants and tiny venues, yet Tommy Speck steals her music and is touring the world.

Hedwig is a complex woman who can tear up a stage, but she’s also a damaged person who just wants to be loved.