Updated on December 10, 2021
June is LGBT Pride Month. For this “best of minorities in cartoons” post, I’ll look back at the some of the noteworthy LGBT characters I’ve written about.
LGBT issues in cartoons
Doonesbury
Mark Slackmeyer came out as gay in a memorable 90s storyline, though the strip had previously featured minor only gay supporting character Andy Lippincott. As the host of an NPR talk show (and being outspoken in general), Mark subsequently ended up occasionally speaking about LGBT-related issues.
Chelsea Boys
“Chelsea Boys” featured the gang in one strip breaking the fourth wall, in order to give their two cents on what they thought about pride parades. The ban on gay men donating blood also came up in a strip published shortly after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks.
Kyle’s Bed & Breakfast
“Kyle’s” features some commentary on occasion, in between the characters’ soap opera antics. A storyline during the 2014 Winter Olympics saw several of the characters attend Sochi. One character, Michael, stages a protest against Russia’s anti-gay policies during his performance as an Olympic skater.
Kevin Keller
Archie’s gay teen Kevin Keller has participated in some pro-LGBT activities since his debut in Riverdale.
Kevin’s crowning moment is probably the time he appeared on “The Ellen Show” (in-universe) to go up against the leader of “12 Million Moms.” Kevin had ended up on the show following a series of events set off when the leader of “Moms” saw Kevin kissing his then-boyfriend at the gang’s soda shop hangout. On “Ellen,” Ms. DeGeneres points out to the leader of “Moms” that contrary to its name, the group barely has membership in the triple digits.
A Couple of Guys
Eric and Joey, the lead characters in this long-running LGBT newspaper strip, usually are shown attending New York’s pride parade each year. In 2015, Eric and Joey were joined by April, Eric’s teenage niece. At the time, April was dating a transgender boy classmate named Leo, to April’s father’s consternation. (Her Dad’s a Howard Stern-esque “shock jock” radio show host.) The two have since split up, however.
Dykes to Watch Out For
The long-running comic strip by Alison Bechdel often made politics (both LGBT and non-LGBT) a featured focus, especially from the rant-prone lead character Mo.
Same-sex marriages
I’ve previously written about same-sex cartoon couples who’ve walked down the aisle.
Other LGBT characters
Besides the ones previously listed, other LGBT characters (or series featuring LGBT characters) I’ve written about are listed below.
DC Comics
- Catwoman
- Pied Piper
- Batwoman
- Renee Montoya
- Maggie Sawyer
- Josiah Power
- Thunder
- Dawnstar
- Madame Xanadu
- Tasmanian Devil
- Apollo and Midnighter
- Catman
- Poison Ivy
- Harley Quinn
- Scandal Savage
- John Constantine
- The Amazons of Paradise Island/Themyscira
- Shrinking Violet
- Lightning Lass
Marvel
- Iceman
- Northstar
- Wiccan
- Hulkling
- Mystique
- Koi Boi
- Karma
- Tom Hale
- Ian Soo
- The Great Lakes Avengers
- Karolina Dean
Non-DC/Marvel comics
Comic strips/webcomics
- Lawrence Poirier
- “Scandinavia and the World”
- “The Meaning of Lila”
- “Unshelved”
- “Girls With Slingshots”
- “Jane’s World”
- “Questionable Content”
Animation
- Patty Bouvier
- Maddie Blaustein
- Waylon Smithers
- George Takei
- “Steven Universe”
- “Clarence”
- “The Legend of Korra”
- “Mission Hill”
- “The Loud House”
- “Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World”
Miscellaneous
- A list of my 10 favorite LGBT characters.
(Updated 6/24/17)
