This is a list of LGBTQ characters in modern written fiction. This article covers notable characters who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, as well as characters who are pansexual, asexual, non-binary and intersex. Characters listed here should have verifiable third-party sources commenting on their sexuality or gender identity, with additional explanation as necessary. Only notable/significant characters from a given work (which may have multiple LGBTQ characters) need to be listed here.
Names are organized alphabetically by surname (i.e. last name), or by single name if the character does not have a surname. If more than two characters are in one entry, the last name of the first character is used.
Scope
A number of different classification schemes have been used to describe sexual orientation and gender identity since the mid-19th century, and scholars have often defined these terms in divergent ways or have failed to define them at all. As such, characters may be described in different ways today than they were historically.Gerdes, L.C. (1988). The Developing Adult (Second ed.). Durban: Butterworths; Austin, TX: Butterworth Legal Publishers. . 19th century Characters Work Year Author LGBTQ+ identities in story Notes Amaro AleixoBom-Crioulo1895 Gay Bisexual This story, which takes place in Brazil circa 1870, deals with an interracial same-sex relationship between Amaro, a formerly enslaved black man, and his white partner, Aleixo. See pages 2-3. Joseph AstenPhilip Held Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania1870 Gay Joseph and His Friend is considered to be the first gay-themed novel written by an American author. Carmilla (AKA Millarca and Countess Mircalla Karnstein) Carmilla1872 Lesbian Carmilla, published as part of the book, In a Glass Darkly, is considered the first lesbian vampire story. In this story, Laura, who lives with her father, meets Carmilla, and they form a close relationship, with Laura becoming ill as Carmilla draws nourishment from her. Jacques Collin a.k.a. Vautrin a.k.a. Trompe-la-Mort Père Goriot Illusions perdues Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes1835 1837–18431838–1847 Gay Appears in a total of five novels of Balzac's La Comédie humaine, two are cameo appearances; often considered the first openly homosexual character in French literature. Basil Hallward Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray1890 Gay In this novel, Basil has a "repressed homosexuality" while Dorian has his own ambivalence, meeting with male prostitutes, even proposing to Sybil Vane in an attempt to suppress his homosexual feelings. Arthur RavenerCaptain Dillington A Marriage Below Zero1889 Gay A Marriage Below Zero is considered to be the first English-language gay-themed novel. Jack Saul The Sins of the Cities of the Plain1881 Anonymous Gay Jack is a male prostitute for other men, and also crossdresses; Sins is one of the earliest pieces of English-language pornography to explicitly and near-exclusively concern homosexuality. René Teleny Camille de Grieux Teleny, or The Reverse of the Medal1893 Anonymous; attributed to Oscar Wilde Gay Teleny and de Grieux engage in a passionate sexual/romantic affair; Teleny is one of the earliest pieces of English-language pornography to explicitly and near-exclusively concern homosexuality.
20th century