In honour of Pride Month, I thought I would go through some of my favourite queer characters. This list is not by any means exhaustive, as I have so many beloved LGBTQ+ characters that I could never name them all. However, I wanted this list to include characters of different queer identities. I truly do adore each and every one of these characters, and so many more that I haven’t mentioned. Each and every queer person, and queer identity, is valid and deserves to celebrated every day – not solely in Pride Month – that being said, I wish everyone a Happy Pride!

Magnus Bane – The Shadowhunter Series by Cassandra Clare

If you’ve read even one of the Shadowhunter books, you will know the iconic character that is Magnus Bane, seeing as he’s featured in every Shadowhunter book and series. Magnus was one of my first encounters with bisexuality and such a big part of my own journey of discovery. Magnus is also a fandom favourite for so many reasons, eventually gaining his own novella – The Bane Chronicles. I will forever be grateful to Cassandra Clare for creating a character that fully embraces his bisexuality and feels pride in who he is.

Henrietta Wilson – 9-1-1

I have yet to speak about 9-1-1 on this blog, primarily because it’s a book blog first and foremost, but it is one of my absolute favourite shows. I love 9-1-1 for many reasons, one of them being the amazing characters – both queer and otherwise. Hen is one of the firefighters on the show, a paramedic, a wife to her beautiful (also lesbian) partner Karen, and mother of two children, Denny and Mara. Hen is an original character on the show and was introduced as a lesbian in season 1 – it has always been THE gay firefighter show – and the representation she and Karen bring is iconic in so many ways. There are so many other incredible aspects to Hen, apart from her queer identity, and I am very grateful that she exists.

Yadriel – Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

I have spoken about the Cemetery Boys book before, however I refuse to ever shut up about it because it is amazing. Yadriel is a trans boy who feels like he doesn’t fit in at school or in his community. Yadriel’s story, both in his own journey and his love story with Julian, is truly beautiful. I love reading books that feature different queer identities and Cemetery Boys happened to be the first book that I read that featured a transgender main character. Yadriel comes in to his own in this book and it is beautiful to read, as well as to see the importance that a support system has on LGBTQ+ youth.

Anna Lightwood – The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Anna Lightwood is an unapologetically lesbian and genderqueer character, who’s story is set in the 19th Century. Anna is such an iconic character for many reasons, she refuses to shy away from who she is – dressing how she wants, and being open about her identity and who she loves with her family and friends. The Shadowhunters as a group are not always welcoming of anything outside of the “norm” and Anna struggles with what that means for her in the Ghosts of the Shadowmarket novella. Despite her difficulties, or maybe because of them, The Last Hours series shows Anna come into her own and finally find happiness with her true love, Ariadne.

Neil Josten – All for the Game by Nora Sakavic

Neil Josten quickly become one my all-time favourite characters after I read the All for the Game series last year. I believe Neil is such an incredible character overall, and his Aro/ Ace identity plays a part in that beautiful complexity. Throughout the series, Neil makes allusions to being on the Aro/Ace spectrum as he says he “doesn’t swing” (which is just an incredible way of letting people know that). Eventually, in his developing relationship with Andrew Minyard, Neil discovers he “doesn’t swing” except when it comes to Andrew. I truly adore the way his demisexual/ romantic identity is explored. The slow progression of Neil’s relationship with Andrew is also so important to show that Aro/ Ace people are valid regardless of their place on the spectrum.

Diana Wrayburn – The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

Diana Wrayburn is another beautiful transgender character. Diana is the tutor of the Blackthorn children in The Dark Artifices series; She is a support system for the Blackthorn’s, and her importance to the family, as well as the story of the book, progresses throughout the series. Diana eventually reveals her past and her transgender identity to the children, trusting them with her secret as they embrace her as family. Diana also finds love in the series, a relationship that I fell in love with despite it’s unexpectedness. Gwyn and Diana share their stories with each other and bond over the judgement of others. Diana is an incredible character, as a shadowhunter, teacher, friend, and partner and I am very glad to include her on this list.

Shane Hollander – Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

Shane was introduced to many when the Heated Rivalry show aired late last year. I found the books only a short while before the show came out and I instantly fell in love with it. Shane is a unique character in many ways, and queerness is truly integral to his character. Shane works in an environment ripe with toxic masculinity and as a result, struggles with his sexuality; he deals with the difficulties of being in the closet, internalised homophobia, and also falling in love with someone of the same gender and not being able to express that love openly. I love Shane and Ilya’s relationship, as well as their individual characters and I’m very glad that the rest of the world thought the same.

Evan Buckley – 9-1-1

As I’ve already mentioned, I have so much love for this show and it’s characters. Buck is another character that I adore. Buck was queer-coded from the start of the show and was head-canoned by the fandom as bisexual before the iconic “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” episode in which his bisexuality was made canon. It’s safe to say that Buck is a fandom favourite and his golden retriever energy makes it easy for anyone to love him. There is also quite a large fandom surrounding a ship that he’s one half of (of which I have also been waiting seven seasons for), with his best friend Eddie Diaz. Buck is a passionate firefighter, friend, and brother who cares deeply about those around him. I am ecstatic that they made the decision to share his bisexual identity and I hope he finds his forever relationship soon.

Julian Blackthorn – The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

Another character on the Aro/ Ace spectrum is Julian Blackthorn. In The Dark Artifices series, Julian is shown only to be attracted to Emma Carstairs and never shows interest in anyone else, either sexually or romantically. While we can’t all be Julian Blackthorn and find the love of our life in our childhood, I enjoy the way his identity is represented. While Julian’s feelings for Emma are quite central to his character, his identity is rarely discussed – presumably because he’s a Shadowhunter and probably doesn’t know the term for his identity. Despite this, I love the inclusion of his aro/ ace identity and his character has always been a favourite since I first read the books.

Xie Lian – Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Xie Lian is another favourite character of mine. I love the Heaven Official’s Blessing novel and donghua so much, which I have mentioned in my reviews, as I believe it’s such a well rounded story with incredible elements of fantasy, romance, drama, etc. Xie Lian is a one in a million character, and his story is full of turmoil and angst culminating in a worthy happily ever after. The love story of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng is incredible and one that lives in my head rent free – both characters truly deserve each other and I would add them both to this list if I could. Xie Lian’s queer identity is integral to his character and story, but he is also such a well written character outside of that well.