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! width="24%" | Character name
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! width="35%" | Details
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| Beebo Brinker
| Beebo Brinker
| ''[[I Am A Woman]]'', ''[[Women in the Shadows]]'', ''[[Journey To A Woman]]'', ''[[Beebo Brinker (novel)|Beebo Brinker]]''
| ''[[I Am A Woman]]'' {{-}} ''[[Women in the Shadows]]'' {{-}} ''[[Journey To A Woman]]'' {{-}} ''[[Beebo Brinker (novel)|Beebo Brinker]]''
| [[Ann Bannon]]
| [[Ann Bannon]]
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| Beth Ayers/Cullison
| Beth Ayers/Cullison
| ''[[Odd Girl Out (novel)|Odd Girl Out]]'', ''[[Journey To A Woman]]''
| ''[[Odd Girl Out (novel)|Odd Girl Out]]'' {{-}} ''[[Journey To A Woman]]''
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| [[Ann Bannon]]
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| Laura Landon
| Laura Landon
| ''[[Odd Girl Out (novel)|Odd Girl Out]]'', ''[[I Am A Woman]]'', ''[[Women in the Shadows]]'', ''[[Journey To A Woman]]'', ''The Marriage''
| ''[[Odd Girl Out (novel)|Odd Girl Out]]'' {{-}} ''[[I Am A Woman]]'' {{-}} ''[[Women in the Shadows]]'' {{-}} ''[[Journey To A Woman]]'' {{-}} ''The Marriage''
| [[Ann Bannon]]
| [[Ann Bannon]]
| .
| .

Revision as of 20:22, 20 February 2014

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a List of lesbian characters in modern written fiction. The historical concept and definition of sexual orientation varies and has changed greatly over time; for example the word "lesbian" wasn't used to describe sexual orientation until the late 19th century. A number of different classification schemes have been used to describe sexual orientation since the mid-19th century, and scholars have often defined the term 'sexual orientation' in divergent ways. Indeed, several studies have found that much of the research about sexual orientation has failed to define the term at all, making it difficult to reconcile the results of different studies.[1][2][3] However, most definitions include a psychological component (such as the direction of an individual's erotic desire) and/or a behavioral component (which focuses on the sex of the individual's sexual partner/s). Some prefer to simply follow an individual's self-definition or identity. See homosexuality and bisexuality for criteria that have traditionally denoted lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex (LGBTI) people.

Items listed here must have verifiable third-party sources commenting on the sexuality of the character(s) in question, and additional explanation may be necessary. Citing the work itself may be appropriate if an applicable quote is provided. Additionally, only notable/significant characters from a given work (which may have multiple LGBT characters) need to be listed here.

Kilian Meloy wrote:[4]

In a historical sense, literature as we understand it is a fairly new innovation, and the current concept of homosexuality is even fresher from the cultural oven. It's no great surprise, then, that gay literature — or even gay characters in literature — are so relatively new as to still be shiny. Nonetheless, there are gay characters that broke barriers and became cultural touchstones...

Character name Book(s) Author Details Reference
Nancy "Nan" Astley Tipping the Velvet Sarah Waters ; main character who has sexual/romantic relationships with three other women as well as other casual sexual encounters. [5]
Florence Banner Tipping the Velvet Sarah Waters ; has a sexual/romantic relationship with the main character. [6]
Derkhan Blueday Perdido Street Station China Mieville ; [7]
Molly Bolt Rubyfruit Jungle Rita Mae Brown ; main character who has numerous romantic and sexual relationships with other women. [8]
Beebo Brinker I Am A Woman
Women in the Shadows
Journey To A Woman
Beebo Brinker 		Ann Bannon [9]
Beth Ayers/Cullison Odd Girl Out
Journey To A Woman 		Ann Bannon [9]
Anne Damer Life Mask Emma Donoghue ; has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman. [10]
Peggy Danziger Happy Endings Are All Alike Sandra Scoppettone ; has a sexual and romantic relationship with another woman. [11]
Selina Dawes Affinity Sarah Waters ; has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman. [12]
Lucy Farinelli Kay Scarpetta novels Patricia Cornwell ; niece of the main character. Has several romantic relationships with other women as well as many casual sexual encounters with other women. [13]
Ruth Jamison Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Fannie Flagg ; main character who has long-term romantic relationship with another woman. [14]
Holland Jeager Keeping You a Secret Julie Anne Peters ; has relationship with female character as well as male character.
Jeanette Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Jeanette Winterson [15]
Annie Kenyon Annie on My Mind Nancy Garden . [16]
Daja Kisubo The Will of the Empress Tamora Pierce ; main character begins her first relationship with a woman [17]
Laura Landon Odd Girl Out
I Am A Woman
Women in the Shadows
Journey To A Woman
The Marriage 		Ann Bannon . [9]
Lark The Will of the Empress Tamora Pierce ; mentor to main characters, in a long-term lesbian relationship; implied in previous books [18]
Renee LaRoche Along the Journey River Carole LaFavor protagonist. [19]
Diana Leathaby Tipping the Velvet Sarah Waters ; has a sexual relationship with the main character and other women. [6]
Maud Lilly Fingersmith Sarah Waters ; main character who has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman. [20]
Mom Jo & Mom Lara Ukiah Oregon series Wen Spencer ; main character's moms [21]
Therese Belivet The Price of Salt Patricia Highsmith ; has a sexual/romantic relationship with another woman. [11]
Margaret Prior Affinity Sarah Waters ; main character who pursues a romantic relationship with another woman. [12]
Idgie Threadgoode Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Fannie Flagg ; main character who has long-term romantic relationship with another woman, and sexual encounters with one other woman. [14]
Aud Torvingen The Blue Place Nicola Griffith [11]
Sue Trinder Fingersmith Sarah Waters ; main character who has a romantic/sexual relationship with another woman. [20]
Jaret Tyler Happy Endings Are All Alike Sandra Scoppettone ; has a sexual and romantic relationship with another woman and identifies as a . [11]
Clodagh Unwin A Village Affair Joanna Trollope has a sexual and romantic relationship with another woman. [11]
Clarissa Vaughan The Hours Michael Cunningham ; in a long-term relationship with another woman. [11]
Patience White Patience and Sarah Isabel Miller . [22]
Liza Winthrop Annie on My Mind Nancy Garden . [16]
Felicity Worthington The Gemma Doyle Trilogy Libba Bray .
X   (Allison Mann) Y: The Last Man Brian K. Vaughan . [1]

See also

References

  1. ^ Shively, M.G. (1984). "Research on sexual orientation: definitions and methods". Journal of Homosexuality. 9 (2/3): 127–137. doi:10.1300/J082v09n02_08. PMID 6376622. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Gerdes, L.C. (1988). The Developing Adult (Second ed.). Durban: Butterworths; Austin, TX: Butterworth Legal Publishers. ISBN 0-409-10188-5.
  3. ^ Sell, Randall L. (December 1997). "Defining and Measuring Sexual Orientation: A Review: How do you define sexual orientation?". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 26 (6): 643–658. doi:10.1023/A:1024528427013. PMID 9415799. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  4. ^ "Influential Gay Characters in Literature"
  5. ^ "Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (review)". Powell's Books. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  6. ^ a b "Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (review)". Barnes & Noble.com. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  7. ^ ""TV Tropes: Perdido Street Station"". TV Tropes. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
  8. ^ Day, Frances Ann (2000). and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature. Korea: Greenwood Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-313-31162-5.
  9. ^ a b c Yndigoyen, Rose (2005-07-16). "The Beebo Brinker Chronicles". Retrieved 2007-07-22.
  10. ^ "Life Mask by Emma Donoghue". BiblioFemme. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Lo, Malinda (2007-05-22). "13 Lesbian and Bi Characters You Should Know". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  12. ^ a b Holcombe, Garan (2005). "Sarah Waters - Critical Perspective". ContemporaryWriters.com. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  13. ^ Mizejewski, Linda (2004). Hardboiled and High Heeled: The Woman Detective in Popular Culture. Routledge. p. 26. ISBN 0-415-96971-9.
  14. ^ a b Greenhill/Tye (1998). Undisciplined Women: Tradition and Culture in Canada. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 143. ISBN 0-7735-1615-8.
  15. ^ Griffin, Gabriele (2002). Who's Who in and Gay Writing. Routledge. p. 217. ISBN 0-415-15984-9.
  16. ^ a b Day, Frances Ann (2000). and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature. Korea: Greenwood Press. p. 29. ISBN 0-313-31162-5.
  17. ^ ""AfterEllen Book Club: Will of the Empress and Ammonite"". After Ellen. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  18. ^ ""AfterEllen Book Club: Will of the Empress and Ammonite"". After Ellen. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  19. ^ Richardson, Susan B. (1998). "Along the Journey River - Review". MELUS. Retrieved 2008-01-04. [dead link]
  20. ^ a b Gilling, Tom (2002-02-24). "Our Mutual Attraction". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  21. ^ "Science Fiction Books with Lesbian Characters". Lesbian Science Fiction. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  22. ^ Katz, Jonathan. "Writing and Publishing Patience and Sarah". Retrieved 2007-07-22.
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