Varying Levels of LGBT Representation
There are different ways in which LGBT characters (or characters perceived to be queer) are depicted:
Same-sex relationship shown, sexuality labeled onscreen Examples: Elena Alvarez in One Day at a Time, Isak Valtersen in Skam, Kat Edison in The Bold Type, Kurt Hummel in Glee, Petra Solano in Jane the Virgin, Rosa Diaz in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Willow Rosenberg in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Same-sex relationship shown, sexuality not labeled onscreen, but labeled offscreen Examples: Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder, Cheryl Blosson in Riverdale
Same-sex relationship shown, sexuality not labeled onscreen or offscreen Examples: Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain, Villanelle in Killing Eve
Same-sex relationship not shown, sexuality not labeled onscreen, but labeled offscreen Examples: Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter, Ryan Evans in High School Musical, Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok
Same-sex relationship not shown, sexuality not labeled onscreen or offscreen, but character is queer coded and perceived as queer by many viewers Examples: Eames in Inception, Jake Peralta in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
How the character is depicted and whether their identity is labeled affects how viewers/readers perceive or identify with that character. For example, because Villanelle in Killing Eve has not stated her sexuality, some viewers think of her as a lesbian while others think of her as bisexual.
