People die. Characters die. This is perhaps life’s most unfortunate fact: that people will die and leave the rest of us behind. It’s incredibly rare that any dramatic television series lasting over three seasons will never kill a main or recurring character, and all those deaths have driven a stake through the heart of fandom: Joyce on Buffy, Lady Sybil on Downton Abby, Charlie on Lost, Ned Stark on Game of Thrones, Jen on Dawson’s Creek, Nate on Six Feet Under — but when the person who dies is a lesbian or bisexual character, queer fandom takes it pretty hard.
The history of lesbian representation on television is rocky — in the beginning, we seemed exclusively relegated to roles that saw us getting killed/attacked or doing the killing/attacking. And until the last five or so years, lesbian and bisexual characters seemed entirely unable to date an actual woman or stay alive for more than three episodes, let alone an entire run, of a show. Gay and lesbian characters are so often murdered on television that we have our very own trope: Bury Your Gays. We comprise such a teeny-tiny fraction of characters on television to begin with that killing us off so haphazardly feels especially cruel.
Not every death listed below was wholly uncalled for. In many genres, like soap operas and shows about vampires, zombies, criminals, or games of thrones, characters are killed on the reg. That’s a different trope — Anyone Can Die. Furthermore, shows composed entirely of queer characters will inevitably kill one. But regardless, they still add to the body count weighing down our history of misrepresentation.
And, due to the recent untimely death of Lexa on The 100, this week seemed like a good one to count down everybody we have lost over the years.
This list contains every television death of an OPENLY lesbian or bisexual or queer female character on a television show. With a handful of exceptions, these are all characters who appeared for more than one episode. The exceptions were deemed exceptional because something about the characterization still fits in with the Bury Your Gays trope. Victims-of-the-week from crime procedurals (Law & Order, Cold Case, CSI, Criminal Minds or older shows) or patients-of-the-week from hospital dramas (Chicago Hope, E.R.), aren’t on this list, as that is an entirely different kind of list, but recurring characters from those shows are on this list. Nor is subtext on this list, because we’re not gonna give Xena showrunners Queer Character Credit for a character they refused to make openly queer when she was really so obviously queer. You know? [ETA: Okay, I’ve added Xena after doing further research and because if one more commenter takes up space on this thread — a thread I’m using to find more characters to add, and also to engage with thoughtful/funny readers who have opinions and feelings — to tell me that I “forgot” Xena without reading this introduction, I will become the 200th dead lesbian and the cause of death will be “Walked off a cliff with a commenter in her arms. Murder-suicide.” But Xena will be the one and only inclusion based on subtext.] Also, although I’ve done tons of research, I haven’t personally seen all of these shows, so mistakes may very well exist, and feel free to politely inform me of them in the comments, or tell me about characters I may have missed — it’s especially helpful if you can tell me the cause of death and the year.
Unsure if this needs to be said but… SPOILER ALERT.
Special thanks to the LezWatchTV Database for providing info on shows I haven’t seen or heard about directly!
Every Regular or Recurring Lesbian or Bisexual Female Character Killed On Television
Julie, Executive Suite (1976)
Cause of death: Hit by a car. Her love interest had just walked into traffic after realizing her lesbianism and Julie was chasing her.
Franky Doyle, Prisoner: Cell Block H (1980)
Cause of death: Shot by a police officer after escaping from prison
Sharon Gilmour, Prisoner: Cell Block H (1980)
Cause of death: Pushed down the stairs by a corrections officer
Karen O’Malley, Casualty (1987)
Cause of death: Head Injury
Cecília, Vale Tudo (1988)
Cause of death: Car Accident
Cicely, Northern Exposure (1992)
Cause of death: Shot by a gunman employed by the town’s evil overlord who doesn’t want to let the lesbians change his town. The shot was intended for her girlfriend Roslyn, but Cicely, who was already sick, blocked the bullet and died in Roslyn’s arms, thus magically healing the town’s long-simmering feuds and leading them to re-name the town “Cicely.”
Talia Winters, Babylon 5 (1995)
Cause of death: Activated a sleeper personality that wiped out her actual personality, effectively killing her
Beth Jordache, Brookside (1995)
Cause of death: Genetic heart condition, died in prison
Susan Ross, Seinfeld (1996)
Cause of death: Toxic envelope glue
Naomi “Tracy” Richards, Band of Gold (1996)
Cause of death: Stabbed herself
Lucy, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders (1996)
Cause of death: Caught thieving and hanged
Kathy, NYPD Blue (1997)
Cause of death: Shot by a hit man hired by her girlfriend Abby’s ex, who wanted to get rid of Kathy so she could get back together with Abby. Abby was pregnant at the time.
Sondra Westwood, Pacific Drive (1997)
Cause of death: Murdered by a serial killer
Jadzia Dax, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998)
Cause of death: Blasted by an alien-possessed alien
Sonia Besirky, Lindenstraße (1998)
Cause of death: Drug overdose from medication given to her by her ex-lover’s husband
Leila and Rafaela, Torre de Babel (1998)
Cause of death: Explosion in a shopping mall
Susanne Teubner, Hinter Gittern (1999)
Cause of death: Shot during a bank robbery (she was a customer)
Shaz Wiley, Bad Girls (2000)
Cause of death: Bomb, died in resulting fire
Laura Hall, Shortland Street (2000)
Cause of death: Heart attack
Diamond, Dark Angel (2001)
Cause of death: Used as a lab rat for research that killed her
Xena, Xena the Warrior Princess (2001)
Cause of death: Beheaded
Beate “Bea” Hansen, Hinter Gittern (2001)
Cause of death: Injuries from an explosion
Jule Neumann, Hinter Gittern (2001)
Cause of death: Suicide
Frankie Stone, All My Children (2001)
Cause of death: Murder Mystery!
Bridgit, 24 (2001)
Cause of death: Shot by a man in front of her girlfriend
Tara Maclay, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002)
Cause of death: Shot in the heart by a stray bullet
Kelly Hurst, Family Affairs (2002)
Cause of death: Pushed down the stairs by her lover’s husband
Megan Hartnoll, At Home With The Braithwaites (2003)
Cause of death: Electrocuted in the bathtub
Juliet Becker, The Bill (2003)
Cause of death: Stabbed
Tina Greer, Smallville (2003)
Cause of death: Impaled through the chest on a large piece of wood during a fight with a male character
Sandy Lopez, E.R. (2004)
Cause of death: Injuries sustained from fighting a fire in an abandoned warehouse
Al Mackenzie, Bad Girls (2004)
Cause of death: Poisoned
Hanna Novak, Verbotene Liebe (2004)
Cause of death: Stroke, died in her girlfriend’s arms
Ines Führbringer, Hinter Gittern (2004)
Cause of death: Throat slit, died in girlfriend’s arms
Thelma Bates, Hex (2004)
Cause of death: Murdered by a demon
Flora, Deadwood (2004)
Cause of death: Beaten by a man who then forced a woman to shoot her with his gun
Brenda Castillo, Charmed (2004)
Cause of death: Stabbed with a cursed blade by a man, causing her to rapidly age and then die
Tosha, The Wire (2004)
Cause of death: Shot during a heist gone wrong
Marissa Cooper, The O.C. (2005)
Cause of death: Car crash after being driven off the road by her drunk ex-boyfriend
Servilla, Rome (2005)
Cause of death: Stabs herself in front of her rival house, inhabited by the mother of her lover
Dusty, Queer As Folk (2005)
Cause of death: At a benefit at a gay club when a bomb went off
Dana Fairbanks, The L Word (2006)
Cause of death: Breast cancer
Helena Cain, Battlestar Galactica (2006)
Cause of death: Shot by her ex-lady-lover
Manuela Wellmann, Hinter Gittern (2006)
Cause of death: Stabbed, died in girlfriend’s arms
Maya Robertson, Hex (2006)
Cause of death: Hit by a car
Natalie, Bad Girls (2006)
Cause of death: Bludgeoned to death with a brick
Gina Inviere/#6, Battlestar Galactica (2006)
Cause of death: Set off a nuclear weapon
Eve Jacobson/Zoe McAllister, Home & Away (2006)
Cause of death: Inside a building when it was blown up
Van, Dante’s Cove (2006)
Cause of Death: Killed by the Shadows
Angie Morton, Stritctly Confidential (2006)
Cause of death: Suicide. Jumped off a building.
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*Westworld Spoilers*
Elsie Hughes from Westworld could be the newest name to this list. She was shown to be sexually attracted to a female host (a scene that went literally nowhere after this), and was shown being strangled to death in episode 10. We don’t know for sure yet though.
That kissing scene just seems so bloody pointless if she is dead now, like they inserted it with the intention of taking it further, changed their minds and decided she would die in ep 10, but never edited the kissing scene out.
I felt the scene was only there to show how irresistible the hosts are. Plus, show how the hosts are abused by the employees. I really miss Elsie. Her death didn’t do much for the plot. Really pointless.
They forgot another Pretty Little Liars character- Charles/Charlotte DiLaurentis, a trans character.
This list is for bi and lesbian women, Cece was neither. Trans women that only like men may get a list of their own some day, but they aren’t included on this list.
Not sure if anyone watched Shut Eye on Hulu but *Spoiler Alert* there’s a queer female hypnotist named Gina to add to the list. :/
Okay, just my opinion, but I don’t think Kelly and Yorkie should be on this list. I mean, yes, technically they did die. But their consciousnesses are still alive and well, and it was definitely a decision to choose to live, rather than actually die by having your mind die along with your body. They have a happy ending together!
But, if you MUST keep them on the list, Yorkie didn’t die from the car crash. That happened when she was a teen. Cause of death would be doctor-assisted suicide (although I still contend that they shouldn’t count as dead). Thank you so much!
I would have thought they shouldn’t be on the list because they’re not recurring characters.
Recurring characters just don’t exist in Black Mirror, it’s an aspect of the show’s structure. If you look at the IMDb page you’ll find that the most episodes any character has been in is three (over three seasons). Whether they should be on the list due to thr connotations of their deaths is another question entirely; I don’t feel that it’s right to omit them just because their deaths were “good”, as that leaves us open them some really finicky and subjective slicing and dicing. For example (Person of Interest spoilers) many POI fans felt that Root’s death shouldn’t be classed as a BYG because it came well after the relationship was established and was part of a larger narrative arc about transcendence. Imo we have to go “all or nothing” with this kind of list.
Any queer woman whose death (of her physical body) I have to witness counts as trauma to me and therefore goes on the list! Even if gays transcend (POI, the LOO, Black Mirror…) or are un-buried (Jane the Virgin, Orphan Black…) they should still of on the list because we still had the upset of having to watch it happen and the message is still sent: a violent end is destined for people like you. The rest is just semantics.
I want you to know I cited this article when writing my writer’s manifesto on my creative writing course
(*Spoiler Alert* for Scream I guess)
I’m not sure if she would count or if anyone has mentioned her yet, but Rachel Murray from Scream: The TV Series. She is dating a main character Audrey in Season 1 episode 1 and episode 2, then is murdered in episode 2.
Wow disregard my comment I found her, sorry haha
You must add Aurora Alarcón from Seis Hermanas.
Aurora Alarcón from Seis Hermanas. Got sick with Cholera and died.
I know pretty much no one watched this show, but Taxi Brooklyn (it ran for like 12 episodes back in 2014) had an ADA named May Winters who stalked Chyler Leigh’s character, kidnapped her, killed a bunch of people “for her,” and then killed herself because she was so in love with her… literally her last words were “Why won’t you love me, Caitlyn?” So yeah that was lovely
Well this is one of the most depressing articles I have read in a while. It’s nice to know that the LGBT community has a lot of shows that they can really get behind. It makes me really appropriate and love the shows that actually let their gay characters live and have happy endings since they are so rare. The only show that I forgive is Xena because she went out in a blaze, sacrificing herself to save thousands of souls. And I know that her and Gabrielle will be together in the next life. The rest of the shows are just crap.
Does anyone else here believe that the Teen Wolf death was a little excessive? I mean the character was already dead…
In the article about the killing off of lesbian characters, the author used Joyce from Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the first example…. which is incorrect…. Joyce is Buffy’s mother. TARA was Willow’s girlfriend who was killed. A slip up that probably should be changed… especially as it’s the first example. Did anyone else notice this?
PLEASE NOTICE THIS COMMENT AND FIX THE MISTAKE!!!! :)
Hi! Joyce is listed as an example of a non-queer character who is killed off; she’s listed along with the likes of Ned Stark and a host of other straight people.
The full sentence reads “It’s incredibly rare that any dramatic television series lasting over three seasons will never kill a main or recurring character, and all those deaths have driven a stake through the heart of fandom: Joyce on Buffy, Lady Sybil on Downton Abby, Charlie on Lost, Ned Stark on Game of Thrones, Jen on Dawson’s Creek, Nate on Six Feet Under — but when the person who dies is a lesbian or bisexual character, queer fandom takes it pretty hard.”
It’s not a mistake. The article didn’t say that Joyce was gay/bi, just that her death was upsetting to the fandom.
Tituba from Salem actually turned out to still be alive and survived the events of the series finale. The wife on Blindspot also turned out to be alive via faking her death.
Then as a personal opinion, villains shouldn’t be on this list. Because your basically saying that they should have been exempt from death despite commiting evil deeds, just because their LGBT females. If you want more female villains, even some that just so happen to be gay or bi, you have to accept that they will die as that is usually what happens to villains.
Lucy Lawless is on this list FOUR FREAKING TIMES. That just ain’t right. #StopKillingLucyLawless
Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks? She’s established as bi in the film and The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer.
Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers
Is that enough warning?
Eleanor Guthrie while pregnant was stabbed to death by a spanish soldier which kind of was her husbands fault.
Eleanor’s death was kind of inevitable. This show is quite violent & they killed off some straight white main characters (Vane, Miranda), so I’m not sure she even counts as a “Bury the gays” example.
Black sails did *SPOILER ALERT* UNbury a gay man (Thomas) and reunite him with Flint, it’s a true miracle.
Eleanor Guthrie from Black Sails.
Stabbed to death by a Spanish Soldier.
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Don’t forget about Lenny Busker 2017 Legion
Fused into a wall; later appears as a demonic villain in the mind of the main character
You should add Charry from “Se quien eres” (Spain). In the episode 1×09, Charry died of drug overdose by pressure on the secrets she knew.
Thank you so much for this! So upsetting and considering how few Lesbians are shown, can’t help but think it’s a media message.
About Dana from The L Word, though, she actually died from from heart failure from “treatment”/chemo for breast cancer. I watched closely since it was very courageous of them to show that. There is intense pressure to believe the doctors.
My best friend has survived three separate cancers, the first two very rare and extremely invasive (clear cell adenocarcinoma of the uterus and neuroendocrine colon cancer), and the last one was a more regular breast cancer, with surgery and herbs and other alternatives methods — NOT going vegan or juicing or an expensive clinic. She also has refused all scans, including mammograms since they cause so much cancer. We try to get the word out with so many women dying soon after suffering through “treatment.” There are other options but we are not given informed consent.
Delphine Lives!!!!
Can we get Heather from last week’s episode of Doctor Who added? She was a young queer girl with self-image issues killed by a puddle of sentient spaceship-oil.
Annie Kaplan, The Blacklist, Shot by partner’s uncle.
BEA SMITH DESERVED BETTER IM STILL SO UPSET
so Delphine is definitely alive, but also, I mean technically Kelly and yorkie are dead, but the whole point of the story was them being euthanized and finding each other in the afterlife, and it was the only bm ep with a happy ending. I guess I don’t really get why they’re on the list since they weren’t really killed off, and it was in no way violent or unfair
SPOILERS for the first three episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale:
Should add Martha 6715-301, Ofglen’s (Alexis Bledel’s character’s) girlfriend who is hanged for “gender treachery” in episode 3.
Someone might mention Moira, but given what happens to her in the book and the character who reports her death (someone represented as being mentally unstable), I don’t think she should count yet.
I just started watching Zoo on Netflix. Season 1 episode 4: the very first LGBT+ couple introduced is a lesbian couple, who freeze to death by the end pf the episode. Their names were Margaret and Wendy and they were trying at a second chance in their marriage.
Not only are we not represented as a main or recurring character, but we’re still not allowed to have happy endings.
This is one of those rare occasions where it would actually be nice if the article was split onto multiple pages. It takes FOREVER to load on mobile with all the pictures.
Please add Aurora from spanish tv series Seis Hermanas.
Tituba from Salem didn’t die she was revealed to be still alive in the third season.
Missed another Lucy Lawless glorious lesbian death: Countess von Marburgh, second season Salem.