From Motherland: Fort Salem to Heartstopper, let’s dive into how they serve up bisexual representation
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY FREEFORM
Back in 2022, for our September issue, I conducted a DIVA survey on bisexual representation onscreen. Our readers had a lot to say about both the good, the bad and the ugly. We’ve had more bisexual rep onscreen since our 2022 survey, and so to celebrate Bi Week 2023, let’s take a look at some of our fave bi characters from TV. Oh, and for those who missed our last survey, I’ll be interspersing this piece with some stats, as well as some quotes from last year’s magazine.
Rosa Díaz from Brooklyn Nine-Nine
What better place to start than with our reader’s favourite bisexual character? Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Rosa Díaz received a whopping 43% of votes from our bi representation onscreen survey.
Here’s what one respondent had to say about her character: “Many bisexual characters onscreen don’t say they are bi. Rosa was the first character I saw proudly say ‘bisexual’.”
Nick Nelson and Sahar Zahid from Heartstopper
Heartstopper’s Nick Nelson was close second, with 41% of respondents voting him as their favourite bisexual character. Many bi viewers have felt truly seen and represented by his character and his coming out journey, which we got to see more of in the show’s second season which aired earlier this year.
And in the show’s latest instalment, we got to meet some new faces. One of those being Sahar Zahid, who is a total proud bisexual babe who we were excited to see become a part of the core friendship group.
Kitty from XO, Kitty
Another new show that has come out since the survey was conducted is Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before spin-off show, XO, Kitty. When trailers were first released, nobody expected things to get super queer. But LGBTQIA fans were pleasantly surprised when the titular character starts to have feelings for both boys and girls.
DIVA’s Ella Gauci has penned this fabulous piece on how XO, Kitty perfectly sums up being bi in high school.
Scylla Ramshorn from Motherland: Fort Salem
Motherland: Fort Salem is a firm favourite among our readers. Especially Scylla Ramshorn, who is beautifully portrayed by Amalia Holm. She’s also one-half of our favourite WLW ship, #Raylla (Raelle and Scylla). Oh, and she’s a total bisexual icon. Here’s what our readers had to say about how the series handled her bisexuality:
“[Scylla’s] bisexuality is just a part of her. It isn’t portrayed as a negative character trait. She is a badass woman who is incredibly powerful with a fascinating character arc.”
“I appreciate Motherland: Fort Salem so much. Scylla being shown as bi was literally, she is with a woman and then, ‘Oh, here is her ex-boyfriend’, and then we meet an ex-girlfriend in season three.”
Sara Lance from Arrow
Many respondents also swoon over Arrow’s assassin-turned-vigilante Sara Lance, with one respondent writing: “She’s hot, badass and she fully owns her sexuality.”
Did you know that she was the cinematic DC universe’s first character to come out as queer? We love this bistory-making badass.
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