When you think of bisexual women on television, which are the first to come to mind? How many of those are healthy and empowering representations and how many fall prey to offensive stereotypes and tropes such as being cheaters or unable to commit?
While LGBT characters in media have become more and more frequent over the years, we still have a long way to go before we’re at the place we should be. That said, there have been some amazing bisexual on television over the past few years. Here are 10 of our favorites.
Callie Torres from Grey’s Anatomy
Sara Ramirez began on Grey’s Anatomy at the beginning of the series, way back in season two. Initially, Callie was romantically involved with George O’Malley, though it never really worked. Then she became involved with Mark Sloan, a relationship that was much more suitable, especially as they became best friends.
But ultimately, Callie began to realize she was attracted to women when Erica came along. Afterward, she and Arizona Robbins embarked on an intense relationship that results in a kid and marriage. Sadly, it did end not long after Arizona cheated on Callie. But Callie was always strong and resolute in her bisexuality. She has several iconic quotes about it from the show and helped many people come out of the closet, myself included.
Remy “Thirteen” Hadley from House
Thirteen is an extremely popular character from House M.D. Even though she didn’t arrive until season four, Olivia Wilde quickly became a staple on the series. It helps that this isn’t the first time Wilde has played a bisexual character as Alex Kelly, her character from The O.C., was also bisexual.
Thirteen was compelling because she was strong, mysterious, and she had a devastating backstory. Unfortunately, she suffered from Huntington Disease, which both her mother and brother died from. Still, Thirteen did her best to remain strong, and she is a powerful role model for that.
Sara Lance from DCTV
Sara Lance initially fell prey to the “bury your gays” trope early in Arrow. She was the first Black Canary and was killed off tragically by Thea while under the influence of her father. Luckily, Sara’s death didn’t stay permanent as she was revived through the Lazarus Pit.
Sara eventually got cast as the lead in Legends of Tomorrow and we see her regularly pop up on various DCTV shows due to the heavy amount of crossovers. Sara’s most notable relationships have been with women like Nyssa Al Ghul and Ava. She is bisexual but has a clear preference for women.
Toni Topaz in Riverdale
Toni Topaz was introduced to Riverdale as a potential love interest for Jughead and maybe even a rival to come in between him and Betty. There was some mild flirtation between the two but it didn’t take long for it to become clear the real romance would be between Toni and Cheryl.
While Cheryl labeled herself a lesbian in the show, it was officially confirmed last season by the show’s writers that Toni is indeed bisexual. She’s fiery, passionate, and truly cares about Cheryl. The two have been through quite a bit in the deadly town of Riverdale. But Toni has earned her place as both a Serpent and a Pretty Poison.
Nova Bordelon from Queen Sugar
Queen Sugar is a great show in terms of various forms of representation due to being directed and written by women. It was created by esteemed director Ava Duvernay and Nova Bordelon is played by out actress, Rutina Wesley. It’s always nice to see out actors getting to portray their real-life sexuality on-screen.
When Queen Sugar began, Nova’s relationships got quite a bit of focus. We saw her with both a man and a woman, each relationship has its own struggles. In recent seasons, we haven’t heard much about her sexuality which is somewhat disappointing. But it doesn’t erase how great of a character Nova is.
Kalinda Sharma from The Good Wife
Kalinda is another bisexual woman who prefers women to men, again, it doesn’t make her any less bisexual and it’s nice to have different bi characters who have varied preferences on television. Also important is the fact Kalinda is the first queer South Asian character on television.
However,The Good Wife wasn’t without its mishaps. It did fall into the dangerous trope of explaining an aspect of her personality due to a past abusive relationship. But still, Kalinda was a fierce and radical representation of bisexuality who still resonates today.
Paige Michalchuk from Degrassi: The Next Generation
Paige was the first depiction of a bisexual female character on Degrassi: The Next Generation. The series would include other LGBT female characters later on, but considering the year Degrassi started with Paige as a lead, she is considered a trailblazer.
She had several various relationships and flirtations with men but eventually found herself falling for her friend, Alex. The relationship between them was tremendously popular, although, in the end, the two wound up splitting up. Despite this, Paige is still considered to be an icon.
Bo Dennis from Lost Girl
Weirdly enough, considering how big of a storyline Bo’s sexuality it is, Lost Girl never explicitly labels her bisexuality. It makes some sense given how sexually fluid Bo is as a succubus, but ultimately we do get to see her have serious and varied relationships with men and women.
Even though the show stumbles at times and doesn’t always get it right, it’s pretty impressive for the lead of a series that aired for 5 years to be out and proud of her sexuality. Although Tamsin, another bisexual character on the show, did fall pretty to some pretty horrendous tropes, unfortunately. Ultimately, Bo does wind up in a relationship with her long-time love interest, Lauren.
Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Even though Brooklyn Nine-Nine - which was saved from cancellation by passionate fans - is a comedy, it proved to be extremely popular and incredibly poignant when need be. It has dealt with serious topics on several occasions, such as Terry’s brush with police discrimination and Rosa’s coming-out storyline.
Her storyline involves her announcing she is bisexual to both her co-workers and to her parents, who aren’t exactly accepting at first. Rosa has some tough moments as she comes to terms with being open and it’s really affecting people who are also bi and can relate to her struggles and triumphs. The show has done an excellent job at her storyline, helped by the fact Stephanie Beatriz is bisexual in real life.
Kat Edison from The Bold Type
Kat and Adena are probably the most popular relationship on The Bold Type, even more so than any of the other male/female relationships. People got really attached to them.
Unfortunately, they’ve been faced with some serious obstacles and have broken up. But still, Aisha Dee portraying the bisexual Kat has been a thrilling coming out story to watch on the Freeform series.
