Bisexual of colour representation on television can often feel like this meme from The Incredibles.
For Bisexual Visibility Week, I wanted to list bi/bi+(sexual identities under the bi/pan umbrella) characters of colours from TV. Whenever I ask someone to put me on to a gay show, the queer characters are often white. Which is something I have seen so many times. Additionally, most characters are from shows within the past 20 years and can have questionable representation. So I figured other queers of colour would want a list of bisexual+ characters of colour on tv right now or recently.
Luz Noceda (voiced by Sarah Nicole-Robles): The Owl House
Luz Noceda is the protagonist of The Owl House on Disney Channel and has made Disney channel history! She is the first bisexual protagonist on the network. Creator Dana Terrance has confirmed Luz as bisexual, and Luz currently has a girlfriend, Amity Blight, on the show. Luz is also Afro-Dominican and is excellent representation for many queer people of colour. Who do not often see themselves in cartoons or television. Luz not only made history by being the first bisexual protagonist on a Disney channel show. She’s also the first to end up in a queer relationship before the season finale. It has been great to watch her relationship with Amity blossom, and viewers look forward to more.
Rosa Diaz (portrayed by Stephanie Beatriz): Brooklyn 99
Rosa Diaz is a character on Brooklyn 99 who came out as bisexual in 2018. Since coming out, Rosa’s character has had well-written and thought-out arcs about her sexuality. From vulnerability in dating to coming out to your family. Stephanie Beatriz, who plays Rosa, is also bisexual herself. Which was not as common in 2018 and still is rare today.
Nova Bordelon (portrayed by Rutina Wesley): Queen Sugar
Nova is a character on Queen Sugar. The audience finds out Nova is bisexual early in the first season; Nova meets and later dates Chantal, a Black Lives Matter Activist. Nova deals with biphobia from her family, who expected her bisexuality to be a “college phase”. But Nova makes it clear to them that it’s what’s inside of someone that matters to her. She continues to date other people and explores her sexuality throughout the show.
Kat Edison (portrayed by Aisha Dee): The Bold Type.
Kat Edison is one of the main characters in The Bold Type. Kat is an audacious character from the beginning of the show. Throughout the series, she explores her sexuality in a very refreshing way. Kat starts as a “proud hetero” and eventually comes to terms with liking women. She tries out different queer identities as she learns more about herself. It is a refreshing take to see how labels do not control her. Kat’s change from hetero, to possibly queer for one person, to lesbian, to bisexual is relatable to many people. Showing us that there is no right way to come out. Even when others do not accept her going on this journey, whether it is because of her gender, sexuality, or race, she still accepts herself throughout all of it. The show ends with Kat getting back together with on and off girlfriend Adena El-Amin.
Eve Polastri (portrayed by Sandra Oh): Killing Eve
Eve Polastri is the protagonist of Killing Eve. Throughout the show, Eve is shown being obsessed with Villanelle to a concerning point. They begin to have an interesting romance with each other. They never explained yet whether or not Eve is only attracted to women. As she started the show married to Niko Polastri and did love him. However, she was bored near the end of their marriage; if anything, Eve’s main sexual attraction seems to be danger.
Bow (voiced by Marcus Scriber) & Glimmer (voiced by Karen Fukuhara): She-Ra and the Princesses of Power(2018)
Bow and Glimmer are characters in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Although neither of them is explicitly said to be queer, they are both queer coded as heck. She-Ra and the Princess of Power also is a show set in a world without homo/transphobia. So none of the characters use a specific label or come out. They just are gay. Both Bow and Glimmer show interest in members of the same/ a similar gender by blushing or fangirling over them. They also show interest in each other, eventually ending up together at the end of the show.
Ambrose Spellman (portrayed by Chance Perdomo): The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Ambrose Spellman is a character in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. He is a warlock and Sabrina’s cousin. In the show, he pursues both men and women despite being under house arrest. He dates Prudence Blackwood and later Luke Chalfant. He is very fluid in his sexuality and is believed to be pansexual.
Magnus Bane (portrayed by Harry Shum Jr.): Shadowhunters
Magnus Bane is a character in Shadowhunters and is the High Warlock of Brooklyn and a “freewheeling bisexual”. Magnus has a big personality. He is flamboyant, whimsical, and sometimes makes questionable decisions, but he is very kind throughout the series. Especially to his boyfriend, Alec Lightwood. The show often brings up Magnus’s bisexuality by showing his exes of different genders. Magnus is also a “downworlder,” meaning someone who is part human and part demon. In the show, downworlders are looked down upon, so he faces oppression due to his sexuality and his downworlder status.
Harper Bettencourt(portrayed by Laci Mosley): I-Carly(2021)
Harper is a character in I-Carly(2021) and is Carly’s best friend and roommate. She is queer and has an “interesting and all over the place” dating life. She ends up landing a job as a stylist for singer Dutch but is unsure whether to prioritize her career or her heart when she develops feelings for Dutch. Dutch and Harper end up kissing in the episode iReturn to Webicon. Laci Mosley is also bisexual.
Akeno “Aki” Menzies (portrayed by Evan Mock): Gossip Girl(2021)
Akeno Menzies is a character from Gossip Girl(2021). He starts off the show in a long-term relationship with Audrey Hope. At the show’s beginning, they have very lacklustre sex, and their relationship seems boring. However, both Aki and Audrey find the spark again in their bisexual friend, Max Wolfe. Aki is shown questioning his sexuality and what it means for his relationship with Audrey. After some ups and downs, he tells Audrey how he is feeling, and she, after much thought, is very supportive. Aki is later outed as “gay” by his father and clarifies that he is bisexual. The mid-season finale shows Aki, Audrey, and Max all happily hooking up. Leaving many hoping they will end up in a throuple.
Ola Nyman (portrayed by Patricia Allison): Sex Education
Ola Nyman is a character from Sex Education. Ola initially starts the show dating Otis Milburn. But later realizes she is pansexual and has feelings for her friend Lily Iglehart. They both confess their feelings for each other and start dating later. The actress Patricia Allison is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Nandor the Relentless (portrayed by Kayvan Novak): What We Do in the Shadows
Nandor is a character in What We Do in the Shadows. He is a 758-year-old Iranian vampire. Nandor was married to 37 women at once and has been intimate with Laszlo, who is a man. In season 3, Nandor states he liked women and men. It is debated whether he is bi or pansexual, but either way, his sexuality is fluid. What We Do in the Shadows does an excellent job of adding bi representation without getting too serious or socio-political. It shows that bisexuality can be funny while also being valid.
Leila (portrayed by Desiree Akhavan): The Bisexual
Leila is the main character of The Bisexual. This is interesting as most shows with bisexual women have women exploring/questioning their sexuality because of women. Leila is not like that. She has been in a monogamous relationship with Sadie, a woman, for her entire adult life. Leila knows she likes women. She explores all sides of her sexuality in this show, especially her attraction to men. She tackles her bi-phobia and stigma in the show.
Robyn “Rob” Brooks (portrayed by Zoe Kravitz): High Fidelity
Rob Brooks is the main character of High Fidelity. She keeps having bad luck in love. Going on a quest to find her top five exes and ask them what went wrong. Rob is not questioning her sexuality in this show. She is clearly bisexual and okay with it; she is also very flawed and messy. Rob is an interesting character because the show is not asking, “is Robyn bisexual?”. It is showing what happens after you answer the question. A messy dating life with unanswered questions and mistakes. Zoe Kravitz, the actress who plays Robyn, is also bisexual herself.
Tess Pearson (portrayed by Eris Baker): This is Us
Tess Pearson is a character in This is Us. The daughter of Randall and Beth Pearson came out in the season 3 finale, and afterward, we see her exploring her sexuality. Dealing with being an LGBTQ+ teen, and dealing with her family’s reactions to her coming out. Tess is excellent representation, especially for queer teens.
Gael Martinez (portrayed by Tommy Martinez): Good Trouble
Gael Martinez is a character in Good Trouble. He was raised in a more traditional and strict Latinx family. Because of this, when Gael realized he did not just like women, he started suppressing his feelings for men. However, Gael came out to his older sister Jazmin when she told him that she was trans. The two of them remained close when their family rejected Jazmin. In the show, Gael goes through ups and downs as a bisexual polyamorous man. Tommy Martinez says that playing Gael made him open up more about his sexuality. Sharing that he’s had similar experiences to Gael and has been intimate with a man.
Riley Luo (Chase Sui Wonders): Genera+ion
Riley Luo is a character in Genera+ion. Riley is bisexual and neuro-divergent and deals with both of those things on the show. She hooks up a lot, especially with Greta, who has feelings for her. But Riley cannot believe that she is made for a relationship. They have a lot of communication issues due to different wants and communication styles. Genera+ion is an exciting show as it was written for teens by a teenager.
Bilquis (portrayed by Yetide Badaki): American Gods
Bilquis is a recurring character on American Gods. She is an ancient goddess of love and sexuality who feeds on her followers for youth and power. She can create feelings of attraction and use those feelings to seduce men and women. In the show, she shows no preference for gender as long as her victims worship her. Yetide, the actress who plays Biliquis, came out as bisexual. Saying that the show was the help she needed to come out.
When I first made this list, I wanted it to be a cute and fun thing to do. Every time I look up bisexual characters, it is always the same, and usually white. I want something different. But honestly, this was very disheartening. These are not the only bisexual+ characters of colour on television right now, but they are most of them. There are six men in total on this list. The amount of bisexual men of colour on television right now is incredibly disappointing. And even with the women who are on television right now, the representation we get is still questionable.
For many shows, bisexuality in women is still reduced to women who kiss other girls when drunk. Other shows either give bi+ women terrible story arcs, The Bold Type, or are cancelled, The Owl House, Genera+ion, etc. All the people on this list are also cis. Trans bisexuals of colour exist and should get to see themselves on tv. Unfortunately, it is 2021, and bisexual+ people of colour still struggle to see themselves on tv. The amount of bisexual characters of colour on television has grown a lot in the past few years. But I hope that we see more diversity in bi+ characters on TV in upcoming years.
