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We Deserve Better
Bury Your Gays
A brief summary of the history of LGBT characters in television. 1-149 Lesbian deaths in television. 1-14 Lesbian survivors in television.
12
1 Kathy, NYPD Blue (1997)
Julie, Executive Suite (1976)
Cause of death: Shot by a hitman who was hired by her girlfriend’s ex, who wanted to get rid of Kathy so she could get back together with Abby. She was pregnant at the time.
Cause of death: Hit by a car. Her love interest had just walked into traffic after realizing her lesbianism and Julie was chasing her.
2
11 Franky Doyle, Prisoner: Cell Block H (1980)
Lucy, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders (1996)
Cause of death: Shot by a police officer after escaping from prison.
Cause of death: Caught stealing, the punishment was a hanging.
10
3 Naomi “Tracy” Richards, Band of Gold (1996)
Sharon Gilmour, Prisoner: Cell Block H (1980)
Cause of death: Stabbed herself.
Cause of death: Pushed down the stairs by a corrections officer.
4
9 Karen O’Malley, Casualty (1987)
Susan Ross, Seinfeld (1996)
Cause of death: A head injury.
Cause of death: Toxic envelope glue.
8
5 Beth Jordache, Brookside (1995)
CecĂlia, Vale Tudo (1988)
Cause of death: Genetic heart condition, died in prison.
Cause of death: A car accident.
6
7 Cicely, Northern Exposure (1992)
Talia Winters, Babylon 5 (1995)
Cause of death: Shot by a hitman employed by the town’s evil Mayor who didn’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.”
Cause of death: Activated a sleeper personality that wiped out her actual personality, effectively killing her.
24
13 Frankie Stone, All My Children (2001)
Sondra Westwood, Pacific Drive (1997)
Cause of death: Murder Mystery!
Cause of death: Murdered by a serial killer.
14
23 Jadzia Dax, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998)
Jule Neumann, Hinter Gittern (2001)
Cause of death: Blasted by an alien-possessed alien.
Cause of death: Suicide.
22
15 Beate “Bea” Hansen, Hinter Gittern (2001)
Sonia Besirky, Lindenstraße (1998)
Cause of death: An explosion.
Cause of death: A drug overdose from medication given to her by her ex-lover’s husband.
16
21 Leila and Rafaela, Torre de Babel (1998)
Xena, Xena the Warrior Princess (2001)
Cause of death: Explosion in a shopping mall.
Cause of death: Beheaded.
20
17 Diamond, Dark Angel (2001)
Susanne Teubner, Hinter Gittern (1999)
Cause of death: Used as a lab rat for research that killed her.
Cause of death: Shot during a bank robbery (she was a customer).
18
19 Shaz Wiley, Bad Girls (2000)
Laura Hall, Shortland Street (2000)
Cause of death: A bomb exploded, she died in the resulting fire.
Cause of death: A heart attack.
36
25 Flora, Deadwood (2004)
Bridgit, 24 (2001)
Cause of death: Beaten by a man who then forced a woman to shoot her with his gun.
Cause of death: Shot by a man in front of her girlfriend.
26
35 Tara Maclay, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002)
Thelma Bates, Hex (2004)
Cause of death: Shot in the heart by a stray bullet.
Cause of death: Murdered by a demon.
34
27 Ines Führbringer, Hinter Gittern (2004)
Kelly Hurst, Family Affairs (2002)
Cause of death: Throat slit, died in girlfriend’s arms.
Cause of death: Pushed down the stairs by her lover’s husband.
28
33 Megan Hartnoll, At Home With The Braithwaites (2003)
Hanna Novak, Verbotene Liebe (2004)
Cause of death: Electrocuted whilst in the bathtub.
Cause of death: Had a stroke and died in her girlfriend’s arms.
32
29 Al Mackenzie, Bad Girls (2004)
Juliet Becker, The Bill (2003)
Cause of death: Poisoned.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
30
31 Tina Greer, Smallville (2003)
Sandy Lopez, E.R. (2004)
Cause of death: Impaled through the chest on a large piece of wood during a fight with a male character.
Cause of death: Sustained injuries from trying to fight a fire in an abandoned warehouse.
48
37 Eve Jacobson/Zoe McAllister, Home & Away (2006)
Brenda Castillo, Charmed (2004)
Cause of death: Inside a building when it was blown up.
Cause of death: Stabbed with a cursed blade by a man, causing her to rapidly age and then die.
38
47 Tosha, The Wire (2004) Cause of death: Shot during a heist gone wrong.
Gina Inviere / #6, Battlestar Galactica (2006) Cause of death: Set off a nuclear weapon.
46
39 Natalie, Bad Girls (2006)
Marissa Cooper, The O.C. (2005)
Cause of death: Bludgeoned to death with a brick.
Cause of death: Car crash after being driven off the road by her drunk ex-boyfriend.
40
45 Servilla, Rome (2005)
Maya Robertson, Hex (2006)
Cause of death: Stabs herself in front of her rival house, inhabited by the mother of her lover.
Cause of death: Hit by a car.
44
41 Manuela Wellmann, Hinter Gittern (2006)
Dusty, Queer As Folk (2005)
Cause of death: Stabbed, died in girlfriend’s arms.
Cause of death: At a benefit at a gay club when a bomb went off.
42
43 Dana Fairbanks, The L Word (2006)
Helena Cain, Battlestar Galactica (2006)
Cause of death: Breast cancer.
Cause of death: Shot by her ex.
60
49 D’Anna Biers/Number Three, Battlestar Galactica (2009)
Van, Dante’s Cove (2006)
Cause of death: Decided she’d rather stay behind on the toxic wasteland that once was Earth with her ancestors than inevitably be killed by Cavil in the cold darkness of outer space.
Cause of Death: Killed by the Shadows.
50
59 Angie Morton, Stritctly Confidential (2006)
Jenny Schecter, The L Word (2009)
Cause of death: Suicide. Jumped off a building.
Cause of death: Murder mystery.
58
51 Olivia Lord, Nip/Tuck (2009)
Rae Thomas, Passions (2007)
Cause of death: Cardiac arrest during plastic surgery.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
52
57 Jay Copeland, Shortland Street (2007)
Sarah Barnes, Hollyoaks (2009)
Cause of death: Strangled by the Ferndale strangler.
Cause of death: Skydiving accident, instigated by her ex who tampered with the parachute thinking it was Sarah’s activity partner’s parachute.
56
53 Snoop, The Wire (2008)
Lily Baker, Supernatural (2007)
Cause of death: Shot by a new dealer, who correctly believed she was about to shoot him.
Cause of death: Attacked and hung on a windmill by a demon.
54
55 Toshiko Sato, Torchwood (2008)
Franzi Reuter, Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten (2008)
Cause of death: Shot.
Cause of death: Gas explosion.
72
61 Queen Sophie Ann Leclerq, True Blood (2011)
Doctor Marina Ranieri del Colle, Terapia D’Urgenza (2009)
Cause of death: Wooden bullet shot by American Vampire League snipers.
Cause of death: Shot by the mother who had just lost her baby despire Marina’s care. She died in her girlfriends arms.
62
71 Silvia Castro Le贸n, Los hombres de Paco (2010)
Bizzy Forbes, Private Practice (2011)
Cause of death: Shot by gangsters directly after her wedding.
Cause of death: Suicide after her wife died.
70
63 Susan Grant, Private Practice (2011)
Isabella Kortenaer, Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden (2010)
Cause of death: Septic shock following cancer treatment, collapsed at her wedding.
Cause of death: Infection from slipping on the bathroom floor.
64
69 Dahlia, Legend of the Seeker (2010)
Patty O’Farrell and Veronica Cortes, La Reina del Sur (2011)
Cause of death: Confessed.
Cause of death: Patty drives off a cliff with Veronica in the passenger seat — Veronica dies, but Patty doesn’t, so after waking up in the hospital, she kills herself.
68
65 Marissa Tasker, All My Children (2011)
Amy Tyler, Sons of Anarchy (2010)
Cause of death: Shot by her crazy, jealous ex-husband.
Cause of death: Shot in the neck by her girlfriend, who wanted to frame her for murder.
66
67 Sophia, Skins (2010)
June Stahl, Sons of Anarchy (2010)
Cause of death: Suicide. Jumped to her death in a dance club after buying MDMA from the girl she was obsessed with.
Cause of death: Shot in the back of the head.
84
73 Beate, Bron/Broen (2013) Cause of death: Accidentally via poisoned needle at her girlfriend’s hospital bed.
Gaia, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) Cause of death: Head bashed in by a man she rejected.
74
83 Angela Darmody & Louise Bryant, Boardwalk Empire (2011)
Nora Gainesborough, True Blood (2013)
Cause of death: Shot by a mobster.
Cause of death: She had Hep-V.
82
75 Maya St. Germain, Pretty Little Liars (2012)
Freya Wilson, Doctors (2012)
Cause of death: Bludgeoned by her ex-boyfriend/stalker.
Cause of death: Saved a man from a housefire.
76
81 Nadia, Lost Girl (2012)
Lucretia, Spartacus: Vengeance (2012)
Cause of death: Stabbed while violently possessed.
Cause of death: Murder-suicide, walked off a cliff with a baby in her arms.
80
77 Wendy, American Horror Story: Asylum (2012) Cause of death: Murdered by serial killer Bloodyface.
Laure, Les Revenants (2012) Cause of death: Disappeared along with a group of other police officers, assumed died while fighting the horde, precise cause unknown.
78
79 Cat MacKenzie, Lip Service (2012)
Charlie, Home & Away (2012)
Cause of Death: Hit by a car.
Cause of death: Life support shut off after a shooting left her unable to breathe on her own.
96
85 Alice Calvert, Under the Dome (2013)
Natalie, Siberia (2013)
Cause of death: Heart attack suffered from low blood sugar (she was a diabetic) after delivering another character’s baby.
Cause of death: Unknown. Found dead in the woods.
86
95 Annie, Siberia (2013)
Emily, Teen Wolf (2013)
Cause of death: Gunshot wound.
Cause of death: Was about to have sex with her girlfriend in a tent when she was kidnapped by a swarm of cockroaches, tied to a tree, bludgeoned over the head, strangled and then had her throat slit.
94
87 Alisha, The Walking Dead (2013)
Helen Bartlett, Scott & Bailey (2013)
Cause of death: Shot by a 12 year old girl.
Cause of death: Slit her wrists.
88
93 Clementine Chasseur, Hemlock Grove (2013)
Cristina, Tierra de Lobos (2013)
Cause of death: Eaten by a Upir after being kidnapped, beaten and caged.
Cause of death: Head injury sustained during a scuffle with a jealous man who was going to shoot her.
92
89 Naomi Campbell, Skins (2013)
Nan Flanagan, True Blood (2013)
Cause of Death: Cancer.
Cause of death: Staked by Bill Compton.
90
91 Saxa, Spartacus (2013)
Shana Fring, Pretty Little Liars (2013)
Cause of death: Sword attack during battle.
Cause of death: Fell off a stage after being hit in the head with a gun.
108
97 Nadia Petrova, The Vampire Diaries (2014)
Bullet, The Killing (2013)
Cause of death: Werewolf venom.
Cause of death: Murdered by a serial killer.
98
107 Tricia, Orange is the New Black (2013)
Catriona, Doctors (2014)
Cause of death: Drug overdose.
Cause of death: Suicide after being attacked in a hate crime.
106
99 Isabelle Hartley, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2014)
Lucy & Alice, American Horror Story: Freakshow (2014)
Cause of death: Car accident, SUV was flipped by the Absorbing Man.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned with an axe by a puppet controlled by Lucy’s husband, Chester, who was suffering from PTSD and upset they won’t have a threesome with him.
100
105 Jana Murphy, The Following (2014)
Victoria Hand, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2014)
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Cause of death: Gunshot wound to the head.
104
101 Claire Bennet, Heroes Reborn (2014)
Uriel, Dominion (2014)
Cause of death: Died in childbirth from cardiac arrest from a traumatic seizure.
Cause of Death: An air strike.
102
103 Lucy Westenra, Dracula (2014)
Ana and Teresa, Amar en Tiempos Revueltos (2014)
Cause of death: Killed (turned into a vampire) by Dracula for betraying her ex-best-friend by sleeping with her fiancé.
Cause of death: Originally given a happy ending in 2012, the show was later sold to another network and came back as “Amar es Para Siempre”. Viewers then learnt that Ana and their son died in a fire, and Teresa died in the hospital as a result of injuries from the fire.
120
109 Natacha Rambova, American Horror Story: Hotel (2015)
Reyna Flores, Matador (2014)
Cause of death: Shot.
Cause of death: Shot.
110
119 Tara Thornton, True Blood (2014)
Kate, Last Tango in Halfiax (2015)
Cause of death: Died protecting her mother from the head vampire.
Cause of death: Hit by a car.
118
111 Jenna Dickerson, Supernatural (2015)
Leslie Elizabeth Shay, Chicago Fire (2014)
Cause of death: Neck broken by a man while she was possessed by a demon baby.
Cause of death: Pipe collapse while fighting a fire.
112
117 Kenya Rosewater, Defiance (2014)
Tituba, Salem (2015)
Cause of death: Poisoned by her lover.
Cause of death: Man sent a flock of crows after her to peck out her eyes and leave her for dead.
116
113 Elise Beaupré, Unité 9 (2015)
Sara Lance, Arrow (2014) (Resurrected in 2015)
Cause of death: Cancer.
Cause of death: Three arrows to the chest, causing her to fall off a building.
114
115 Rose, Crossbones (2014)
Rachel Posner, House of Cards (2015)
Cause of death: Throat slit by her current girlfriend.
Cause of death: Ran over by a man with an obsessive crush on her.
132
121 Sam, Scream Queens (2015)
Destiny Rumaneck, Hemlock Grove (2015)
Cause of death: Suffocated by a serial killer in a red devil mask.
Cause of death: Hit her head on a glass coffee table during a violent confrontation with a man who then broke her neck.
122
131 Adele, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015)
Carolyn Hill, Under the Dome (2015)
Cause of death: Throat slit.
Cause of death: Crushed to death in a collapsing tunnel.
130
123 Tamsin, Lost Girl (2015)
Connie Ward, Home Fires (2015)
Cause of death: Died while birthing a child conceived from rape.
Cause of death: On a ship sunk by German U-Boats.
124
129 Denise/Simone, Felizes Para Sempre? (2015)
Lillian Moss, Murdoch Mysteries (2015)
Cause of death: Shot in the head.
Cause of death: Shot by her ex girlfriends new partner.
128
125 Maddie Heath, Coronation Street (2015)
Wendy Ross-Hogarth, Jessica Jones (2015)
Cause of death: Building yard explosion, died in hospital.
Cause of death: Bludgeoned with a vase, fell and hit her head on a glass coffee table, was psychologically controlled by an evil man at the time.
126
127 Samantha Krueger, Ascension (2015)
Delphine, Orphan Black (2015)
Cause of death: Shot in the head.
Cause of death: Shot in the gut in a parking garage.
148
133 Mimi Whiteman, Empire (2016)
Sophia Varma, Blindspot (2015)
Cause of Death: Shot by her wife, who was cheating on her and wanted her to hurry up and die of cancer.
Cause of death: Asked her girlfriend to run away with her and then committed suicide.
134
147 Sally, American Horror Story: Hotel (2015)
Nora and Mary Louise, The Vampire Diaries (2016)
Cause of death: Pushed out a window.
Cause of Death: Suicide. They chose death rather than having to be apart with Nora trapped in the sword.
146
135 Denise, The Walking Dead (2016)
Charlie, Supernatural (2015)
Cause of Death: Shot in the eye with a crossbow bolt by a man while she was in the middle of a sentence.
Cause of death: Stabbed by a Nazi who then dumped her body in a bathtub.
136
145 Rachael Murray, Scream (2015)
Kira, The Magicians (2016)
Cause of death: Thrown off a balcony, snapping her neck.
Cause of Death: Paralyzed and kept alive in a vegetative state, she enables the spiritual growth of a white woman in another realm and then asks the white woman to kill her in real life, which she does.
144
137 Lexa, The 100 (2016)
The Countess, American Horror Story: Hotel (2015)
Cause of death: Shot in the stomach by a stray bullet.
Cause of death: Shot.
138
143 Ruby Haswell, Emmerdale (2015)
Ash, Janet King (2016)
Cause of death: Helicopter Crash.
Cause of death: Shot off screen.
142
139 Rose, Jane The Virgin (2016)
Zora, The Shannara Chronciles (2016)
Cause of death: Strangled with a blue silk cord by her step-mother in a hospital stair corridor while trying to escape from the police.
Cause of death: Throat slit.
140
141 Carla, Code Black (2016)
Julie Mao, The Expanse (2016)
Cause of death: Cancer, shortly after giving birth.
Cause of death: Infected by an alien pathogen.
1 Ellen, Ellen (1994-1998) She did more for gay people on TV than anyone in history, just as her season finale predicted she would.
2 Mel and Lindsay, Queer as Folk (2000-2005) Mel and Lindsay weren’t exactly a paragon of domestic bliss, but the Queer as Folk finale saw them putting aside their differences and deciding to give it another go.
14
3 Cricket, Hart of Dixie (2011-2015)
Helen and Nikki, Bad Girls (1999-2001)
She moved in with her girlfriend, and everyone was surprisingly excited for them both.
Helen and Nikki’s relationship should have been a disaster that ended in heartache. However, the series ended with Nikki being released from prison. They were free to be with each other.
4
13 Katie and Jessie, Once and Again (1999-2002)
Brittany and Santana, Glee (2009-2015)
Katie and Jessie confessed their feelings for each other in the most authentic queer coming of age moment TV had displayed up until that point. Almost immediately, the series was cancelled.
They threw a wedding and let Brittany and Santana say “I do.� It was a triumph not only for the characters inside the show, but also for but for lesbian fandom out here in the real world.
12
5 Korra and Asami, Legend of Korra (2012-2015)
Willow and Kennedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
The writers confirmed that queer fans were right, that Korra and Asami weren’t just friends, that they were in love.
All their friends died, but they still had each other. They saved the world and also became the first lesbian couple to have overt sex on primetime network TV.
6
11 Kerry Weaver, ER (1994-2009)
Betty McRae, Bomb Girls (2012-2013)
She got the girl and landed a job being a TV doctor. Kerry Weaver literally stole the show!
Kate finally reciprocated Betty’s feelings and they moved in together.
10
7 Tasha and Alice, The L Word (2004-2009)
Spencer and Ashley, South of Nowhere (2005-2008)
Tasha came back to Alice from the military right before Jenny got killed!
By the end of the series, Spencer is out and proud and Ashley has worked through her commitment issues, so they move into a loft in Los Angeles and start their life together.
8
9 Kima Greggs, The Wire (2002-2008)
Bette and Tina, The L Word (2004-2009)
In the end, she partnered up with Bunk, the best detective in Baltimore besides her. The two of them rode off into the sunset together to keep fighting the good fight in complicated ways.
Bette and Tina decided that they were right for each other (or, at the very least, that they weren’t ever going to be right for anybody else).