native son

14 Black gay characters on television who broke new ground

Actor Nelsan Ellis in the role of Lafayette Reynolds on HBO’s True Blood

In recent years, television has made strides in diversifying the stories it tells.

Once a rarity, Black LGBTQ+ characters are now more visible, commanding the screen in groundbreaking, unapologetically bold ways. 

Earlier this summer, we wrote about the hottest couples across television and film.

As Hollywood enters the fall television season, it’s time to celebrate some of the Black gay characters of the past and present who broke ground, made history, and are redefining what it means to be authentic, proud, and visible on TV. 

6. Jermelle Simon as Bennie in The Upshaws

In this Netflix comedy, The Upshaws, Jermelle Simon takes on the role of Bennie Jr in a show about an African-American working-class family from Indiana. The family struggles to make ends meet while pursuing the American dream without a clear path to get there.

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated

4 Comments*

  • Joule Onyx

    It;s funny how you pick the most recent Black actors that play or play gsy characters…you could have listed Mattew St. Patrick as Keith from Six Feet Under, Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt aka Mr. Terrific on arrow, Kevin Daniels as Hank on Sirens, Chris Jackson as Chunk on Bull, Coleman Domingo as Victor on the The Walking Dead. Better yet the next time you do a list of top gay characters why not include more men color instead of the usual one or two you normally would include.

  • Kangol2

    I won’t restate what Joule Onyx said but he makes great points. There are many more. You could even go back to Michael Boatman’s character on Spin City, Richard Rountree as Uncle Russell on Roc, nearly the entire cast of Noah’s Arc, and so on. But thanks for this list, and there are now so many more. Speaking of this list, one of the best performances in recent years was Paapa Essiedu as Kwame in I May Destroy You. What a show!

  • missvamp

    @joule i agree with this list & yours. there are many great characters & actors. 14 is too few. p valley had some great characters/actors as well. i could go on & on. black actors are so under rated, it’s very unfair.

  • Menshara

    Omar Little. The Wire. Played by Michael K. Williams.

Comments are closed.