When asked for a controversial take on LGBTQ+ films, queer filmmaker Francis Lee came back with a banger: “Make your gay characters complex. Problematic. Nasty fuckers who do bad things. Unapologetic. Evil. Manipulative. Unlikeable. Three dimensional. Villainous. Not just the ‘cute’ teens holding hands.”
Naturally, Gay Twitter™ took his suggestion and ran with it, replying with all its favorite queer baddies.
Some users pointed to campy cartoon antagonists like Scar from The Lion King or Team Rocket from Pokémon.
Another pointed out that Shonda Rhimes is the queen of the queer villain, from Connor Walsh on How to Get Away with Murder to Cyrus Beene on Scandal.
This year’s award season also put problematic queer characters in the spotlight, like Lydia Tár from Tár and Jobu Tupaki from Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Horror characters also got some love (hate?), like the nefarious ladies of Yellowjackets and the homoerotically charged killer duo of Billy and Stu from the original Scream.
This telenovela character (Félix Khoury from Amor à Vida) sounds iconic, if you’re looking for something dramatic to binge.
Looking to the history of queer filmmaking, there’s nobody nastier than the queen of filth herself, Divine.
And while we’re at it, why not shout out a real-world villain like George Santos?
Of course, not everyone was down with Lee’s insinuation that there’s something wrong with “‘cute’ teens holding hands,” some not-so-subtle shade at shows like Netflix’s Heartstopper.
And yes, having complex queer characters is always a good thing — but is “complex” synonymous with “evil”?
Regardless, it’s always fun to root for the villain, and all the better if they’re queer.
FreddieW
Some people need to watch “The Celluloid Closet”. I suppose progress is always at risk of being squandered.
FreddieW
This reminds me that I stopped watching Downton Abbey in the first season because the only gay character was a villain.
MDWolf12
If you keep watching they flesh out the charecter over time and make him more rounded with a charecter arc. He is by no means a saint but leaves the flat, one note gay villian stereotype behind that we are so accustomed too. In later seasons there are also sublties in the script as to what in his previous experiences made hime so vile in early seasons.
scotty
i nominate miss lindsey graham, can i get a 2nd?
FreddieW
I don’t want to own him as gay.
Selverd
Why is Flynn from Tangled there?
PoetDaddy
I nominate Caitlin Jenner. Not a good person even if she is LGBTQ herself.
Ronbo
Twitter is actually the viallian. You know… short, imprecise thoughts that are elevated on par with cogent, knowledgeable essays.
When it comes to evil individuals, I submit the Queerty editor who repeatedly made false claims in multiple deceptive articles RIGHT HERE at Queerty killing out gay Alex Morse’s political career. FOX took his words as proof that gays are predatory and has a gay man promoting (falsely) that gays are grooming kids. Thank editor Graham Gremore. Graham Gremore has never apologized for lying for payola. Graham kept his job here and was rewarded financially for his involvement in the pushing multiple false stories against Morse.
Why would Queerty keep such scum on staff? Did they profit from the false stories also?
GayEGO
Linda Graham Cracker is definitely evil!