By now, we’re all familiar with how many lesbian and bisexual characters get killed off on TV, but did you ever stop and wonder what any of these iconic deaths might say about you as a person? Now you can finally find out! Even if your tropey lesbian and bisexual TV death match doesn’t resonate with you, hopefully you’ll get some good health and safety tips!
SPOILER WARNING: if you’re currently watching a TV show with a lesbian in it, they will probably be dead by the time you finish this quiz.
Sally does something with computers for a living. Beyond this, she enjoys making gifs, dreaming up stories, and overthinking. She lives over a river in the South of England, but her heart belongs forever to the North.
A new study has found that nearly one quarter (22.8 percent) of cisgender lesbian, bisexual, and queer women ages 18 to 59 have children. Compared with non-parent LBQ women, the parents were more likely to be bisexual, in a relationship with a man, and non-urban. What does that mean for the LGBTQ parenting community and its representation?
This latest study, from researchers affiliated with the Williams Institute at UCLA, is the first to use a U.S. population-based sample to compare the mental health of lesbian, bisexual, and other-identified female parents and non-parents. Its findings about the rate of parenthood among LBQ individuals corresponds to previous work showing that an estimated 24 percent of female same-sex couples have children.
Among lesbian women, the oldest non-parents reported more happiness and less psychological distress than the youngest non-parents. (Perhaps there is wisdom that comes with age.) There was no difference, however, in happiness and psychological distress among the parents in different age groups. Non-parents, however, indicated more internalized homophobia than parents. The authors don’t hypothesize why this might be; I’d venture a guess that it’s because children often force us to be out in ways we never imagined.
Bisexual parents in the study, however, reported more psychological distress and lower life satisfaction and happiness than lesbian parents, something the researchers found surprising, “because the overwhelming majority of bisexual parents are in relationships with male partners and thus would likely be viewed as heterosexual by the general public.”
Parenthood for bisexual mothers involved with male partners thus comes at a cost from both the general public and the LGBT community.
Although one might assume there are benefits to being viewed as heterosexual, however, the researchers say their results are consistent with findings of other studies that show sexual minority women with male partners “reported less connection to the LGBT community and greater anxiety” and that many bisexual mothers experience binegativity and exclusion by lesbian communities. “Parenthood for bisexual mothers involved with male partners thus comes at a cost from both the general public and the LGBT community,” the current study concludes. The youngest group of bisexual women reported more community connectedness than bisexual women of other age groups, though.
Even parents with “emerging identities,” such as “queer, pansexual, asexual, and others,” reported “more social support from friends, and were lower on internalized homophobia than bisexual parents. Although the number of parents with other sexual identities was small, our results indicate that these parents are finding support and experiencing pride in their identities, contrary to bisexual parents.”
Co-author Esther D. Rothblum, visiting distinguished scholar at the Williams Institute, said in a statement, “There is a unique form of bias against people who have both same-sex and different-sex attractions and sexual relationships, and this may be why we see poorer mental health outcomes for bisexual parents.”
Another recent study confirms that the majority of LGBT adults (54.6 percent) identify as bisexual. And we’ve long known there are millions of bisexual parents, most in different-sex relationships. Yes, that may sometimes give them the advantage of “passing” as straight, but as this study shows, there are significant disadvantages as well. And parents who feel excluded and distressed may convey that stress to their children. It’s not good for anyone. The takeaway, for me, is that the LGBTQ community needs to do more to include, support, and represent bisexual parents.
Yetide Badaki plays the goddess Bilquis in American Gods (Paul Butterfield/FilmMagic/Getty)
American Gods actor Yetide Badaki has revealed how her role on the show helped her feel comfortable enough to come out as bisexual.
The Nigerian-born American stars in the Neil Gaiman fantasy series as Bilquis, the legendary Queen of Sheba and ancient goddess of love.
Interviewed by Digital Spy ahead of the third series, Badaki spoke of how the “empowering” role helped her find the freedom to be open about her own sexuality.
“I feel like this show is always willing to have these conversations, and always willing to open it up,” she said. “I’ve experienced personally how that kind of open discourse allows for personal freedom.
“I came out as bisexual last year. I would say it’s very much thanks to this show, and the discussions they’re having.”
As she approached the role Badaki found a sense of symbiosis with her character and often found herself asking: “What would Bilquis do?” The discussions she had as she explored this question helped her to “own” her sexuality.
“I was so happy to be having conversations about sexual empowerment and sex positivity, because I think there is so much that goes on in the silence, in the darkness. That’s where things go in the cracks,” she mused.
“But when we are able to own our own sexuality, and actually have conversations around it, that becomes something that’s healthier for everybody involved. I always say that regression comes from repression.
“When you’re actually able to face whatever it is, that’s when growth and evolution can occur. So that’s been something that I’m very proud to be a part of.”
She hinted at what’s to come from season three of American Gods, promising viewers will see “more than one side” to Bilquis – and even a major fight scene.
“I love that we are cementing this idea that love is not passive. It’s not just something that rolls over,” she said. “There is a lot of fire behind love, and there’s a lot of passion behind love. And that love does work to move things forward.”
Even though we’ve been living in NYC for many years now, Stacy and I still get a hankering for suburb restaurant chain food — and, well, we just found out we can order Panera to be delivered! Soup in a bread bowl is on its way to my house right now! And this Pop Culture Fix is on its way to you!
Heather Hogan is an Autostraddle senior writer who lives in New York City with her partner, Stacy, and their cackle of rescued pets. She’s a member of the Television Critics Association, the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critic. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
What are the best lesbian movies are on Netflix? What lesbian Netflix movies are good? This is probably a question you have typed into a search box before. Perhaps you typed that into a search box really recently, like ten seconds ago, and that’s why you’re here, now, with all of us, wondering about the best streaming lesbian movies online, or the best lesbian bisexual queer movies on Netflix. One of our Autostraddle Plus members requested a post about all the streaming lesbian-related films on Netflix and so here I am, delivering my deliverable to one of our many VIPs. In this case we are using “lesbian” as an adjective referring to romance and other activities between two women.
The Best Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer & Trans Movies On Netflix
Alice Wu’s lesbian take on Cyrano de Bergerac follows Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), a shy, Chinese-American 17-year-old who splits her days taking care of her grieving father and writing essays for her peers for extra money. She forms an unexpected bond with the crush of a sweet football player who hires her to write her love letters. “It may not be a “love story” in the traditional sense, but it is about love,” wrote Malinda Lo in her review. “It’s about young people discovering what it is, what it isn’t, and what it could be. It’s about searching for your other half and finding that the other half might be within you. And yes, it’s about a queer Asian American girl — still a revolutionary subject for a mainstream film.”
This Netflix adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, produced by Ryan Murphy, follows a handful of out-of-work Broadway actors as they insert themselves into a small Indiana town to advocate for a teen to attend the prom with her girlfriend. It left Valerie with “a happy, joy-filled, unruly heart.”
Tender and droll and delightful all over, this documentary follows lesbian comedian Tig Notaro from her profile-exploding “I Have Cancer” comedy routine through you know, having cancer, meeting a nice lady, and managing her rapidly increasing fame.
“I watched the first 75 minutes of Gil Baroni’s new film Alice Júnior filled with giddy delight. I’ve seen a lot of movies with trans characters — a lot — and we simply do not get movies this joyful. This felt like trans Lady Bird by way of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World as it aesthetically mimics model/YouTuber Alice’s social media adolescence. There’s an energy from beginning to end — a playfulness — that felt fresh, and thoughtful, and so fucking fun.” – Drew Gregory
Truly one of Netflix’s most impressive productions to date, this documentary offers a necessary overview of trans representation, mixing archival and contemporary footage with interviews with stars including Laverne Cox, Alexandra Billings, Angelica Ross, MJ Rodriguez, Zackary Drucker, Joey Solloway, Jen Richards, Chaz Bono, Leo Sheng and so much more. “Disclosure is vital whether it’s the beginning of your education or a supplement along the way,” writes Drew Greogry of this groundbreaking documentary. “It’s a reminder of what representation can do and what representation can be.”
Drew called this “poignant coming-of-age movie masquerading as a grand period love story” as “one of the most instantly iconic films of the last ten years.” Heather Hogan has called it “maybe the best lesbian movie ever made,” writing “Carol isn’t only a sweeping film about the incandescent connection between two women. It’s also an exploration of the way those two women struggle to carve out a life of dignity and autonomy during the oppression of the 1950s.” And of course who can forget 30 Days of Carol.
“I’m excited about this film, because it’s the rare feature written by, directed by, and starring a trans woman. But I’m also excited about it, because it’s an undeniably accomplished work of cinema. Not only is this film more than its labels because Sandoval sees her character’s humanity — it’s more than its labels because Sandoval is so good in all her roles. This is a patient and artful film, nuanced in its writing and direction, and filled with stellar performances.” – Drew Gregory
The early days of the groundbreaking 1970s band The Runaways — the first all-female hard-rock band signed to a major label — is dramatized in this gritty and energetic film that focuses on the relationship between (bisexual) Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and lead vocalist Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning).
This is not a cinematic masterpiece, but it is a solidly medium Christmas rom-com, of which we have very few with queer characters! Jennifer, feeling iffy about her upcoming marriage to a very rich young man, collides with a Guardian Angel who enables her to see what her life may have been like in an alternate universe — in which she married her best friend, Gabrielle. “I really wanted A New York Christmas Wedding to be better than what it is,” wrote Carmen in her review. “But ultimately, Christmas movies like this aren’t about being good — this is a genre that’s defined by cheese. It’s about that gooey warm feeling, deep in the pit of your stomach.”
“With a cheesy score and endless adolescent feelings, this popular Thai film about a “normal” girl and her “tomboy” college roommate will make you feel 18 again. This movie may send a terrible message to baby butches in love with their lowkey homophobic seemingly straight girl roommates, but it’s simply too adorable to resist.” -Drew Gregory
“This recent Netflix horror movie would be offensive for a multitude of reasons if it wasn’t so incoherent. Instead it’s just an absolutely wild, incredibly shallow thrill ride with a queer woman romance(??) at its center.” – Drew Gregory
Paula Pell plays “a lesbian antique shop owner from Portland with a new set of knees and thirst for love” in this film Heather described as ” improv funny and physical comedy funny and sight gag funny and punny funny — and a story about how sometimes our little personality quirks can only be distilled into their truest form and made manifest as our lurking anxieties and insecurities and maladaptive coping mechanisms when we’re in the company of the women who love us best and most.” Also, Cherry Jones is in it!
The 20 minutes of Indya Moore and MJ Rodriguez make the whole film totally worth it. The film follows a 14-year-old boy who’s bullied at school and threatened at home for being feminine but then he finds the ball community and, in turn, a place to truly call home.
“The inclusion of a queer romance in a film like this is exciting enough on its own. But what makes it all the more exciting is both Hewson and Akana are queer in real life! Hewson is non-binary and gay and Akana is bisexual. They’re both so good in their roles, bringing their charm and authenticity. ” – Drew Gregory
“Not the art film its showy Black & White cinematography and more creative flourishes seem to be aspiring for, but nevertheless an enjoyable period romance. Based on the true story of Spain’s first same-sex marriage, Isabel Coixet replaces an average looking queer woman and her androgynous love with two beautiful high femmes. It’s a bit silly and a bit long, but hey the sex scenes are great.” – Drew Gregory
It’s a very critically acclaimed movie, but casting a cisgender man to play the transgender woman at the center of the story — and re-writing the outcome of their relationship — gives us all a degree of pause that enables us to consequently back out of the room to go watch a different movie.
We originally had this under the “very mediocre” category because it got very bad reivews, but then Sally informed us that she in fact has seen it and furthermore; liked it. I trust Sally so here we are. The plot is described as “Just as Simone works up the courage to tell her conservative Jewish family she’s a lesbian, she finds herself attracted to a man.”
What Keeps You Alive
“Simple but effective, this lesbian horror movie about a murderous wife makes up for its outlandish premise with a tight style and a great performance from Brittany Allen. The whole charade would’ve been even scarier with a more logical script, but it’s still a fun ride.” – Drew Gregory
“Wendy Jo Carlton’s Good Kisser is a threesome farce that could have been the perfect movie for that mood. Unfortunately, it undercuts its strengths with manufactured conflict.” – Drew Gregory
Very Mediocre Lesbian Movies, Bisexual Movies and Queer Movies on Netflix
Perhaps one of the most biphobic works of art ever created, this 1992 film stars Sharon Stones as a bisexual crime novelist suspected of murdering her rock star boyfriend. “The thing about Basic Instinct is that it’s very bad,” wrote Rachel in her essay Sharon Stone Crossing and Uncrossing Her Legs. “It’s not just bad representation, it’s a stupid movie, as erotic thrillers from 1992 are wont to be.”
“This movie has everything: ambiguously-ethnic call girl, bored WASP-y housewife straight out of a Lifetime movie, a madame with a Barbie fixation, and every possible film transition known to cinema. But lesbihonest, folks: you’re not here for the narrative. It’s a cheeseball fest that you and your girl can quote for years to come.” – Kate Severance
Bisexual Disney characters are a lot more common than you realized when you were watching these animated films as a young queer kid. In the past, we’ve ranked Disney Princesses by lesbianism and Disney Channel Original Movies by lesbianism — and now, in 2020, we’ve decided to open up the entire animated Disney canon to a new interpretation and discover the bisexual Disney characters we’ve overlooked all these years.
Below are the 32 most bisexual Disney characters, ranked by our full Autostraddle team.
32. Sgt. Tibbs, 101 Dalmatians
Stef: ACAB — all cats are bi, I don’t make the rules.
32. Tiana, The Princess and the Frog
Natalie: Tiana is painfully straight… though, in fairness, the only other women in the movie are her mama, her boy-obsessed best friend and a voodoo priestess.
Carmen: She is voiced by Anika Noni Rose, who has played gay twice in the years since this movie premiered (first, Jukebox on Power and then Rose on Little Fires Everywhere), so I’m giving her a bonus point.
31. Belle, Beauty and the Beast
Stef: Personally I am tired of Belle asking me If I’ve ever read Sex at Dawn.
Adrian: I do not think Belle as presented seems bi — but I believe in her potential.
Carmen: I do feel like all nerdy book girls are at least 20% bisexual, but sadly for Belle I believe that’s where the journey ends.
Carolyn: I read Belle as slightlyyyy bi but I think that’s less canonical Belle and more the version of her in Emma Donoghue’s retelling of beauty and the beast in Kissing the Witch.
30. Maximus, Tangled
Carmen: Sorry I am absolutely in it for the pout!!
29. Sally Carrera, Cars
Natalie: If we’re picking a bisexual from the Cars universe, it’s Cruz Ramirez.
Rachel: I feel like I dated her in college and we had zero chemistry but were too young to figure out that was a good enough reason to break it off.
28. Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio
Malic: I’m not convinced that Jiminy Cricket is bi, but they’re definitely non-binary.
Adrian: I am thinking maybe our ol pal JC (omg is Jiminy Cricket a Jesus allegory??? sorry I’ll stop) is more of a “no labels” type of queer.
27. Merida, Brave
Drew: Merida genuinely seems to have zero interest in men. So I’d lean more lesbian than bisexual. But maybe she’s bisexual in the way I’m bisexual — into lots of genders but not men and the internet is telling her that also counts as bisexual if that’s a label she wants for herself and she’s not sure yet?
Valerie: I’m with Merida, I wish there was a good word for “into lots of genders but not men” (though I appreciate you putting that so succinctly, Drew).
Stef: I have definitely swiped past Merida on Tinder.
Carmen: The thing is, I’m actually convinced Merida is a lesbian.
Heather: A bow is a very bisexual weapon! Not as bisexual as like a staff but way more bisexual than a mace! (Everything I learned about bisexual Disney characters I learned from D&D.)
26. Rapunzel, Tangled
Drew Gregory: Mommy issues.
Riese: Not a bisexual bob.
Natalie: Rapunzel was sheltered for so long, I’m convinced she’d try anything. Probably gay til graduation, though.
Valerie: TECHNICALLY she had a bisexual bob towards the end of the movie, once she left the oppressive confines of her Tower of Heterosexuality.
Malic: Okay, but hanging from your hair is technically a circus art, and every circus performer is bi.
25. Anna, Frozen
Drew: Uh yeah pretty sure she’s the “straight” sister who spends a bunch of time with her lesbian sister’s queer friends and one day one of them says something about queerness and she’s like “but I feel that way and I’m not queer” and there’s a pause and then she’s like “oh shit am I??” Kristoff is super supportive of her exploring that, of course.
Carmen: Wow. that’s the best use of “In this essay I will —” that I’ve ever seen, Drew.
24. Te Fiti, Moana
Carmen: I would also like to suggest Te Fiti from Moana because I don’t know, I think she’s gay. This is a lot of flowers. Flowers are gay.
23. Maid Marian, Robin Hood
Stef: To me Marian reads like she’ll make out with you at parties but still dates only guys, which is frustrating.
Adrian: Oh dang, Stef, I was gonna say Marian reads like a femme bi who is always like “well as a bisexual!!!!” because everyone assumes she’s straight. Not that our two reads are mutually exclusive oops.
Stef: I’ve made out with a lot of Marians unfortunately.
Meg: Oh god as a femme bi who is always like “well as a bisexual!!!!” I feel both deeply seen and fully horrified.
22. Jasmine, Aladdin
Valerie: Jasmine had a lot of barriers to break through but you KNOW if she hadn’t had to spend so much time busting through the “I’d like to choose who I marry” wall she’d have been on the “I should be able to marry a man OR a woman, FATHER” train.
Sarah: Bi girls love having cats as pets
Malic: Jasmine seems a little bi, but Raja the tiger is the big ol’ bisexual here.
Himani: I feel like the live action Jasmine has way more queer vibes to me than the animated one.
Carmen: We can think of her as Representative Jasmine of the All Jasmines Delegation of Bisexual Disney Characters.
Himani: Haha that’s fair — I just wanted to note that bc they feel like two very different characters to me.
Carmen: They definitely were!
Sarah: Oh yeah live action Jasmine is so queer.
21. White Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland
Valerie: Maybe this is me projecting but I feel like being perpetually late is inherently queer.
Rachel: Yeah I also came here to say I couldn’t figure out why he felt bi to me and then realized it’s because he’s stressed out.
Stef: You oughta see this guy sit in a chair.
Adrian: He’s never gonna be able to keep a brunch reservation with this crowd.
20. Tramp, Lady and the Tramp
Sarah: This bi girl I dated briefly had a huge crush on Tramp so I’m pretty sure that also means Tramp has bi energy?
Stef: Dirtbag with a heart of gold, I relate.
Carmen: I relate because I always date this person and rarely does it ever work out for me.
Carolyn: +1 Carmen
Kayla: EXTREME bi dirtbag energy.
18 and 19. Pumba and Timon, The Lion King
Natalie: The Bert and Ernie of the Disney world.
17. Robin Hood, Robin Hood
Rachel: Feel strongly that Robin Hood is not bi but does exclusively date bi girls.
Stef: Oh I think Robin is a guy who is very comfortable talking about men he finds attractive and I don’t think he’s opposed to hooking up with dudes, he’s just constantly being hit on by women.
Archie: He is def being merry with his band of men in those woods.
16. Remy, Ratatouille
Drew: Pretty sure the plot of Ratatouille is Remy falls in love with Linguini, Linguini thinks they’re just friends and colleagues and falls in love with Colette instead, Remy is sad and jealous and leaves, Linguini starts to miss Remy, Linguini, Remy, and Colette end up in a throuple. No?
15. Hei Hei, Moana
Meg: This may be controversial but I feel like Hei Hei has very chaotic bisexual energy.
Carmen: Profoundly relate to Hei Hei’s anxiety. As queer people, anxiety is our time honored way of being.
Stef: I relate to Hei Hei’s admirable ability to do the same dumb thing over and over and over again, truly makes me feel like he’s one of my people.
13. Jessie, Toy Story
Natalie: I think Jessie is one of those girls who says she’s bisexual in college and then comes out as a lesbian later in life.
Rachel: Museum-quality example of the bisexual horse girl.
Meg: “When She Loved Me” has to be in the top three most queer Disney songs.
13. Megara, Hercules
Valerie: This is a very Bisexual Lean™️ in my humble opinion. Robin Hood does it too.
Rachel: Absolutely The Blueprint for bitchy bisexual women.
Carolyn: The first character I thought of when I saw we were doing this list.
12. Moana, Moana
Drew: Moana is trans and lots of trans people are bi therefore Moana is probably bi. We call that the transitive property.
Drew: I know this is technically a different version of the character. But anyone who is portrayed by bicon Angelina Jolie automatically gets major bi points IMO.
Valerie: Was about to make my case by way of Angelina Jolie but Drew already did it. Also, having a raven familiar is extremely bisexual.
Stef: Maleficent thinks the stereotype of the evil bisexual is harmful but she’s also still maleficent, an evil bisexual.
Carmen: Maleficent is bisexual in every iteration of her character, and in the following order:
1. Animated Original Maleficent, super bisexual.
2. Kristin Bauer Van Straten as Maleficent in Once Upon a Time, supremely bisexual
3. Angelina Jolie in both live action movies of Maleficent, astronomically bisexual.
10. Elastigirl, The Incredibles
Carolyn: Elastigirl’s hair: a take on the bisexual bob??
Valerie: I genuinely can’t remember if she had a canon ex-girlfriend or if I decided it so hard it became true in my mind.
Heather: She had a husband and a girlfriend in Incredibles 2.
Kayla: Elastidaddy (I’m sorry).
9. Mulan, Mulan
Heather: Name a more bisexual activity than cutting off your own hair with a sword.
8. Professor Ratigan, The Great Mouse Detective
Stef: WHERE is Professor Ratigan????
Heather: I was worried I was adding too many villainous bisexuals and people would get mad!
Stef: The amount of time he spends denying his identity as a rat plus his sinister power grabs? BISEXUAL.
Heather: You’re right, you’re right.
Stef: Listen, as a villainous bisexual.
Heather: You’re not—
Stef: I demand representation!
7. Jessica Rabbit, Roger Rabbit
Rachel: “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way” is commentary on biphobia.
Sarah: This is every bi Scorpio I know.
Stef, a bi Scorpio: I don’t want to talk about it.
5 and 6. Lumiere and Cogsworth, Beauty and the Beast
Archie: These two have literal wives in the movie. But also 👀 💅 imo.
Archie, who can only vote as high as a seven: NINE!
Stef: None more bi.
4. John Darling, Peter Pan
Adrian: It’s the top hat/nightgown combo for me.
Stef: Oh the oversized glasses that don’t even have lenses in them.
Adrian: DING DING DING!
3. Evil Queen, Snow White
Stef: Is that like a … gaiter? What is that? I’ve always been obsessed with it.
Heather: It’s like a full balaclava.
Stef: For when you have to be at the palace at 2:00, but you’re meeting with the other foot soldiers at 3:30. I bet her Corona fashion would have been insane.
Malic: The Evil Queen was an early crush of mine, so I assumed that she’s an unavailable straight woman. But now I’m convinced — she is, indeed, bi.
Carmen: Ahem, the Evil Queen, in all of her iterations, is the purest form that hot bisexual who is both smarter than you and also knows how to apply the perfect lipstick and winged eyeliner and definitely also will murder you with a knife and you will somehow like it. This was never more true than when Regina Mills was the Evil Queen on Once Upon a Time, who was so supremely bisexual that it makes one quiver at the knees. HOWEVER, since I was SO RUDELY AND UNFAIRLY forbidden from once again inexplicably squeezing Regina Mills into an Autostraddle television conversation, I will gladly accept the animated original in her place.
Heather: “Once again.”
Stef: If anyone wants to buy me that cloak w the widow’s peak situation I promise to look really good in it.
2. Li Shang, Mulan
Drew: Always identified as bi, but lately he’s been hearing the word pan and is thinking maybe that suits him better.
Rachel: Definitely bisexual, almost bi himbo representation, but I think at the end of the day is a little too smart to qualify.
1. Ursula, The Little Mermaid
Drew: Is she jealous of Ariel or Prince Eric? Does she want to fuck Ariel or Prince Eric? I say, why choose!
Stef: And don’t underestimate the importance of BODY LANGUAGE.
Carmen: My favorite thing about Ursula is that no matter the gay list, no matter the time — she will always top it.
Carolyn: In more ways than one.
Did we miss any of your favorite bisexual Disney characters? Let us know in the comments!
California has elected it’s first ever openly bisexual state lawmaker – 25-year-old Asian-American Alex Lee, who’s the youngest state legislator in eight decades.
Rising star Alex Lee made history in in Santa Clara County where he won the 25th District Assembly race by a landslide, receiving more than 72 per cent of the vote. His competitor, Republican Bob Brunton, took home just under 28 per cent.
He celebrated his hard-earned victory after a campaign where he had to take a part-time gig economy delivery job to make ends meet as he refused to accept corporate campaign money.
“I have the distinction and responsibility to be a lot of firsts in California,” Lee said after the result was announced.
“I’m the first openly bisexual state legislator in California, the youngest Asian-American state legislator and first Gen-Z state legislator. That is an immense responsibility to make sure that more young people and more progressives are elected after me to break and shatter those records.”
Alex Lee, who was endorsed by senator Bernie Sanders, already has years of experience with the state assembly having worked for five different lawmakers, either as an intern or a paid aide.
He was just 23 when he decided to run for office, and by his calculation has since knocked on 30,000 doors seeking voters’ support.
“I think voters were very encouraged that a young person like me has so much experience in policy making and governing,” he told CBS Local.
“I would run into folks when we were door-knocking who are 80 years old, who would say, ‘Our generation screwed it up so it’s time for you all to fix all these problems for us.’ And they said it in a very encouraging way.”
After years of working behind the scenes of politics while experiencing housing and financial insecurity, he now hopes he can be a force for change.
He was heavily involved in the Black Lives Matter protests back in June and was actually arrested after San Jose enforced a city-wide curfew.
“We were trying to explain what we were doing, we weren’t doing anything wrong,” he told ABC7 at the time, describing the “abrupt and aggressive” behaviour of the police as they zip-tied his wrists and threw him into the back of a wagon.
“I’m very frustrated that this curfew is being used as an excuse to suppress protestors and repress freedom of expression.”
Friends, today we gather to examine the illustrious career of noted bisexual and notorious grower of eyebrows Cara Jocelyn Delevingne. Who is Cara Delevingne’s 2020 girlfriend? Who are all of her previous girlfriends? Let’s talk about it.
Throughout the years we’ve been covering celebrity gossip, Ms Delevingne has been at the center of a lot of our programming. While our previous timeline of Demi Lovato was scattered with the occasional quiet period, no such silence exists for Delevigne, possibly the world’s most prolific bisexual with a long list of ex girlfriends. If there is Vapid Fluff drama to be found, it almost certainly concerns Cara, someone she’s dated, someone she’s about to date, or someone who doesn’t know that a year from now they’ll be dating Cara Delevingne. If you’re reading this right now and you haven’t dated Cara Delevingne, trust me: you will.
While assembling this detailed but by no means complete collection, it was striking how often journalists bulldozed over or otherwise completely dismissed Ms Delevingne’s bisexuality. You know who’s bisexual? Cara Delevingne. Even if she dates every woman in the whole world (and she seems like she’s trying), Cara’s bisexuality will still be a real and valid thing that exists!
These posts are intended to be living documents, so if there are important developments I’ve missed, please let me know in the comments and we will continue to add.
If this exhaustive list is only the publicly recorded incidents, imagine all the stuff we don’t know. Jesus.
Dec 27, 2013 – Miley Cyrus and Cara are photographed licking each others’ tongues, because contractually every queer person in Hollywood has to make out with Cara at least once. Miley was reportedly on a break from Liam Hemsworth at the time of this photograph.
January 8, 2014 – Cara Delevingne and Michelle Rodriguez teach the world at large about the beauty of their budding relationship bygetting waaaaasted and making out sloppily at a Knicks game. Riese and I have compared notes and determined that this magical moment constitutes the birth of the modern Vapid Fluff movement.
A sobering moment as Cara realizes she just personally created an entirely new genre of queer journalism.
Feb 18, 2014 – The relationship between Cara and Michelle Rodriguez is officially confirmed to the press.
Feb 23, 2014 – Michelle and Cara are named by Autostraddle as the “Gayest Couple Ever;” it is confirmed that the pair held hands while receiving an intravenous vitamin drip, which interestingly enough is not a euphemism for anything.
March 3, 2014 – Years before the world will end and Tiger King will become all we have left, Michelle and Cara visit a (notably unethical!!!) big cat reserve and photograph themselves bottle-feeding a tiger. This is apparently something Cara loves doing.
August 7, 2014 – Cara and Selena Gomez vacation together in Saint-Tropez. Rumors abound that the two are dating, which Selena later squashes though she does admit she loved every minute of it. “Honestly, though, she’s incredible and very open and she just makes me open… She’s so fun and she’s just extremely adventurous, and sometimes I just want that in my life, so I didn’t mind it. I loved it.” She sure is, kid.
November 6, 2014 – Did Cara give her costar Jack O’Connell this hickey? Sure seems like it.
March 2, 2015 – We began to suspect that Cara Delevingne and Annie Clark (aka St Vincent)might be dating. This post marked the debut of a paper doll I made of Cara to avoid having to post copyrighted tabloid shots from the Daily Mail. That thing is still kicking around my apartment somewhere; I found her when I was moving in August.
April 22, 2015 – A month and a half into this glorious relationship, we feared they might have broken up, but oh no:
June 19, 2015 – Cara and her eyebrows grace the cover of Vogue, and for the first time I learn that her name is pronounced KAH-rah. She publicly comments on her relationship for the first time – “I think that being in love with my girlfriend is a big part of why I’m feeling so happy with who I am these days. And for those words to come out of my mouth is actually a miracle.” Then the reporter is dismissive about her bisexuality, which is a fun treat for everyone:
She conveys a Millennial’s ennui at the expectation that she ought to settle upon a sexual orientation, and her interests—video games, yes; manicures, no—might register as gender-defiant in the realm of dresses and heels. (“I’m a bro-ey chick,” says Cara.)
And then this gem:
It took me a long time to accept the idea, until I first fell in love with a girl at 20 and recognized that I had to accept it,” she explains. “But I have erotic dreams only about men. I had one two nights ago where I went up to a guy in the back of a VW minivan, with a bunch of his friends around him, and pretty much jumped him.” Her parents seem to think girls are just a phase for Cara, and they may be correct. “Women are what completely inspire me, and they have also been my downfall. I have only been hurt by women, my mother first of all.
“The thing is,” she continues, “if I ever found a guy I could fall in love with, I’d want to marry him and have his children. And that scares me to death because I think I’m a whole bunch of crazy, and I always worry that a guy will walk away once he really, truly knows me.” When I suggest to Cara that to trust a man, she might have to revise an old and stubborn idea of hers—that women are perennially troubled and therefore only women will accept her—her smile says she concedes the point.
At this point, my eyeballs explode from rage. It will take me five years for them to grow back, at which point I will write this article, reread this quote about her smile conceding the point, and then they will explode again.
July 16, 2015 – Cara is profiled in the New York Times, and literally says, “My sexuality is not a phase.” The best part of bisexuality is having to repeat this over and over until you die!!!!
July 22, 2015 – Cara buys Annie this guitar, which is autographed by David Bowie. She wins every girlfriend award literally forever and none of us can even vaguely hope to top this extremely suave move.
December 16, 2015 – Cara brings Annie home to the Delevingne family Christmas, and Annie looks right at home among all the cheekbones. Things are pretty serious!
February 10, 2016 – Did Cara and Annie get engaged atop the Eiffel Tower? That’s what the tabloids think, even though this seems like too basic a move for these two weirdos.
October 4, 2016 – Hangs out with Dakota Johnson on her birthday, FaceTimes Taylor Swift. Not necessarily a bisexual move, but not not a bisexual move.
October 10, 2016 – Annie Clark is spotted roaming Astor Place in matchy outfits with Kristen Stewart, as one does. Tongues wag! Rumors fly! They seem to date for a while and it’s a real moment for everyone.
October 13, 2016 – What are Dakota Johnson and Cara up to? Just normal gal pal things:
November 24, 2016 – The internet says Cara ISN’T dating Amber Heard, despite a “flirty” friendship and rumored “lip locking” at Kendall Jenner’s 21st birthday party.
December 14, 2016 – Annie Clark is seen having dinner in Los Angeles with Cara, which sparks reconciliation rumors. Later, Annie releases mournful ballad “New York,” and we all try to guess which ex it’s about.
December 21, 2016 – Who among us has not cuddled up in the back of a car with their very good friend Amber Heard after leaving a wild party thrown by Rihanna?
March 20, 2017 – Cara is seen taking in a Broadway show with ex Annie Clark. If this isn’t gay enough for you, they were going to watch Cate Blanchett (she was starring in The Present at the time).
June 30, 2017 – In the upcoming August edition of Glamour, Cara has the unique pleasure of telling yet another journalist that she remains bisexual:
“Once I spoke about my sexual fluidity, people were like, ‘So you’re gay,’” she explains. “And I’m like, ‘No, I’m not gay…’ A lot of the friends I have who are straight have such an old way of thinking. It’s, ‘so you’re just gay, right?’ [They] don’t understand it. [If] I’m like, ‘Oh, I really like this guy,’ [they’re like], ‘But you’re gay.’ I’m like, ‘No, you’re so annoying!’ …Someone is in a relationship with a girl one minute, or a boy is in a relationship with a boy, I don’t want them to be pigeonholed. Imagine if I got married to a man. Would people be like — ‘she lied to us!’ It’s like, no.”
August 10, 2017 – Does Cara have a “creepy crush” on Rihanna? An anonymous source in a tabloid thinks so: “They used to be really close but when Cara said she had feelings for Ri, things went south.. Cara can be really intense and obsessive. She’ll just stare and stare at Rihanna and it makes Ri uncomfortable.” Sounds like they got me and Cara confused. Anyway, Gossip Cop says this story isn’t true.
August 12, 2017 – Is Cara bailing on her model friends to make room for all her new high-profile actress friends? OK’s source says, “Now she’s pestering [A-list actresses] with calls and emails, asking them out for lunch or coffee. She’s even willing to put aside her rivalry with Kristen Stewart.” Must be pretty serious! As Gossip Cop points out, this story is published while Cara is on vacation with a bunch of her model friends. Debunked!
September 27, 2017 – Annie Clark is profiled by Vogue UK and has this to say about Cara: “We’ll always be really close. I’ll love her forever… I fell in love with this very famous person. It’s not anything I was in any way ashamed of, so I wouldn’t have hidden it.”
December 6, 2017 – Cara is seen leaving a nightclub with 19-year-old Paris Jackson, allegedly bound for 25-year-old Delevigne’s hotel.
February 20, 2018 – Paris and Cara galavant around Europe, “doing little to quash romance rumors” and allegedly “hanging out and having fun.”
February 21, 2018 – Gossip Cop says Paris and Cara aren’t dating, because they never want me to have any fun. They also quote Jackson as saying, “Hand holding is a very common thing,” which I guess it is, but whatever.
March 21, 2018 – Anyway, a month later, Paris and Cara watch Carol in bed together and if THAT’S not gay I don’t know what to tell you.
March 27, 2018 – Paris Jackson and Cara are seen kissing and cavorting outside a restaurant while waiting for a table with Paris’ godfather Macaulay Culkin and his girlfriend. This is all the scientific evidence we need.
May 9, 2018 – We learn that Cara will be in the Elisabeth Moss film Her Smell, as a member of the band. Her costars will include rumored sometimes-paramour Amber Heard and her new pal Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson.
June 20, 2018 – While tabloids claim that Paris Jackson is now dating three women (Cara Delevingne, Ashley Benson and DJ Caroline D’Amore), Gossip Cop debunks the rumor. Paris also jumps in to offer her own salty rebuttal; seems like her situation with Cara may have soured. No word on Guy with the Man Bun.
i’ve never met miss benzo. caroline is one of my bestest friends who is **straight** and **married**, and also the mother of my godchild. cara and i were never officially exclusive, you guys made that up. https://t.co/mhXzZvdvLG
August 18, 2018 – Ashley attends Cara’s star-studded birthday party:
August 24, 2018 – Ashley Benson refuses to confirm her relationship with Cara to People and instead says she chooses to keep her relationships very private. “I think it’s the best way in any relationship… I’ve always been very private about them, and I think it’s just better.”
December 22, 2018 – I’m not sure what your tabloid-speculated maybe-girlfriend is doing for your birthday, but Cara rents out the Natural History Museum of London for Ashley. Like, not just to take in the exhibits, but with a bed surrounded by Christmas decorations. What a pal! She also makes two whale puns in one Instagram caption, which is illegal:
June 18, 2019 – You’d think the sex bench would have done it, but Cara finally goes ahead and confirms her big gay relationship with Ashley Benson via Instagram. When asked about the post by E! News during the TrevorLIVE Gala, Delevingne comments, “I don’t know because it is Pride, it’s been 50 years since Stonewall happened and I don’t know. It’s been just about our one year anniversary so, why not?” Later, she tells the world that her nickname for Ashley is Sprinkles, and everyone dies. Everyone is dead now.
October 10, 2019 – One thing Cara is doing on the Carnival Row press circuit is gushing about Ashley Benson. “It’s so nice to have someone in my life that supports me so much and loves me. I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
December 10, 2019 – Cara tweets and then deletes about a breakup with Ashley. The post is only up for 20 minutes. Was she hacked or is this just dyke drama?
May 6, 2020 – Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson announce that their romance is no more, that love remains a lie an all hope is dead. They like, extra did not get married in Mexico, as it turns out.
May 14, 2020 – Ashley Benson is seen kissing G-Eazy and fans of her relationship with Cara are appalled! Cara takes to her Instagram stories to ask her fans to lay off.
July 23, 2020 – Rumors start flying that Cara Delevingne, 28, is now dating model Kaia Gerber, 19. Personally I do not like the Cara Delevingne/Kaia Gerber age difference at all! It may surprise you to learn that Gossip Cop says this rumor is false.
August 13, 2020 – You know what Cara loves doing? Getting really ill-advised matching tattoos with women! To celebrate her birthday, she and Kaia got “solemates” tattooed on their feet so they can hold toes and it’s uncomfortable for me. Vogue calls it a “modern iteration of the friendship bracelet.”
“I did have a couple of ladies sliding into my DMs which I thought was funny, but also flattering,” she admitted. “Yeah. It was interesting to see the difference in my DMs after I came out, which was a nice little surprise…And also just like, I hate to say it, more quality human beings.”
I just want to say that @BillieJeanKing is the first person I’ve ever interviewed who—midway through our conversation—asked me if I had negotiated for my salary and whether I felt I was being paid fairly for my work https://t.co/G8eQbBgQ7L
Heather Hogan is an Autostraddle senior writer who lives in New York City with her partner, Stacy, and their cackle of rescued pets. She’s a member of the Television Critics Association, the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critic. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Canadian actor Francois Arnaud revealed his bisexuality in Instagram postings yesterday.
The actor, 35, took to social media during Bisexual Visibility Week.
He shared the messages in postings to his Instagram stories on Sunday.
“Last week, I was chatting with work friends, and as I brought up a trip I’d taken with an ex-girlfriend, I asked myself —for the ten-thousandth time— how to tell such a story without making it seem like that was the whole story of me,” Arnaud posted.
Related: Pro rugby player and boy bander Levi Davis comes out as bi
“I’m sure many bisexual guys feel the same and end up doing as I did: letting other people’s assumptions of straightness stand uncorrected,” he continued.
“Perhaps out of fear of oversharing. Under the guise of privacy, maybe. Probably because ‘masculinity’ is a most fragile currency, ready to nose-dive at the first sign of vulnerability or difference. And because it’s really f**king scary to give up your privilege. Without a doubt because stigmas of indecisiveness, infidelity, deception and trendiness are still clinging to bisexuality.
“But here’s the thing. Silence has the perverse effect of perpetuating those stereotypes, making bi guys invisible, and leading people to doubt that we even exist. No wonder it’s still a chore to acknowledge bisexuality without getting into lengthy explanations.
“So yes, labels are frustrating and words imperfect. But I’ve always considered myself bisexual. Not confused or trying to look edgy. Not disloyal. Not ashamed. Not invisible.”
He ended by wishing everyone ‘Happy #bivisibilityday this Wednesday’.
Arnaud was born in Quebec. He’s best known for his performances in The Borgias, Blindspot, and Midnight, Texas. Many might also remember a notable cameo he made in Schitt’s Creek, playing an ex-boyfriend of David Rose called Sebastien who arrives in town to do a photoshoot with Moira.