Two score and five years ago, LGBT youth fought back against the NYPD who raided the Stonewall Inn, and inadvertently sparked the LGBT rights movement. Today, in 2014, we’re living at a crossroads in America—gay marriage is now legal in 21 states (and the District of Columbia). The road to acceptance has been complex—activists played a major role in changing people’s mindsets.
Also important, however, has been the influence of the arts. There’s nothing that opens people’s minds to diversity like exposure to it. Here are a few LGBT fictional characters who challenge people’s perceptions. They exist as fully formed characters, and thus, they subvert one-dimensional stereotypes. They’re here. They’re queer. Get used to it.