For years, studios’ reluctance to allow LGBTQ+ representation on television made some writers resort to subtly alluding to a character’s sexuality while fans were left wondering if some of their favorite characters’ hints of queerness were real or a sapphic mirage. This month, the head writer of Wizards of Waverly Place, Peter Murietta, revealed that two iconic characters on the show were actually queer. The news sparked a resurgence of theories across TikTok and Twitter about which other favorite characters could have been queer. Here are six of our ideas of other TV faves who always gave us those vibes.
Chelsea Grayson (Anneliese van der Pol) of That’s So Raven
Raven’s best friend and confidant, Chelsea Daniels (Anneliese van der Pol), was known for her loyalty, quirkiness, and strong passion for environmentalism. Recently, a TikTok video raised an interesting point about why the show constantly emphasized Chelsea’s vegetarianism. While being a vegetarian does not indicate a person’s sexual orientation, it makes sense why some would wonder if Chelsea’s personality traits suggest that she could be pansexual or bisexual.
Jade West (Elizabeth Gillies) of Victorious
Nickelodeon might have wanted fans to fawn over Tori Vega, but Jade West (Elizabeth Gillies) stole the show with her iconic dyed hair, love-hate relationship with everyone, and witty one-liners. Though she was in an on-again-off-again relationship with Beck Oliver, fans always speculated that Jade could be queer. After all, does anyone else remember her love of scissors?
Mona Vanderwaal (Janel Parrish) of Pretty Little Liars
Yes, the hit show had many queer characters, but somehow Rosewood’s (controversial, but…) fan favorite, Mona Vanderwaal (Janel Parrish), was never said to be one. Throughout the series, the mysterious and allusive character has relationships with men, though her on-again—off-again friendship with bestie Hanna Marin (portrayed by none other than queer icon Ashley Benson), had some flirty and sapphic undertones. Remember when Mona, disguised as Hanna’s boyfriend, tried to kiss her on a Halloween train?
Kelsi Nielson (Olesya Rulin) from High School Musical
Kelsi Nielson (Olesya Rulin) was everyone’s favorite underdog. She was sweet, loyal, and who else can remember her signature hats? While Kelsi’s sexual orientation was never explicitly addressed, her seemingly “romance” with her prom date Ryan — who was later confirmed by the director as gay — feels all too much like a high school version of a lavender marriage. (And yes, this is a movie, but there’s also a TV show on Disney+!)
Kim Possible and Shego of Kim Possible
TikTok has a special niche of die-hard Kim Possible fans who confessed that the show’s favorite nemeses, Kim Possible and Shego, were their gay awakenings. Especially in later seasons, fans could pick up on a flirtatious undertone between the two rivals and believed it was an enemies-to-lovers trope.
@__..bird.__ Hehehehe #lgbt #lgbtq #comedy #kimpossible #shego #gay #funny #hehe #lesbian #fyp #123 #tiktok ♬ original sound – Syd
Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) of Sex and the City (Photo: YouTube)
Though once considered groundbreaking for its portrayal of female sexuality, who can forget its limited notions of sexual fluidity that even the show’s protagonist — a sex columnist! — enforced? Fan favorite Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) had a relationship with a woman artist and yet Carrie and even some fans have brushed off her sapphic relationship as being just a phase? Samantha, known for her wit, charm, and sexual escapes, definitely did not live by societal pressure to date one gender. Though the reboot is incorporating more queerness into its storylines, it was a bummer we missed out on the opportunity to see an openly bisexual Samantha Jones on screen.
