My top recommendations for people looking for queer and disabled representation, specifically of what I have read, listened to, and watched. These are not all that I have liked or enjoyed, simply what I recommend if you’re looking specifically for representation. I encourage you to buy less known and independent publications when it is an option for you.
Films
But I’m A Cheerleader (1999) – lesbian lead, sapphic romance, achillean romance, gay and lesbian main cast, transcoded supporting character, satirized conversion therapy, sapphic teenage sex
How To Train Your Dragon franchise (2010, 2014, 2019) – amputee leads with prosthetics, double amputee supporting character (also with prosthetics)
Wonderstruck (2017) – deaf leads (one born deaf, other born hearing)
Booksmart (2019) – lesbian lead (with label), awkward sapphic sex, gay supporting characters
Moonlight (2019) – Black gay male lead, Black mspec male supporting character, growing up queer and Black, homophobic bullying, homophobic violence, identity discovery, first times
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) – male co-lead with Down syndrome, infantilization, the good side of inspirational films?
The New Mutants (2020) – sapphic Native (Northern Cheyenne) lead with PTSD, sapphic supporting character with PTSD (religious trauma), supporting character with C-PTSD (cult, trafficking, and sexual assault), they all have trauma disorders, bad mental health treatment, flashbacks, sapphic romance
Do Revenge (2022) – queer woman lead (sapphic, implied mspec), sapphic background romance, sexual violation, forced outing, homoerotic friendships
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) – older gay male lead with a domestic male partner
Nimona (2023) – queer male lead (achillean), fem-presenting genderfluid co-lead with complex trauma, queer male supporting character (achillean), background achillean romance
Shows
The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007 – 2011) – neurodivergent (autistic-coded) major character, found family, adoption, alienation
Dragons: Race to the Edge (2015 – 2018) – two amputee leads (with prosthetics), mute supporting character, facially scarred supporting character, double amputee (with prosthesis) supporting character, lots of scarring in general, dragon species with “disabilities” as norm
Speechless (2016 – 2019) – wheelchair-using nonverbal male lead with cerebral palsy and a speech aide, covers topics of inspiration porn, infantilization, teenage sexuality, inaccessibility, overbearing but supportive parents, etc., family ensemble
3% (2016 – 2020) – Afro-Latino paraplegic wheelchair-using co-lead (first two seasons), parental desire for “cure,” disability as core part of identity, disabled sex (not explicit but mature), Brazilian TV
The Bisexual (2018) – Iranian-American bisexual female lead, coming out late in life, lesbian supporting characters, mlw and wlw queer sex
Pure (2019) – lead with pure-O OCD with taboo intrusive thoughts, sexuality questioning, sexual experimentation, queer supporting characters
Doom Patrol (2019 – present) – lead paralleling chronic illness with identity disturbance, lead with DID and C-PTSD, gay burn-victim plural lead paralleling disability, amputee leads (with prosthetics), other queer supporting characters, wheelchair user supporting character, supporting character with a craniofacial disorder and C-PTSD, scarred veteran cane-using supporting character with PTSD and chronic pain, ableism, internalized ableism, experimentation on disabled people, circus fetishization of disability, internalized homophobia, heteronormativity, found family, complex trauma, medical trauma, disabled sex (mature, not explicit)
The Owl House (2020 – 2023) – bisexual female Afro-Dominican-American lead with ADHD, major female character with a chronic illness allegory, sapphic supporting character, supporting female character with the same chronic illness allegory, nonbinary supporting character, sapphic romance
I Am Not Okay With This (2020) – lesbian lead, mspec/sapphic supporting character, sexual experimentation, heteronormativity, mental illnesses (particularly anxiety and depression), aftermath of suicide, superpowers as disability metaphor
Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020 – 2021) – neurotic late-diagnosed autistic sexually-active gay male lead with ADHD, autistic sexually-active bi/mspec-romantic heterosexual polyamorous female co-lead, major black gay male character, major autistic hyposensitive colorblind homoromantic lesbian asexual female character with an anxiety disorder, Crohn’s disease, and a service dog, supporting queer, autistic, and Deaf characters, achillean romance, sapphic romance, desexualization, infantilization, double standards on disabled sex, non-explicit disabled sex scenes, open asexual marriage, sexual experimentation, explicit labelling of diagnosis, symptoms, and orientation, messy relationships, adoption, COVID-19 identity crisis, sign language conversations
Arcane (2021) – sapphic lead, sympathetic psychotic lead, sapphic relationship, chronically ill supporting character who uses a crutch
Hawkeye (2021) – hard of hearing male lead with hearing aids, Native (Cheyenne) Deaf mute amputee female supporting character with prosthesis, sign language and translators, audio transcription
Komi Can’t Communicate (2021) – situationally-mute girl co-lead with social anxiety disorder, Japanese anime
Inside Job (2021) – traumatized autistic (Asperger’s) bi+/mspec female lead, traumatized (implied C-PTSD) male co-lead, pansexual Korean-American male supporting character, he/him non-binary bi+/mspec alien supporting character
Our Flag Means Death (2022) – gay leads, queer supporting cast, heteronormativity, sexual experimentation, polyamory, complex relationship, non-binary supporting character (with they/them pronouns), disguising as opposite sex, M/NB relationship, late-in-life coming out, found family
Heartstopper (2022) – out gay teenage lead, bisexual teenage lead, achillean romance, sexual experimentation, questioning sexuality, black trans girl supporting character, homophobic bullying, lesbian supporting characters
Dead End: Paranormal Park (2022) – gay fat trans male lead, autistic touch-averse bi Pakistani-American female lead with social anxiety disorder, achillean Vietnamese-American major character, more queer supporting characters, achillean romance, sapphic romance, older queer advice
Koisenu Futari (Two People Who Can’t Fall in Love) (2022) – aromantic asexual female lead, touch-repulsed sex-repulsed aromantic asexual male lead, sapphic supporting character, platonic domestic partners, sexual coercion, accidental relationships, coming out later in life, amatonormativity, Japanese TV
The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself (2022) – biracial bisexual male lead, openly-sexual queer male major character, bi+/mspec woman supporting character, polyamorous undertones/lead-up to triad, racial allegories
Musicals
Falsettos (1992 / 2016) – gay characters, lesbian couple, complex relationships, neuroticism, heteronormativity, polyamory-adjacent, HIV/AIDS
Firebringer (2016) – bisexual/pansexual/sapphic leads, polyamorous relationship, queer supporting characters
Spies Are Forever (2016) – gay lead, tragic-but-not-bad gay relationship, heteronormativity
Novels
Maurice (1913 / 1960 / 1971) – gay lead, achillean relationships, changes in sexuality, sexual fluidity, heteronormativity, “curing” homosexuality
Wonderstruck (2011) – deaf leads (one deaf for as long as she remembers, other born deaf in one ear), learning sign language
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012) – queer/gay/achillean leads, self-discovery, internalized homophobia, hate crimes
Melissa / George (2015 / 2022) – trans female lead, self-discovery, early-in-life coming out
Every Heart A Doorway (2016) – romantic asexual lead (labels as asexual), trans male supporting character, complex trauma, struggling to adjust to “normal” life
Wild Beauty (2017) – sapphic/queer lead, sapphic/queer supporting characters, non-binary supporting character, heteronormativity
Down Among the Sticks and Bones (2017) – trans-adjacent lead characters, sapphic lead, background sapphic romance, gender dysphoria, complex trauma, fantastic escapism
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (2018) – nonpartnering aromantic asexual lead, sapphic Muslim supporting character
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018) – bisexual female lead (uses bisexual label), supporting sapphic character, sexual experimentation, queer breakups, heteronormativity, biphobia
Reverie (2019) – queer mlm lead, mlm supporting character, sapphic supporting characters, achillean romance, background sapphic couples, drag-queen nonbinary antagonist
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (2020) – mspec/queer/sapphic leads (one uses queer label), supporting bisexual female character, self-discovery, heteronormativity, sexual experimentation, internalized biphobia
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea (2020) – queer/mspec leads, non-binary lead, W/NB relationship between characters of color, gender questioning, disguising as opposite sex, heteronormativity
The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandals and Shipwrecks (2021) – lead with generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (later with amputated fingers and toes), bisexual male facially-scarred traumatized major character with an amputated ear (later with a permanent leg injury requiring a cane), nonpartnering aromantic asexual major character, gay epileptic Black supporting character, sapphic Muslim supporting character, queer Black supporting character, open achillean interracial adult couple, unrequited sapphic attraction to aroace character, parental abuse, rejection/abandonment of queer children, emotional abuse, inherited mental illness, aftermath of suicide
Iron Widow (2021) – bisexual female cane/wheelchair user lead with chronic pain, two bisexual male major characters, F/M/M polyamorous relationship
Comics
Steve Orlando’s Midnighter – gay male lead, gay/achillean relationships, gay supporting characters, hooking up with strangers
James Robinson’s James Bond: Felix Leiter – amputee lead (with prosthesis)
Chip Zdarsky and Ryan North’s Jughead – aromantic asexual lead (labeled asexual in text), gay supporting character, squish/platonic “crush”
Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye – Deaf depressed male lead, visible hearing aids, lip reading, sign language conversations, translator/interpreter
Greg Duggan, Matteo Lolli, and Jacopo Camagni’s Hawkeye vs. Deadpool – Deaf male co-lead with hearing aids (occasionally), disfigured (full-body scars) male co-lead, lip reading, sign language usage
Autobiographies/Memoirs
Tr***y: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout (2016) – trans lesbian author, sexual experimentation, cisnormativity, internalized transphobia
I’m Glad My Mom Died (2022) – woman author with complex trauma, anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, issues with depression, substance abuse issues, and an anxiety disorder; mental and emotional abuse, grooming, therapy, supporting man with a schizospec disorder and a substance abuse disorder
Short Stories
I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter (2020) – explores a world where gender identity has been weaponized
On Monday of Last Week (2009) – Nigerian mspec/bisexual woman lead, infidelity, loss of attraction in marriage
Podcasts
Welcome to Night Vale (2012 – present) – gay lead, achillean couple, lgbtq+ supporting characters, singular they pronouns
Alice Isn’t Dead (2016 – 2018) – lesbian lead, married sapphic couple, lead has an anxiety disorder, complex trauma
Audio Plays
Big Finish’s Torchwood (2015 – present) – bisexual/queer/mspec leads, major achillean couple, lgbtq+ supporting characters, sexual experimentation, queer sex, complicated relationships
Web Comics
Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (2021 – present) – paraplegic wheelchair-using lead, bisexual/mspec male lead, gay supporting character, lesbian supporting character, achillean couple, found family, complex trauma, PTSD, adoptive family
“Problematic” and Ambiguous Representation
Good Omens
Helluva Boss
The Sandman
tired, gay, and bored 