10 of Our Favorite LGBTQIA+ Couples in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Pride Month continues, my rainbow babies!

Every June is a month of pure, unadulterated bliss as we celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community (a celebration that should occur year-round). Thankfully, we’re finally seeing more diversity and inclusion in our art. I can’t think of a better way to elevate the community than sharing my 10 favorite LGBTQIA+ couples in sci-fi and fantasy.

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Willow and Tara – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay smashed barriers when their relationship took center stage over 20 years ago. They’re indisputably one of the most popular LGBTQIA+ couples in sci-fi and fantasy, even though their romance ended in tragedy (and thus perpetuated the “Bury Your Gays” trope).

It was great seeing Willow, in particular, own her sexuality, coming out as gay after entering a relationship with Tara.

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Adira and Gray – Star Trek: Discovery

Adira and Gray Tal from Star Trek: Discovery are historic in their own right. After 54 years of Star Trek goodness, the franchise finally brought canonically nonbinary and trans characters into the fold. Adira is nonbinary, and Gray is a trans man.

Their relationship is as sweet as it is fascinating. After Gray died during an attack, he joined the Tal symbiont, bonding with Adira. Even though Gray wasn’t physical, he could appear to Adira as a separate entity. Thankfully, Dr. Culber (one of Adira’s adoptive dads) resurrected Gray by transferring his consciousness to a golem.

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Waverly and Nicole – Wynonna Earp

Waverly Earp and Nicole Haught from Wynonna Earp beautifully defied the “Bury Your Gays” trope, instead opting for “Marry Your Gays.” The series’ first season slowly builds on their burgeoning romance, and they steadily date until the season 4 finale when they wed in a gorgeous outdoor ceremony.

What’s great about Wynonna Earp’s depiction of their relationship is the lack of bi-erasure for Waverly. She declares she’s bisexual, and Nicole, who’s a lesbian, supports her. We love to see that, folks.

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Bill and Frank – The Last of Us

If the episode “Long, Long Time” from The Last of Us didn’t make you ugly cry, you might be a robot. In the face of a dystopian, post-pandemic world, Bill and Frank’s enduring love is a balm for the soul and an arrow to the heart.

Their bond is so impenetrable, so potent that they couldn’t live without each other. After spending several years together in their little corner of the world, they decide to die in bed as they fall asleep. Oof.

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Adora and Catra – She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Affectionately known as “Catradora” in the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power fandom, Adora and Catra are an adorable lesbian couple with a classic enemies-to-lovers narrative. They were best friends as children until their bond veered drastically in the other direction.

It takes the entirety of the show to build toward Adora and Catra’s big declaration of love, but the wait is worth it. The kiss alone is worth it.

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Yorkie and Kelly – Black Mirror

“San Junipero” is a top-tier episode of Black Mirror. It introduces us to Yorkie and Kelly, two women who meet in a “party town” in 1987. Their love spans space and time, and the outing takes us on a wild sci-fi journey of love and heartbreak. It delves into the afterlife, virtual reality, and what’s possible when the two merge.

Kelly and Yorkie’s real-life struggles certainly impede their relationship, so the pair eventually decide to “pass over” to San Junipero, living in romantic bliss in the virtual afterlife for eternity.

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Calliope and Juliette – First Kill

The short-lived Netflix series First Kill emits major Romeo and Juliet vibes. First, the romance at its core is between two teens. Second, Juliette is a vampire, and Calliope is a vampire hunter, and both are poised to make their respective first kills. Naturally, their bond stirs up drama aplenty, with their families feeling like the Montagues and Capulets.

Calliope and Juliette’s relationship is a queer romance for the ages – a sweet, emotionally charged, and tender affair. And who can say “no” to a good old-fashioned forbidden love story?

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Nico and Karolina – Marvel’s Runaways

What happens when your parents turn out to be major baddies? (In the classic villainous sense, not the word’s more modern interpretations.) You run away with your pals, of course! In Marvel’s Runaways, Nico Minoru, a Wicca sorceress, and Karolina Dean, an alien Gibborim-human hybrid, forge a romance amid all the upheaval in their lives. They become each other’s anchors as they navigate a new normal – being on the run.

Best of all, their love triumphs over adversity. They’re just two cute, superpowered girlfriends doing hero stuff.

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Alec and Magnus – Shadowhunters

Shadowhunters (well, the preceding Mortal Instruments book series) blessed us with “Malec,” AKA Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane. Alec, a Shadowhunter, and Magnus, the High Warlock of Alicante, don’t become official until Alec’s wedding day to Lydia Branwell. He decides not to marry Lydia and finally acknowledges his feelings for Magnus, kissing the latter in front of his family.

Magnus and Alec eventually wed and adopt children of their own. Their heartwarming story has a happy ending. What could be better than that?

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Raelle and Scylla – Motherland: Fort Salem

Raelle Collar and Scylla Ramshorn from Motherland: Fort Salem defy the odds and cast a romantic spell that’s impossibly enchanting. It doesn’t take long for these powerful witches to form a bond – they’re instantly attracted to each other and have sex shortly thereafter.

After Raelle rescues Scylla following the latter’s kidnapping by government agents working for Camarilla, the pair tie the knot. It’s one of the few queer stories out there where the couple gets their happily ever after.

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Who are your favorite LGBTQIA+ couples in sci-fi and fantasy? Are they on this list? Join the conversation with other fans this Pride over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!