History Main / TokenLesbian

* ''ComicStrip/DykesToWatchOutFor'' has a rare inversion with Carlos, the male role model/babysitter for Toni and Clarice's son Raffi. Later on, there was Gerald, a gay female-to-male transsexual Lois developed a crush on.

Please note that this is a very specific trope. If she's the only queer person on the show, then she's the token gay. If the work features couples of all stripes, then they're simply part of the bigger picture. This trope is about those lesbians arbitrarily thrown into a work about the lives of gay men. Related to TheSmurfettePrinciple.

* Melanie and Lindsay in ''Series/QueerAsFolk''. Lindsay has been Brian's friend for years, and Brian and Michael are the fathers of their two children.

Any work with a [[CastFullOfGay predominantly gay male cast]] will always feature a single lesbian or lesbian couple. It doesn't matter how tenuous their ties with the boys are (usually the main character's best friend and her partner), or if they integrate with the main cast at all. As with any token, they're not there to actually add to the story, but to keep people from complaining that it's not inclusive enough (after all, an all-gay-male cast is still an ''all-male'' cast). It's not even guaranteed that they'll pass UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest. And you can bet your next paycheck that their plot will involve having children in some way, since AllLesbiansWantKids.

It's not that having lesbian characters is a problem itself, but when a story is centered around gay men, the token lesbian often feels like an obligation more than anything else, and at worst becomes an afterthought who isn't given nearly as much attention and development as the men in the story. TheBeard and the FagHag can be related tropes if her sole purpose in life is adding a woman to the main cast.

Please note that this is a very specific trope. If the ladies are the only same-gender couple shown, then they're token gays. If the work features couples of all stripes, then they're simply part of the bigger picture. This trope is about those lesbians arbitrarily thrown into a work about the lives of gay men. Related to TheSmurfettePrinciple.

It's not that having lesbian characters is a problem itself, but when a story is centered around gay men, the token lesbian often feels like an obligation more than anything else, and at worst becomes an afterthought who isn't given nearly as much attention and development as the men in the story.

Please note that this is a very specific trope. If the ladies are the only gay couple shown, then they're token gays. If the work features couples of all stripes, then they're simply part of the bigger picture. This trope is about those lesbians arbitrarily thrown into a work about the lives of gay men. Related to TheSmurfettePrinciple.

** After some CharacterDevelopment from Kirsten and Dana, the show introduced [[MeaningfulName Ebony and Ivory]], a couple so [[AllWomenArePrudes stilted]] and [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad politically correct]] they [[ReplacementFlatCharacter made Kirsten and Dana look laid back by comparison]].

** Averted with Kirsten and Dana from , as they are fairly prominent on the show. However, they still fall victim to the AllLesbiansWantKids storyline, albeit in several unexpected ways.

* Zig-zagged in ''Film/Pride2014''. Steph is initially the sole lesbian in LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners), but she's later joined by a female couple...who eventually leave the group to start their own fundraising organization that's all queer women. However, Steph opts to remain in LGSM as she was already friends with the men in the group (also preventing the group's name from becoming an ArtifactTitle).

* Anne and Leslie from ''Film/TheBrokenHeartsClubARomanticComedy''.

* Anne Kronenberg, Harvey Milk's campaign manager in ''Film/{{Milk}}''. Not just token lesbian, but also token female- she is the only female character in the film with more than four speaking lines.

* Zig-zagged in ''Film/Pride2014''. Steph is initially the sole lesbian in LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners), but she's joined by a female couple...who eventually leave the group to start their own that's all queer women, but Steph opts to remain in LGSM because of her friendship with the men in the group.

* Zig-zagged in ''Film/Pride2014''. Steph is initially the sole lesbian in LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners), but she's joined by a female couple...who eventually leave the group to start their own that's all queer women, but Steph remains in LGSM because she's actually friends with the men rather than just volunteering with them.

* Zig-zagged in ''Film/Pride2014''. Steph is initially the sole lesbian in LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners), but she's joined by a female couple...who eventually leave the group to start their own that's all queer women. Steph remains in LGSM because she's actually friends with the men rather than just volunteering with them.

* Zig-zagged in ''Film/Pride2014''. Steph is initially the sole lesbian in LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners), but she's joined by a female couple...who eventually leave the group to start their own that's all queer women, but Steph remains in LGSM due to her close friendship with the men.

* ''Series/NancyDrew2019'': While the cast is fairly diverse, Bess is the only lesbian among the main characters.

It's not that having lesbian characters is a problem itself, but when a story is clearly about the lives of gay men, the token lesbian often feels like an obligation more than anything else, and at worst becomes an afterthought who isn't given nearly as much attention and development as the men in the story.

Any work with a [[CastFullOfGay predominantly gay male cast]] will always feature a single lesbian or lesbian couple. It doesn't matter how tenuous their ties with the boys are (usually the main character's best friend and her lover), or if they integrate with the main cast at all. As with any token, they're not there to actually add to the story, but to keep people from complaining that it's not inclusive enough (after all, an all-gay-male cast is still an ''all-male'' cast). It's not even guaranteed that they'll pass UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest. And you can bet your next paycheck that their plot will involve having children in some way, since AllLesbiansWantKids.

It's not that having lesbian characters is a problem itself, but when a story is clearly about the lives of gay men, the lone lesbian character often feels like an obligation more than anything else, and at worst becomes an afterthought who isn't given nearly as much attention and development as the men in the story.

It is also worth noting that works centering around gay women [[DoubleStandard never include a token male couple in such a way]].

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* Averted with Kirsten and Dana from ''WesternAnimation/RickAndSteve'', as they are fairly prominent on the show. However, they still fall victim to the AllLesbiansWantKids storyline, albeit in several unexpected ways.