History Main / SpeculativeFictionLGBT

* The Creator/OrsonScottCard story ''Songmaster'' is described on his page as "Pedophiles InSpace", somewhat accurate but it's more about a beautiful young boy (Ansset) who has the most powerful and honest singing voice in the world (this world being a fantastical future empire) so much that despite being 11, a lot of adult men fall immediately in lust with him. As he ages, Ansset falls in love with Josif, but soon has to deal with the effects of the hormone drugs that were given to him to [[{{Eunuch}} preserve his voice as he matured]].

This trope's UrExample may be either Creator/CharlesEricMaine's ''Literature/WorldWithoutMen'' (1958), acknowledging sexuality, or Creator/VirginiaWoolf's ''Literature/{{Orlando}}'' (1928), mostly regarding gender. The latter is discussed on the Encyclopaedia of Fantasy's entry for "[[http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=temporal_adventuress Temporal Adventuress]]", which includes many female time-travellers who deviate from conventions of gender and sexuality. Of all the variations upon the Other-ing nature of this trope, the time-travelling lesbian may be one of the most prominent as it allows for no fixed period to be set in which the acceptability is occurring, as well as for the issue to be discussed across past and future times, and perhaps also [[GirlOnGirlIsHot appealing to the presumed audience]] as a bonus.

Also note that, while some speculative fiction works project LGBT themes onto alien civilizations in order to explore them from a comfortably safe conceptual distance (especially [[ValuesDissonance a few decades back]], when [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar censors were a lot harsher]]), or exaggerate them to have fun with weird speculative space sex, others frame them around their hopes or thoughts regarding the progression of real-world civilizations. The latter group tends to present LGBT themes as relatable or commonplace, rather than as a matter of spectacle. Both are made possible because of the setting difference.

** Ace, one of the Seventh Doctor's companions. Though they couldn't be open about it at the time, later sources confirmed she was into girls.

SuperTrope to DiscountLesbians, LesbianVampire, FreeLoveFuture, and OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous. See also: BizarreAlienSexes.

* ''Series/Supergirl2015'': When Alex comes out to her and Kara's friends in season 2 (an example in itself), Mon-El is the only one not to have a reaction. He makes sure to note that on his admittedly hedonistic home planet of Daxam, sexuality is a complete non-issue and "the more the merrier!"
* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': In the dream-world induced by TheMusicMeister in season 3, dream!Iris [[HasTwoMommies has two gay dads]] -- this also being TheRoaringTwenties -- and it is treated as normal. It seems to, therefore, discuss the trope, with the dream world being an SF setting in itself and also conjured up between the minds of [[ComicBook/TheFlash Barry]], [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]], and [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} the Music Meister]], who are a meta-human, alien, and fifth-dimensional being, respectively. Both the setting and all the minds that it was created from are not (at least not entirely) earthly and so of course being gay is fine in 1920s America.

SuperTrope to DiscountLesbians, LesbianVampire, and FreeLoveFuture. See also: BizarreAlienSexes.

** [[TwoferTokenMinority Bill Potts]], the lesbian companion of the Doctor's, with revelations of her sexuality happening in every other episode, and being a plot point in a few, as well as leading to discussions of views on sexuality with a Roman Legion. The only negative thing that happened to her because of her sexuality was that her date freaked out when [[ItMakesSenseInContext the Pope walked out of her bed room in an angry huff.]] [[spoiler: This incident was actually in a LotusEaterMachine so didn't actually happen.]] When Bill tells her date about this, the date actually laughs at the whole situation... and then UNIT agents raid Bill's apartment. Bill's sexuality is particularly significant in the first episode she features in, where her attraction to a female student (Heather) is what causes her to end up travelling with the Doctor. [[MagicalQueer Heather]] then ends up [[spoiler:resurrecting Bill, because she's been absorbed by a water-alien but kept her own mind so can do that somehow]], [[CheckhovsGunman in the final episode of the season]].

** [[TwoferTokenMinority Bill Potts]], the lesbian companion of the Doctor's, with revelations of her sexuality happening in every other episode, and being a plot point in a few, as well as leading to discussions of views on sexuality with a Roman Legion. The only negative thing that happened to her because of her sexuality was that her date freaked out when [[ItMakesSenseInContext the Pope walked out of her bed room in an angry huff.]] [[spoiler: This incident was actually in a LotusEaterMachine so didn't actually happen.]] When Bill tells her date about this, the date actually laughs at the whole situations... and then UNIT agents raid Bill's apartment. Bill's sexuality is particularly significant in the first episode she features in, where her attraction to a female student is what causes her to end up travelling with the Doctor.

[[folder:Comics]]
* The [[Creator/DCComics Island of Themyscira]] and its [[OneGenderRace Amazon]] population has been subjected to an extensive variety of interpretations on how a female-only society would exist. These range from asexual to heterosexual-but-without-men to a fully lesbian society. Comic/WonderWoman herself has ranged from heterosexual to bisexual to pansexual DependingOnTheWriter.

[[folder:Disney]]
* The very concept of Creator/{{Disney}} LGBT characters is alien given how conservative Disney movies tend to be perceived, and therefore how heterosexually love is framed in Disney movies. Shock of all shocks, there ''is'' an example of a canonical male/male relationship: [[Disney/TheHunchBackOfNotreDame Djali and Hugo]]. Pity it's in the shitty sequel no one remembers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Universal Pictures]]
* Another direct-to-video sequel that oddly toys with this is ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Balto}} Balto III: Wings of Change]]''. According to [[https://www.animationsource.org/balto/en/articles/Phil-Weinstein-interview/85108.html&id_film=12 an interview with Phil Weinstein]] there was a direct effort to ''not'' pair the young opposite-sex leads, with Dusty being instead canonically enrolled with Ralph. This leaves Kodi, Balto's son and the de facto deuteragonist (or AntiVillain) without an obvious love interest, yet still having a close relationship with Dusty (since they seem to hang around often). This means he might either be gay or asexual.
[[/folder]]

* Another direct-to-video sequel that oddly toys with this is ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Balto}} Balto III: Wings of Change]]''. According to [[https://www.animationsource.org/balto/en/articles/Phil-Weinstein-interview/85108.html&id_film=12 an interview with Phil Weinstein]] there was a direct effort to ''not'' pair the young opposite-sex leads, with Dusty being instead canonically enrolled with Ralph. This leaves Kodi, Balto's son and the de facto deuteragonist (or AntiVillain) without an obvious love interest, yet still having a close relationship with Dusty (since they seem to hang around often). This means he might either be gay or asexual.

*** Note to see the most famous Time Lords, [[Character/DoctorWhoDoctors The Doctor]] and TheMaster, who have both done this -- the show openly skewing an idea of fixed gender.

*** Note to see the most famous Time Lords, [[Character/DoctorWhoDoctors The Doctor]] and TheMaster, who have both done this -- the show having fun with gender.

*** Note to see the most famous Time Lords, TheDoctor and TheMaster, who have both done this -- the show having fun with gender.

Also known as the "time travelling lesbians", it is notable that SF is kind of the San Fran of media genres -- a much larger LGBT population than the rest of its kind, and with reason. The most widely acknowledged of these reasons is that because the fantastical setting (as close as it may be to the society of its creation) is not 'Real', and therefore the creators have more roam to discuss things that might be considered controversial or unusual. This may be used as a statement on the society in which the work is being produced, but is not necessarily. It is related to the DiscountLesbians trope, where a lesbian couple is deemed more acceptable if one or both (or more) isn't human and so they aren't really lesbians, though this would instead be where it isn't really Earth so it can't really be (or, so it's alright if it isn't) taboo.

Another reason to include non-heteronormative characters in SF may be to support theories of the future of humanity [[EveryoneIsBi becoming largely bisexual]], and also those that suggest potential alien civilisations [[BizarreAlienSexes may not even have sex as we view it]].

It may also be, drawing back to the idea of the Uncanny Valley, being used as a marker in order to separate the SF world from the real world. There may be little changed in a [[HumanAliens humanoid alien civilisation]] or TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, but a difference in view on gender and sexuality (whether global or just authorial) is a sufficient deviation from the norm that it would suggest somewhere very departed from current Earth's climate.

In short, SF settings feature LGBT+ characters and themes because it is distanced from the real world.

Also known as the "time travelling lesbians", it is notable that SF is kind of the San Fran of media genres -- a much larger LGBT population than the rest of its kind, and with reason. The most widely acknowledged of these reasons is that because the fantastical setting (as close as it may be to the society of its creation) is not 'Real', and therefore the creators have more room to discuss things that might be considered controversial or unusual. This may be used as a statement on the society in which the work is being produced, but is not necessarily. It is related to the DiscountLesbians trope, where a lesbian couple is deemed more acceptable if one or both (or more) isn't human and so they aren't really lesbians, though this would instead be where it isn't really Earth so it can't really be (or, so it's alright if it isn't) taboo.

Also known as the "time travelling lesbians", it is notable that SF is kind of the San Fran of media genres -- a much larger LGBT population than the rest of its kind, and with reason. The most widely acknowledged of these reasons is that because the fantastical setting (as close as it may be to the society of its creation) is not 'Real', and therefore the creators have more roam to discuss things that might be considered controversial or unusual. This may be used as a statement on the society in which the work is being produced, but is not necessarily. It is related to the DiscountLesbians trope, where a lesbian couple is deemed more acceptable if one or both (or more) isn't human and so they aren't really lesbians, though this would instead be where it isn't really Earth so it can't really be (or, so it's alright if it isn't) taboo.

%%''Spinning off from [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=jrb2e4kukzpjury0g12hd83n Time Travelling Lesbians yk]], which basically said "this happens", broadening that and giving it purpose to make it not PSOC. Redirects would be FantasticGenderAndSexuality, SciFiSettingLGBT, FantasyWorldLGBT, TimeTravellingLesbians and perhaps TemporalAdventuress, since it's a pre-existing term, though may be inaccurate. See [[http://www.goodlesbianbooks.com/2011/10/time-travel-lesbian-fiction.html this list]] and [[https://www.bookwitty.com/reading_list/beyond-laser-guns-blasters-and-time-travel/584952ad50cef726e75569f9?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ongoing&utm_content=LGBT-scifi this list]]. To be funny, the title could instead simply be [[{{SFLGBT}} SF LGBT]] -- the common abbreviations, as well as sounding sci-fi-y itself. Indices: ImageSource.{{Literature}}, AlienTropes, FantasticSapientSpeciesTropes, FictionalCultureAndNationTropes, GenderAndSexualityTropes, NotQuiteHuman, OthernessTropes, OtherworldTropes, SettingGimmicks, SpeculativeFictionTropes, TimeTravelTropes, QueerAsTropes, WeWillNotUseAnIndexInTheFuture.''
----

''Spinning off from [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=jrb2e4kukzpjury0g12hd83n Time Travelling Lesbians yk]], which basically said "this happens", broadening that and giving it purpose to make it not PSOC. Redirects would be FantasyWorldLGBT, TimeTravellingLesbians and perhaps TemporalAdventuress, since it's a pre-existing term, though may be inaccurate. See [[http://www.goodlesbianbooks.com/2011/10/time-travel-lesbian-fiction.html this list]] and [[https://www.bookwitty.com/reading_list/beyond-laser-guns-blasters-and-time-travel/584952ad50cef726e75569f9?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ongoing&utm_content=LGBT-scifi this list]]. To be funny, the title could instead simply be [[{{SFLGBT}} SF LGBT]] -- the common abbreviations, as well as sounding sci-fi-y itself. Indices: ImageSource.{{Literature}}, AlienTropes, FantasticSapientSpeciesTropes, FictionalCultureAndNationTropes, GenderAndSexualityTropes, NotQuiteHuman, OthernessTropes, OtherworldTropes, SettingGimmicks, SpeculativeFictionTropes, TimeTravelTropes, QueerAsTropes, WeWillNotUseAnIndexInTheFuture.''