Queer Representation in Orphan Black

Orphan Black is a Canadian sci-fi thriller TV series that revolves around the lives of several human clones, all played by the amazing Tatiana Maslany. The most central clones in the series are Sarah Manning, Elizabeth Childs, Alison Hendrix, Cosima Niehaus, Helena, and Rachel Duncan. While I don't want to get too much into the plot, here is a trailer for those who have yet to see this addicting show:

What impressed me the most about this show, though, is the queer representation within it. While it's not the main focus of the show, it doesn't need to be. The characters are all just realistic, complex, and well-written, regardless of their sexuality. I think this is the most important way to portray LGBT people— as complex, multifaceted and interesting characters. While I cannot speak for the entirety of the LGBT community, I personally feel like LGBT characters need story lines that don't solely revolve around their sexuality. If all queer stories and representations were coming out stories, or transition stories, or stories of loss, rejection, or trauma, then we risk pigeon-holing all future LGBT stories to fit that same formula, when there is so much more of our lives and identities to share with the world and within the media. Orphan Black does such an amazing job navigating the complexities of queer representation within media, and avoids simply portraying stereotypes of queer people or queer stories. Whether you look at Dr. Delphine Cormier— who had never been with a woman before but naturally fell in love with Cosima and didn't hesitate to explore that side of her sexuality— or at Cosima— an extremely intelligent, nerdy scientist bisexual woman who was badass enough to proudly proclaim that her "sexuality's not the most interesting thing about [her]" after Rachel Duncan offered some condescending remarks about it— it is clear that there is more than one way to portray an LGBT character. 

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Here is a video of Tatiana Maslany discussing LGBT representation within the show that touches upon a lot of what I've mentioned above:

One of the best characters on Orphan Black, in my opinion, is none other than Felix Dawkins. 

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Overly eccentric, insanely artistic, and absolutely breaking the gender binary, Felix is truly a treasure of a character. He dresses, behaves, and lives his life exactly the way he wants. His character is not trying to be representative of the entire LGBT community; he is just trying to be himself. He isn't just shoved into a stereotypical role of the comic relief or the gay best friend— he is an integral part of the story and his personality is allowed to shine through. Jordan Gavaris, who plays Felix, explained pretty much how I feel about his character and about queer representation in general in this 2013 video: 

I highly recommend checking out Orphan Black if you haven't already. Whether for the sci-fi or the queer representation, it will keep you coming back for more!