This Valentine’s Day, whether you are Netflix and chilling with someone special or chilling on the couch and watching Netflix by yourself, chances are you may be looking for something to watch this Wednesday evening. These 14 canon LGBTQ+ couples will bring romance to life, entertainment to your screens and warm, gooey feelings to your heart.
1. Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson, Glee
For many, including myself, Glee was one of the first prominent examples of LGBTQ+ representation on TV. Kurt Hummel showed audiences what it is like to go through adolescence and early adulthood being gay. In season two, Kurt transfers to a new school and meets Blaine Anderson. Over the rest of the show they have a relationship that, although sometimes rocky, proved that love can overcome anything.
Best Episode: 2×16, “Original Song”
2. Santana and Brittany, Glee
While on the subject of Glee, we cannot forget our leading gaydies Santana and Brittany. The two stared as Quinn Fabrey’s backup girls, but quickly began to have storylines of their own. It was hinted early on that Santana and Brittany had experimented once or twice, it is not until season three that Santana begins to realize her true feelings for Brittany. Their relationship culminates with a double wedding with Kurt and Blaine during the final season, and it is magical.
Best Episode: 3×13, “Heart”
3. Ian and Trevor, Shameless
Ian Gallagher is one of the main characters of the show as one of the six Gallagher kids and for most of the show has a relationship with not-so-good Mickey Milkovich. However in season seven, Ian meets Trevor, a young trans men who works with LGBTQ+ youth. The two date, and he shows Ian that relationships do not have to be toxic. As of now they are on a break, but if Shameless has shown us anything it is that no relationship is ever really over.
Best Episode: 7×5, “Own your Sh*t”
4. Cosima and Delphine, Orphan Black
Orphan Black is a magnificent show on its own – Tatiana Maslany plays every one of the 11+ clones in this sci-fi thriller. But this relationship at the center of the drama is tragic and beautiful, often all at once. Delphine is assigned at first to be monitoring Cosima, a clone, but their relationship quickly becomes romantic. The amount of time apart and pining and betrayal and passion that these two go through takes five seasons and quite a lot of heartache, but every moment is thrilling and waiting for them to be happy together keeps you watching the whole time.
Best Episode: 1×8, “Entangled Bank”
5. Ben and McKinley, Wet Hot American Summer
If you are feeling more in the mood for a comedy or a movie, Wet Hot American Summer may be just the thing you are looking for. This quirky 2001 film about 80’s summer camp has quite a lot of couples, but one of the more surprising couples is the two counselors Ben and McKinley. McKinley’s friends are trying to find him a girl to kiss on the last day of camp – meanwhile he is by the lake getting married to Ben by the camp director. Once you watch the movie there are prequel and sequel Netflix serieses to get to see the two even more.
Best Scene: The marriage scene. Duh.
6. Arizona and Callie, Grey’s Anatomy
If you want to enjoy this one, you better buckle in because it is going to take a good five to six seasons to get to this relationship. Grey’s is pretty much all about the relationships, and after a failed marriage with George and a fling with a heart surgeon named Erica, Callie meets a pediatric surgeon named Arizona Robbins and everything changes. Like every relationship on Grey’s there is a lot of drama, but their love is strong through it all. (Unless something happened in the last two seasons. Honestly, I could not keep up.)
Best episode: 6×8, “Invest in Love”
7. Ray and Kevin, Brooklyn 99
Brooklyn 99 has done something most mainstream sitcoms could not – it has made being gay funny again. Captain of the precinct Raymond Holt is a gay black man and regularly makes jokes about being gay without them being about being gay. Him and his husband Kevin have a loving relationship and a corgi named Cheddar and the two of them together are seriously adorable.
Best Episode: 1×16, “The Party”
8. Ruby and Sapphire, Steven Universe
If you want a cartoon that still has a lot of substance to it, Steven Universe is what you are looking for. The show follows the Crystal Gems – three aliens from another planet that are here to protect humans from… other aliens. Two of these gems are Ruby and Sapphire and they are absolutely adorable… all powerful alien lightforms.
Best Episode: 2×25, “The Answer”
9. Sean and Holden, Valentine’s Day
Years after Love, Actually, another movie in the same style was made but instead of being about Christmas, this one is about Valentine’s Day. The movie features a wide range of relationships – kid crushes, affairs, longtime marriages and more. But one that we do not see coming until the end of the movie. More Bradley Cooper and more gay in a movie that is perfect for this romantic holiday.
All of these movies can be found on streaming services or on demand. If you are interested in more LGBTQ+ characters, check out this article featuring seven LGBTQ characters in media.