Gay game of thrones characters

But, before any of that begins we see her as as a nervous virgin being instructed in how to please her man by acting out positions and intimate touches with another woman. Olyvar's relationship with Loras begins with him posing as Loras' squire, which later leads the two to give in to their feelings for one another. This show will be screened in countries where homosexuality is illegal, where women’s sexual choices are controlled and where trans identities are violently subjugated.

Ellaria Sands, chained up with her daughter’s rotting corpse. Oberyn Martell, dead. And these are homophobic times. But they have also made Loras more effeminate, interested only in fine clothing and fripperies. At a recent fan convention, Martin identified some specific queer icons of the past, citing Alexander the Great, Richard the Lionheart, and Edward II and saying:

If indeed those men were gay it had a significant effect upon history and it has a somewhat significant effect on the events in my book … I wanted to include the full range of humanity, including the full range of sexual preferences and sex is an important part of the books.

Knights and lovers

The first big gay relationship is between Renly Baratheon and Loras Tyrell.

Renly is introduced as Loras' lover, but unlike Loras, who is more open about his sexual preferences, he is closeted and does not reveal his relationship with him to anyone else. After escaping the persecution of House Stark, she is trained to be a Faceless Man. Arya's desire for revenge helped us to see just how brutal she can truly be after she exterminated the whole Frey male line.

What places Loras at the bottom of the list is the fact that his whole character is defined by harmful gay stereotypes, especially considering he (and Renly) were the first LGBTQ+ characters in Game of Thrones we were introduced to. In Martin’s books, her sensual interactions with female attendants like Irri suggest bisexuality, yet this aspect of her character was never clearly explored in the show.

Part of what makes the show so gripping is that any character, even the central protagonist, can be killed. However, as popular as it is, the show has always been a little contentious and controversial.

While its divisive finale continues to disappoint fans, as do many of its plot points and character arcs, the show is particularly a hard watch for queer viewers because of its handling of LGBTQ+ characters.

She was later killed off-screen, which many believe is a textbook definition of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope.

4Nymeria Sand

Nymeria Sand, one of Oberyn’s Sand Snakes, was a bisexual warrior with a whip and a fiery spirit. As a stark contrast of gay representation to Loras, Renly serves to portray a very different LGBTQ+ experience for the viewers to potentially relate to on Game on Thrones.

2 Arya Stark