Starting as a toy aimed at young boys in the 1980s, it's taken a long time for the Transformers to expand its characters outside of the confines of gender binaries and heterosexual romance. The first homosexual romance in the franchise occurred by accident when the Japanese dub of Beast Wars rewrote the character of Airazor to be male. Little did they realize that Airazor was destined to be a romantic partner for fellow male Maximal Tigatron. However, since then, and especially once the license was purchased by IDW the number of LGBTQ+ characters has skyrocketed.
In no particular order, the following has been compiled of the best LGBTQ+ characters from Transformers comics. For the sake of brevity, any couple will be treated as a single entry. This list also only considers Bots who are explicitly shown as LGBTQ+, so no fan shipping nor headcanon.
*SPOILER WARNING FOR IDW'S TRANSFORMERS COMICS*
10 Knockout & Breakdown Are Prime Examples
Easily the most popular incarnation of Knockout first appeared in 2010's Transformers: Prime animated series where he was shown to be a snobbish and narcissistic Decepticon obsessed with aesthetics and visual appearance. Quickly becoming a fan favorite, a romance between him and fellow Decepticon Breakdown was long shipped by viewers.
While the cartoon never broached the subject, when Knock Out was introduced in IDW's continuity of Transformers comics he retained many of his character traits from Prime and would eventually be confirmed to be in a gay relationship with an unseen Cybertronian who is heavily implied to be Breakdown.
9 The Pipes Are Always Calling On Pescus Hex
The Autobot known as Pipes was originally a 1986 recolor and retool of fellow Autobot Huffer. He would make minor appearances throughout the original Generation 1 cartoon in both "Five Faces of Darkness" and "Forever is a Long Time Coming." Never a major player, he would come into more prominence with the IDW series of comics where he would be known as Pipes of Pescus Hex. Outgoing and flirtatious, Pipes would famously have a type for his partners that went as such; triple changers, the same height as pipes along with an aquatic alt mode, minimal kibble, and a big chest plate.
8 Crankcase & Cons4eva, Cosmic Dating
Crankcase was another G1 toy that had very minor roles in media such as the Marvel Comics series. Crankcase was characterized as a geek who had taken a job as a janitor at the Ministry of Energy and Nutrition on Cybertron. Due to constant bullying, he had developed an angry and vengeful nature that eventually led him to join the Decepticons. During his time in the IDW family of comics, Crankcase would join a Decepticon dating website called "The Big Conversation" where he would meet CONS4EVA. CONS4EVA would turn out to be an alien Dire Wraith, but despite their differences, the two would blossom into a beautiful couple... at least in one timeline.
7 Always A Prowl, Never A Bride
The Autobot Prowl was one of the more notable classic G1 characters to be revealed as gay in the IDW continuity. First appearing in the original 1980s toyline, Prowl was characterized as a military strategist with a penchant for being cool under fire and loyal to the end. In the IDW comics, he is characterized as having a bit of a pole up his exhaust port, but more pertinent towards the topic at hand is that he was revealed to be the ex-boyfriend of fellow Autobot Chromedome. Unfortunately for Prowl, his further adventures in IDW would lead to some very dark places.
6 Anode & Lug Are Literal TRANS-Formers
Anode and Lug (ignoring a G1 Nubulan Headmaster) were both brand new characters created for IDW's ongoing Transformers comics. Not only were they brand new as characters, but they were a major step forward for representation in the franchise. Anode and Lug are the first transgender couple in the legacy of the IP, having both been born or rather built as male but later in life identifying as female. Their journey throughout the books is lovely and part of what has made the last 17 years of IDW Transformer comics so special.
5 It's Best To Pretend Like G1 Skids Is The Only One
Skids is, unfortunately, most well known by pop culture as one of the horrendous racial caricatures paraded by Michael Bay in 2009's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Despite that sour note in the character's history, his G1 persona has found new life in IDW's comic series. Aside from being a well-trained theoretician, this incarnation of Skids was a stalwart Autobot hero who came to continue his interest in fellow Cybtertronian Firestar regardless of her gender. Originally assuming she was male, Skids is revealed to be one of a few Transformers interested in both sexes.
4 Ratchet Gets His Drift
Drift is another character that unfortunately doesn't have the best representation in the Michael Bay films, but his subtly foreshadowed relationship with Autobot medic Ratchet is a perfect example of the kind of wonderful character writing in IDW's comics. Drift used to be a Decepticon known as Deadlock, but by the time of More Than Meets The Eye and Lost Light he is reformed and atoning for his past actions. A surprising couple due to their mixed affiliations, Ratchet and Drift would be confirmed late into the story and remain key players.
3 Cyclonus Wanted To Get Some Tail...gate
Cyclonus first appeared in 1986's The Transformers: The Movie when Unicron, the planet munching Transformer, reformated Megatron into Galvatron. Cyclonus was either originally Skywarp or Bombshell depending on who you ask and if you want to start a fight. As Galvatron's right-hand bot he was an imposing figure for the Post-Movie era of Transformers media.
IDW's books would create a redemption arc for the brutal Decepticon which eventually climaxed into the loving relationship with Lost Light crewmate Tailgate. The best part of their romance is fellow shipmate Whirl's attempts at getting the two to drop the act and just admit their feelings to each other.
2 Chromedome & Rewind Are The Perfect Couple
Anyone even passively familiar with the IDW era of Transformers comics knows that Chromedome and Rewind would inevitably make this list. From the very outset of the series these two are shown bickering like a married couple, and by the end of IDW's tenure with the franchise they may be the most well-developed romance in all of the series' canon. Even fan favorites like Silverbolt and Blackarachnia don't have the breadth of stories dedicated to the ongoing tale of their relationship. Chromedome and Rewind weren't just one of the best and first gay couples in Transformers, they were also one of if not the best couple period.
1 Arcee Was And Is A Trans Queen
Arcee is likely the most well-known bot on this list when it comes to mass recognition. With major roles in the G1 cartoon, the '86 movie, and recent media like Transformers: Animated and Transformers: Prime she is easily the most popular female character in franchise history. Her inclusion, along with the likes of Elita-1 and Chromia, has raised the question for decades about how exactly gender would even work for space alien robots.
After years of speculation, it was revealed late into the IDW series that their incarnation of Arcee was actually transgender. She was by no means the first bot to be trans in the comics, but to have a well-known and major character be revealed as such was a huge win for the LGBTQ+ Transformers fandom. In this continuity, she was also in a same-sex romance with fellow Autobot and secretary to Optimus Prime, Aileron.