Representation in any media is not quite always where it should be. There is always the hard truth that someone out there is going to attempt to be progressive and instead is just insulting, or that they are going to use an entire demographic to poke fun at and stereotype.
Thankfully, this doesn't happen with absolutely everything. Representation for different races, sexualities, identities, religious beliefs, and everything else under the sun is getting out there, slowly but surely. People are finally getting to see themselves as more than just a joke, and instead can find themselves being positively represented with strong characters— and ones that don't automatically die.
10 Tell Me Why: Tyler Is No Mystery
Tell Me Why made waves with its protagonist, Tyler Ronan. Tyler is a trans man whose identity does not influence the narrative at all, just like any other character.
At the same point, the game never tries to put his identity into the background. It is right there, and even though the game is about discovering hidden truths, Tyler is never once treated like he is keeping a secret or is a secret himself. The best part? He is the first transgendered person to ever be the lead of a major mainstream video game from a large publisher.
9 Mass Effect: Commander Shepard Commands The Field
The Mass Effect series is intensely popular for good reason. It's an engaging series with a wide cast of characters with realistic personalities and motivations. It sees so many plotlines that involve LGBTQ+ themes, and they are always handled fantastically as if the fact they are under the umbrella doesn't matter to the plot (because it doesn't).
Mass Effect 3 even goes so far as to introduce an entirely new species of monogendered pansexuals, give the player the chance at same-sex relationships, and plenty other tiny details. The best part about the franchise? Commander Shepard, the face of the thing, identifies as genderfluid. Talk about breaking preconceived notions on how big tough guys should look, act, and feel.
8 The Last Of Us Part II: Ellie, Diana, And Lev Represent
Want to talk about an earth-shattering power move? The Last of Us Part II blew their representation out of the park by giving not just one, but three of the most prominent characters in the game queer identities. Ellie herself is a lesbian and involved with Diana who identifies as bisexual. Then there is Lev, a trans teenage boy. The game really knocks it out of the park by letting all three of them have prominent roles in a massive AAA game.
Ellie herself was critical for the story in the original Last of Us game and continues to make herself a powerful player in the second installment, able to take on powerful undead enemies entirely on her own.
7 Grand Theft Auto IV: Anthony Prince Made A Name For Himself In An Already-Crowded Industry
One thing the Grand Theft Auto series has never shied away from is a massive cast of diverse characters, and the LGBTQ+ community has never been excluded— even though, particularly in older installments, they were often the target of cheap and easy jokes. That said, one of the most prominent queer characters in the franchise is GTAIV's powerful nightclub owner Anthony Prince.
He became such an icon with his similarities to actual, living nightclub owners in several major cities, that he even was given his own spinoff downloadable game, The Ballad of Gay Tony as well as later appearing in GTA Online. His success and clout may have often come by way of less-than-legal means, but he still managed to become a powerful businessman in a city where it seemed like everyone was trying to become a powerful businessman.
6 Dragon Age Inquisition: Krem Doesn't Take Anyone's Bull
Dragon Age has never really been a game to care too much about who the player wants to get involved with. That particular section always takes a back seat as there is more to the game than just dating. Inquisition is somewhat progressive for a fantasy game in that it features just as much gratuitous shots of male flesh as it does female, and that includes trans males.
One such trans man, Cremisius "Krem" Aclassi, is treated no differently than anyone else in the series, not to mention being a feared mercenary who worked his way up to second in command of the highly respected Bull's Chargers.
5 Borderlands 3: The Beastmaster Themself
The Beastmaster of Borderlands 3 needs no introductions, fancy text, or frilly explanations. FL4K is nonbinary, and was suggested to be as such by a nonbinary member of the game's development team.
FL4K is nowhere near the only LGBT+ representation in the game, either. The soldier Lorelei, who is incredibly important throughout the story, is voiced by a trans woman. The developers wanted to entertain the world, so they were going to make sure that the characters reflected as many members of that world as possible.
4 Fallout 2: Chitsa's Shotgun Wedding
Fallout 2 had it all: Crime rings, slavery, survival, weird post-nuclear fallout apocalyptic storylines, prostitution, and a whole slew of other dark themes that other games wouldn't dare touch for some time, if at all.
There is also a point that the player can end up in a "shotgun wedding," and the game does not care at all who the player decided to pick as their face character. If that happened to be Chitsa, well it was about to become a lesbian wedding, complete with dialogue to match. If only the modern Fallout games could be so fun and progressive.
3 Overwatch: Tracer's Got A Girl Back Home
The developers of Overwatch are well aware of their wide range of players. They have been going out of their way to make sure that things are as inclusive as possible for their players, regardless of all the bumps in the road.
One of the iconic characters in the series, Lena "Tracer" Oxton, had been revealed to have a girlfriend back at home within the comics. Her name is Emily and they make one seriously cute couple.
2 Life Is Strange: Rachel Saved Chloe
Life is Strange puts their LGBTQ+ characters right into the forefront of the game with the protagonist Rachel saving her childhood friend Chloe from being murdered when she learns she has the power to turn back time.
Chloe is constantly reminding the player that she has had feelings for Rachel, and other characters will appear throughout the colorful story to remind them that not everyone is straight.
1 Tekken 6: Leo Is A Bit Vague
The developers of Tekken 6 have never officially come out with a statement on Leo, but there are some good reasons to suspect their inclusion. Leo is given the ability to equip from both male and female pools and wears some solidly gender-bending attire. On top of it all, their name was released as being Eleneor Kliesen, potentially giving a hint on his birth assignment.
What's great about the fact that the developers never give a straight answer is that players are welcome to believe anything that they want about Leo. If they want him to be the series first transgender character, then that is what he is. Either way, he is an awesome character worthy of praise.