Cartoons have often been an area of entertainment where characters have freely been able to bend gender roles and traditional personality traits for years. Perhaps that’s why so many gay and lesbian kids grew up with an affinity for those cartoon characters that seemed to walk a bit on the queer side of life.
The following is a list of 10 female cartoon characters we think embraced being smart, sexy, strong, and being just a little, if not very, Sapphic.
10. Ashley – Jem
In addition to running Starlight Music, Jerrica Benton also ran an orphanage for girls called Starlight House. Ashley was the tough girl orphan with an attitude. In the first season of Jem, Ashley preferred the hard rock style of the Misfits over the softer look of Jem and the Holograms and at one point even ran away to join Jem’s rival band as a groupie. While her time with the Misfits was short, Ashley managed to kindle a special relationship with Stormer, which deemed, “our secret.”
9. Peppermint Patty – Charlie Brown
It’s safe to say that Peppermint Patty’s relationship with “best friend” Marcy is more than a little Sapphic. Nether girl embraced the softer side of the feminine, but Marcy leaves no doubt about their assumed roles by referring to Patty as “Sir.” Couple that with Patty’s tomboy fashion choices and strong athletic ability and you have a girl who definitely lets you know which way she swings.
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8. Foxxy Love – Drawn Together
To be completely fair, Foxxy was portrayed in more of a bisexual light than lesbian in Comedy Central’s Drawn Together. But let’s be honest, this sassy girl seemed more comfortable with girl-on-girl action than she ever did with any guy. She was also the “momma” of the house doling out advice to her roomies, and she was the only member of the cast who wasn’t a complete moron. She could kick ass, solve a mystery, take care of everyone else and still manage to throw a party. Yep, sounds like a do-it-all dyke to us.
7. Buttercup – The Powerpuff Girls
Buttercup is the tomboy of the super-powered trio known as the Powerpuff Girls. She’s more outspoken than her two sisters, wears her short black hair in a flip, hates taking baths and loves to get dirty. If it’s girly, Buttercup wants nothing to do with it. She’s a rough and tough superhero who loves to protect her sisters. Not to mention she’s the only Powerpuff Girl who can curl her tongue!
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6. Alexandra – Josie and the Pussycats
Alexandra was the bad girl, punk rocking rival of Josie in the classic Seventies Saturday morning cartoon Josie and the Pussycats. She was always trying to get between Josie and her boyfriend Alan. Sure, she pretended to want Alan, but it was obvious she was more jealous of Josie’s stardom than anything else. Bottom line, she was out to take over an all-girl band named the Pussycats. Do we really need any more evidence for our gaydar to hit a 10?
5. Lisa Simpson – The Simpsons
Lisa is witty, smart and fiercely independent. She’s also a socially minded vegetarian who loves to rebel against social norms. Lisa has been shown to have amazing driving skills, often taking the wheel when her father is distracted, and can play the saxophone and guitar like a pro. While she can be argumentative and bossy, she’s still the most sane, well-adjusted member of her family. That spells baby dyke in the making for sure.
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4. Wilma and Betty – The Flintstones
They claimed to be happily married, but these ladies of Bedrock seemed most at home in the company of one another than they did hanging out with their husbands. Much like the women in the film The Hours we’re certain there was more being shared than trips to the market and recipes for apple pie between these two.
3. Sailor Uranus and Neptune – Sailor Moon
These Sailor Scouts were an open lesbian couple in the original Japanese version of Sailor Moon. However, when the anime was imported into North America the show was heavily censored. In the English Dub, the girls were referred to as cousins and any scenes linking the girls romantically were removed. Nevertheless, eagle-eyed fans can still spot the fact that these heroines are far more than kissing cousins.
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2. Wonder Woman – Justice League
We’ve heard it all before. The Amazing Amazon who hails from an island of all women and loves to bind others with her magic lasso. There’s so much subtext woven into the character of Wonder Woman it’s almost comical when she’s seen paired with a man. However, in the Justice League episode “Maid of Honor,” her queer side takes center stage when Wonder Woman hooks up with the Princess of Kasnia. The two go clubbing, hold hands and then end up watching a romantic sunrise atop the Eiffel Tower where the Kasnian Princess tells the Amazon, “I rather enjoyed corrupting you.”
1. Velma – Scooby Doo
The original animated lesbian character! While Daphne was always running off with Fred to get busy in the Mystery Machine, Velma never had a single love interest. With her short hair, book smarts and chunky oversized sweater, Velma is a stereotype of colossal proportions. She’s clearly the brains of the operation and is the most capable character in the series. These are the qualities that have made her the strong female icon that damsel-in-distress Daphne never was.
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