20 Badass Women Who Sparked Our Queer Awakening

20 Badass Women Who Sparked Our Queer Awakening

These amazing, kick-ass superheroines sent so many queer girls' hearts aflutter!

Rosa Diaz

That dry wit, that leather jacket, that effortless strut. Please Rosa Diaz, put us in handcuffs.

Lara Croft

A badass lady adventurer who knows her way around an ancient ruin, and an arsenal of firearms, plus an accent? We never stood a chance. And let's be honest, she fills out those tactical shorts very nicely.

Azula

Is she a sociopathic, would-be despotic fire wizard? Probably. Can we change her if we just love her enough? Probably not. But did we want to try very, very badly? Oh yes.

Natasha Lyonne

Yes, yes this is meant to be fictional characters, but here is the real tea: Natasha Lyonne in literally anything is a guaranteed gay awakening.

Seven of Nine

Blame it on the body suit, but this lady Borg is one we would happily be assimilated by. Needless to say, we were delighted when not only did she return to the Picard series, but she was confirmed as queer. We knew that all the chemistry between her and Captain Janeway was just in our heads (and our live journals).

Xena

Those blue eyes, that statuesque physique, those thighs that could (and probably did) break a man’s neck. How could anyone resist this beautiful warrior, played by New Zealander Lucy Lawless. Obviously not Gabrielle, her perky and cute sidekick turned soul mate.

Dana Scully

The truth is out there, and it’s that Agent Dana Scully set our hearts a flutter with her no-nonsense attitude and Clarice Starling-inspired, '90s working woman chic. The perfect logical foil to her out-there partner Mulder, Scully became the heart of the show, and the agent of our hearts.

Sailor Moon

We all know about these boom anime babes. Sailor Moon was one of the first female-oriented anime to hit the America airwaves, and it hit hard. There is a lot to be said for the female power this anime punches with, and with so many different girls, just about anyone could find a sailor scout to crush on. No matter how hard the translators tried to hide it with sex changes and kissing “cousins,” the queer elements of the show shined though, even in its heavily-edited, Saturday morning version.

Ellen Ripley

The part of Ripley in Alien was originally written for a man, but Sigourney Weaver took the role and made it her own. She manages to be just at home killing xenomorph queens as saving her cat Jonesy, and who can’t relate to that? Sigourney Weaver became a sci-fi queen with this role, even to this day, and watching her kick ass in a mecha or her skivvies makes our hearts skip a beat.

The X-Ladies

Whether your taste ran to the sassy, southern belle with a dark side Rogue, the beautiful queen of the clouds Storm, the wicked shapeshifter Mystique, or someone else, this show was packed to the gills with strong, powerful woman. The jury is out on how well this '90s classic aged, but these ladies definitely formed many young, lesbian hearts. And shout out to the best theme song of any super hero cartoon, ever.

Princess Leia

The most iconic space princess of them all, we never knew if we wanted to be her, or just knock Han Solo out of the picture. Beautiful, strong, a die hard rebel...Leia has it all. And she looks like a million Imperial credits while doing it! Her actress, the late and great Carrie Fisher, is an amazing role models to boot, who openly took on her mental health problems and drug issues in public to help those struggling as well. Here’s to you Carrie!

Buffy

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an iconic series for many reasons, not the least of which was being one of the first mainstream shows to openly explore a lesbian relationship between Willow and her witchy love Tara. The show was full of beautiful ladies, who were all fully complex characters in their own rights. While it has shown some age now, the adventures of Buffy, Willow, Tara, Faith, Dru, Cordelia, and all the other awesome woman still holds a big place in our hearts.

Aeon Flux

When Aeon Flux hit the airwaves as part of MTV’s Liquid Television it was unlike anything most people had seen. This strange and sexy secret agent trying to navigate a complicated dystopian future was full of avant garde animation and deep moral questions. The show, and its surreally skimpy main character Aeon, captured the imagination and hearts of many a nerd looking for something new. While the movie adaption hit mixed reviews, Charlize Theron’s version has the sex appeal down pat.

Cheetara

Cheetara made lots of us a little bit of a furry, and a few of us a LOT of a furry. As the only adult female Thundercat, this cheetah-inspired Thundercat ran right into our dreams with her super speed and orange leotard. For once, however, the token girl might be the most modestly-clothed of her team mates...

The Star Trek Ladies

Whether you like the tough as nails Kathryn Janeway, the sensitive Deanna Troi, the feisty Kira Nerys, the composed and capable Ohura, or any number of other characters, every Star Trek series is just bursting with rounded, beautiful woman to crush on. So many, in fact, that we’re sure any Trekkie reading this is angrily going, “But what about _____!!!” This show has been at the forefront of many things, and many nerdy little lesbians found their heart a-flutter over these ladies boldly going where no man has gone before.

Velma and Daphne

Whether it was the many versions of the cartoon, or the live action version, the lesbian subtext between Velma and Daphne is nothing new. In fact, fans are trying to talk the producers of the new spin-off starring these crime solving girls to go there, and admit maybe Fred isn’t as important in this group as he thinks he is. That is still to be seen, but whether Velma and Daphne end up together on screen or not, they’re still a classic.

Wonder Woman

While the new movie has injected fresh life (and a whole new round of crushes) into this iconic superhero, the classic Wonder Woman has been a staple in our dreams for a long time. Through her many incarnations, she has stayed strong, sexy, and with a sweet, sincere edge that makes us swoon. Whether your Wonder Woman is from the comics, any number of animated shows, or the live action Lynda Carter version, Diana Prince will always be our prince.

Winona Ryder

It’s hard to pick one of this woman’s iconic roles to pin down as our lady crush. Is it the gothic (and let’s be honest, wonderfully bratty) Lydia Deetz? Or the sweet, soft blond Kim from Edward Scissorhands? Or maybe highschooler Veronica, caught in some very nasty mean girls drama in The Heathers? No matter who caught your attention, Winona Ryder and her unique, wry little smile left her mark, and we’re so glad to see her back as the world's best mama bear on Stranger Things.

The Gotham City Sirens

While the term "Gotham City Sirens" is a newer one, many of us were captivated by the wasp-waisted moving pin-ups of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s Batman: The Animated Series. Whether you were drawn to the sultry feminist Poison Ivy, adorably psychotic Harley Quinn, or slinky thief Catwoman, these three baddies stole our hearts along with the rest of their plundered booty. The subtext turned canon between Ivy and Harley was so strong it made its way out of the cartoon to Harley and Ivy currently living together in a poly relationship in the comics. Maybe the DC movie universe can look to their past to help their future!