@AllMyLesbians
My favorite lesbian characters...
To fully understand who they are, you have to understand who I am. I am a 25-year old male, with a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome. Social interaction is very difficult for me, as such, I've never had a girlfriend, never ever kissed a girl. So yeah, not so fun.
One day around April 2009, I was on YouTube, and came across a clip from the show "Guiding Light". I was never a soap opera fan, but I was just somehow drawn to it. It was the scene in the cemetery where Olivia, standing over Gus's grave, declares her love for Natalia. I was just... stunned.
I mean, I was a huge "Buffy" fan, especially Willow & Tara. I guess I've been drawn to lesbian characters ever since I moved to Boise, Idaho from Kingman, Arizona in 2002. There was a caretaker my parents hired to assist with my development. She is a lesbian, was in a relationship for 30 years (they've since split up), and until I was 16, was my best adult friend; she came out to me when I was 11.
Back to Otalia. After seeing that clip, I watched Guiding Light everyday until the end, being aware of the cancellation. I saw Natalia at the gazebo after the aborted wedding declaring her love for Olivia, and that was just... wow.
After learning the back stories of both characters, it all made sense; Olivia used sex as a form of power over her associates and enemies, having been raped at 16, watching her mom die in front of her, being blamed for the death of her sister molded her into who she was. After five marriages, she seemed to accept the fact that the only person who would ever love her was her daughter.
Then there was Natalia: God-fearing Catholic who had a baby at 16, no relationship with her parents, had to take waitress jobs to support her and her son, only to run into her son's father years later.
I realized something towards the end; this relationship makes sense. Two women with horrible pasts coming together to make a beautiful future.
I'm hedging on the details, but I do recall the car crash that killed Gus, and that Olivia hated her now dead fiance's babymomma. When Olivia had her heart attack and transplant, she wanted to die just to spite Natalia, but she was stubborn, refused to let her die, and in the process, they forged respect for each other.
All in all, through ups and downs, Otalia managed to make the last five months of Guiding Light something special... even if we only got one kiss (Damn You CBS!).
But while it was Otalia that brought me to the dance, it was @edenriegel who took my hand and lead me out to the floor.
I DVR'd the last (for now) episode of All My Children, merely because it was the finale, I was never really into it. Out of curiosity, I hit YT for some clips. Most of them were of the character Bianca. Now I had heard of Eden Riegel and her character, but didn't know Bianca was gay. After watching some of the early stuff, I was impressed with the acting skills, but became bored with the way the relationships ended, or in Frankie Stone's case, bored at the fact that the girl was gunned down; I thought it was another case of "You're Gay, You're Dead".
Then... "The Storm". You know what clip I refer to. The scene itself was powerful, but the aftermath really brought it home for me. See, without getting too descriptive, let's just say the subject matter, while never affecting me personally, has effected members of my family.
And from there... the mark of a good TV show is when they manage to suck you in, make you a fly on the wall to real events. Miranda's "death", her reunion with her mom, Bianca's feelings about Maggie, all showed me that if you put Eden Riegel in the big pressure situations, she delivers every time.
As far as Zarf & Reese go, I just felt the character of Zarf was too flamboyant and over the top. Reese I felt, with all due respect to @tamarabraun, was just there to provide angst, and Chuck Pratt certainly didn't help.
As far as @christinaBLind goes, while she had made the character her own, and the chemistry with @sarahglendenling is amazing, I give the edge to Eden due to tenure.
Bottom line is this: these are my favorites because if they can find love through all the shit that's thrown at them, maybe there's hope for me.
Sorry for rambling, and if I offend any one, I apologize.
http://tl.gd/dpmbff
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