You know how sometimes you read a book or binge a show and think, ah, finally—someone like me on the page/screen, but with more magic and better hair? That’s the sweet spot where urban fantasy meets queer representation. Urban fantasy has always been about worlds hidden in plain sight—magic tucked into city streets, vampires doing their laundry at 2 a.m., witches ordering espresso shots—and it’s honestly the perfect place for LGBTQ+ characters to thrive. We know what it’s like to live in the margins and still carve out space, so no surprise we keep popping up in these stories.
Here’s my totally subjective, absolutely biased, but deeply heartfelt list of ten LGBTQ+ characters in urban fantasy who’ve stuck with me.
1. Alec Lightwood (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare)
Alec was one of the first mainstream gay characters I saw in YA urban fantasy who actually got a love story. Not just tragic longing, but a real relationship—with Magnus Bane (more on him in a second). He’s awkward, stoic, and fights demons like it’s his side gig, all while navigating the terror of coming out in a conservative family of Shadowhunters.
2. Magnus Bane (The Mortal Instruments & The Bane Chronicles)
Look, Magnus deserves his own entry. He’s the bisexual High Warlock of Brooklyn, dresses like a glitter bomb exploded in the best way possible, and has lived for centuries, loving people across genders. He’s funny, powerful, and unapologetically himself. Honestly? He’s goals.
3. Nico di Angelo (Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan)
Okay, yes, this leans more “mythic fantasy in modern day” than strict urban fantasy, but I had to include Nico. He’s Hades’ son, broody as all get out, and had one of the most emotional coming-out arcs in YA fantasy. The way Rick Riordan handled his queerness—especially for a middle-grade audience—was groundbreaking.
4. Constantine (DC Comics / Constantine TV / Legends of Tomorrow)
The bisexual chain-smoking, trench-coat-wearing demonologist we didn’t know we needed. Constantine is messy, morally gray, and constantly caught between saving the world and sabotaging himself. I love that his bisexuality isn’t erased (at least not in recent depictions), because characters like him prove queerness doesn’t have to be sanitized to be valid.
5. Karrin Murphy (The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher—TV adaptation)
In the books, Murphy isn’t queer (which is a shame), but in the short-lived Dresden Files TV show, she was reimagined as a lesbian character. It added another dimension to her tough-as-nails cop persona. Honestly, we deserved way more seasons with her.
6. Wayhaught (Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp)
Two for one! Waverly Earp (little sis to Wynonna) and Sheriff Nicole Haught gave us one of the sweetest, most enduring sapphic relationships on television. They fought demons, dealt with cursed revenants, and still managed to make time for romance in between dodging bullets. If you’ve never seen Wynonna Earp, add it to your watchlist right now.
7. Laf (short for Lafontaine, Carmilla)
Carmilla (the web series) was basically queer vampire chaos in a Canadian college dorm, and Laf—nonbinary, brainy, and endlessly loyal—was one of the standouts. Their friendship with Laura kept the story grounded, even when ancient vampires and eldritch horrors were showing up.
8. Diana Bishop (A Discovery of Witches TV adaptation)
Okay, here’s a sneaky one: in Deborah Harkness’s books, Diana is straight. But the A Discovery of Witches TV show gave us an amazing queer side character—Gillian Chamberlain—AND a world where queerness isn’t erased in the magical community. The adaptation embraced diversity way more, so I’m giving it a shoutout.
9. Talon (The Iron Widow author’s upcoming Heavenbreaker series teaser + nonbinary rep in similar UF spaces)
I’m cheating here because Iron Widow isn’t urban fantasy, but I’ve been following how more recent queer, nonbinary characters are being written into modern fantasy that straddles UF vibes. Characters like Talon are paving the way for bigger, bolder representation. (Also, if you want a canon enby vampire, check out The Beautiful series by Renée Ahdieh—Odette is chef’s kiss).
10. Mitchell Hundred (Ex Machina graphic novel—urban fantasy meets political drama)
Half superhero, half mayor of NYC, and bisexual. What I love is that Mitchell’s queerness isn’t the central conflict, but it’s part of his identity in a political world that’s not always welcoming. It’s gritty, weird, and perfectly urban fantasy in tone.
Why This List Matters
Urban fantasy has always been about outsiders, the unseen, the magical underbelly of the everyday. Queer folks fit right into that mix—we know how to spot hidden worlds, because we’ve had to live between them ourselves. Representation matters, not just because it’s nice to see a rainbow flag tucked into your favorite demon-slaying story, but because it normalizes queerness in every kind of narrative.
When a bisexual warlock can save the world in sequined pants, or a lesbian cop can take down revenants with a shotgun, or a gay son of Hades can finally admit who he loves—suddenly, the genre feels more like home.
Who’s missing from my list? (Because I know I’ve left out at least a dozen amazing queer characters.) Drop your faves in the comments—I’m always looking for my next queer urban fantasy obsession.
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