10 Most Important Modern LGBT+ TV Characters
8. Yorkie & Kelly - Black Mirror (San Junipero)
With Black Mirror being an anthology show, we only get one episode in the company of Yorkie & Kelly. However, as arguably the best episode the tech nightmare show has put out, that’s more than enough for them to establish themselves and modern day LGBT+ icons.
Without delving too much into San Junipero’s story (explaining every detail would take a while) it’s essentially a love story between two lesbians - Yorkie & Kelly - set in a virtual world.
Black Mirror is not a queer show by any stretch, and its edgier themes (bestiality in the pilot, for example) means it’s not a mass market show either. To cast the spotlight on a lesbian relationship without fetishising it marked a major step for TV.
As well as this, though the majority of time we see them as younger ‘avatars’ (a decent description without, again, delving into the plot), they’re actually much older. Any myth or misunderstanding that gay relationships are a new fad or just flings is extinguished by San Junipero’s storytelling.
Other Black Mirror episodes have toyed with sexuality before (most recently Striking Vipers), but none more poignantly than San Junipero.