LGBTQ-friendly shows have gotten me through some pretty rough times — whether it was when I was a teenager struggling with my sexual orientation, or when I was a young adult struggling with being affectionate with my significant other in public.
Shows like “Glee” and “Grey’s Anatomy” served as a sapphic escape for my young, closeted self, and now serve as a sweet reminder that married lesbian couples exist. These exhibits of queer love will always hold a special place in my heart.
Love is love, and us lesbians definitely have some of the biggest hearts out there. We really know how to commit to one another and what says “commitment” better than the grand display of a wedding (next to U-hauling, of course)?
Unfortunately, IRL weddings aren’t an option right now, and once again I find my sweet escape through television. So let’s take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about four of my favorite TV lesbian weddings.
“Grey’s Anatomy’s” Water Works of A Wedding
There are way too many moments on “Grey’s Anatomy” that made me cry for hours, and the holy matrimony between Callie and Arizona was certainly one of them. The orthopedic surgeon and director of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital were one of the most legendary lesbian couples to ever exist in television history (which made their breakup oh, so devastating!). But we will only be talking about the good times here, so let me tell ya’ll why I loved their wedding so much.
In the 20th episode of Season 7, entitled “White Wedding,” the couple celebrated its love and loyalty before friends and co-workers alike. Friends like Miranda Bailey and Mark Sloan supported the soon-to-be-weds all the way through. The former pep-talked Callie about queer love being just as real as any other love out there despite what others say. The latter provided comfort to Arizona as she mourned her brother’s death, and then walked Callie down the aisle on the big day.
Ultimately, as extravagantly outdoor as this wedding was, it still had all the qualities that made it the real, intimate moment we’d all been looking forward to. It was a real tearjerker seeing Dr. Bailey officiate the couple’s wedding and finally seeing the two long-time lovers become wife and wife – or as it’s called in the Grey’s universe, each other’s “person.”
“Glee’s” Gay AF Matrimony
In classic “Glee” fashion, Brittany and Santana’s wedding (like most other scenes in the show) was beyond entertaining and chaotic.
Firstly, the two packed their bags and traveled from Ohio to Northeast Indiana to host their wedding in the barn where Brittany was born.
Secondly, what made this wedding so great was that it was a double wedding, making things doubly gay! Since resident gay couple, Kurt and Blaine, played such a big part in Brittany’s coming out journey, she wanted to return the favor by helping them say their “I dos” as well.
Arch enemy/Cheerio honcho Sue Sylvester surprisingly helped Brittany with this sweet plan – and was even responsible for convincing Santana’s religious abuela to come to the wedding.
So, I guess what they say is true. [Lesbian] love really does bring people together!
“The Fosters’” Sapphically Symbolic Ceremony
This ABC series is so loudly lesbian and proudly diverse that the wedding between Stef and Lena Foster was mostly symbolic. Stef and Lena were committed to each other for 10 whole years before tying the knot, since Stef didn’t think marriage was necessary.
But by the end of Season 1, the two were wed in an intimate backyard arrangement accompanied by twinkly lights. Lena’s father officiated their union and their son Jude was the ring barrier.
Of course, Lena and Stef had already faced enough obstacles in this drama-filled series to prove their love and understanding of each other time and again — – but physically seeing them make their vows was all the more empowerment for me as a Black queer woman; and it reinforced the idea that lifelong lesbian love truly is realistic, as I’ve never really been able to imagine myself being with any woman for too long, nonetheless for a decade.
The TV couple is also one of the few representations of queer interracial marriage I’ve seen in the media, and I really appreciated this series elevating, but also normalizing, this kind of romantic relationship – from showcasing everyday foster family problems to ushering a beautiful union between two women who simply love each other, through and through.
“San Junipero’s” Long-lasting Lesbian Affair
Like every single “Black Mirror” episode, “San Junipero” left many viewers with some existential trauma to sort out. The ambitious TV show explored the power of queer interracial love and the fine line between life and death.
San Junipero is essentially an ‘80s based simulated reality which aging folks can frequent before and “live” in after they die. While in the simulation, elderly people can enjoy their “alternate life” as the younger versions of themselves as they await death – or if you’re main characters Kelly and Yorkie, you can instantly find your true love and nurture the most surreal, sapphic relationship you’ve ever had in your life (and death).
This relationship quite literally stood the test of time and led up to the very moment when Kelly must help Yorkie complete her dying wish: to be euthanized and become a full-time San Juniperan.
In order to do this, Kelly marries a bed-ridden Yorkie in the hospital, attaining the legal rights she needs as Yorkie’s partner to override the wishes of Yorkie’s religious family and have Yorkie euthanized.
Kelly later gets euthanized and joins Yorkie in San Junipero, enjoying everlasting sunsets and Belinda Carlisle-themed drives together. Their wedding might have been a quick ceremony, but the union between Kelly and Yorkie surely remains the most eternal on this list.
I’m definitely still giving these weddings a standing ovation – as well as still crying my eyes out!
