LGBTQ Representation in Fallout

The following article details LGBTQ representation in the Fallout series.

Fallout 2
Fallout 2 was the first game in the Fallout series to introduce same-sex romance options. The Chosen One, regardless of their gender, has the option to romance and marry one of two characters in the town of Modoc: Davin and Miria. Upon having sex with either of them, their father Grisham will burst into the room and initiate a 'shotgun wedding', if the player does not have high enough Intelligence to pass the dialogue check.

The Bishop crime family is rather accepting of same-sex relationships. If the Chosen One takes the offer to join the family, John Bishop will mention being able to get "glitterboys" for male players and "swinging the other way" for female players.

Characters

 * Davin and Miria, the children of Grisham. The Chosen One may romance, engage in sexual intercourse and marry either of them, regardless of gender, at which point they will follow the player across the game.
 * Leslie Anne Bishop, wife of John Bishop. She can be romanced and engaged in sexual intercourse with Leslie, regardless of gender. Leslie also remarks about how she hates her husband and how they have no love for each other.  Players can

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
In Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, female player characters can engage with Ruby, a bisexual female escort in Carbon.

Characters

 * Ruby will provide her services, regardless of the character chosen. If Nadia or Patty are selected and the player pays for her services, she will remark about how "women know what women want."
 * Nadia and Patty, two female player characters that can engage in services with Ruby.

Fallout 3
Fallout 3 features several human and ghoul characters.

Characters

 * Carol and Greta, two ghouls operating a bed and breakfast called Carol's Place in Underworld. They have been a couple for about 60 years. Greta also warns a female Lone Wanderer to "not get any ideas" about Carol.
 * Flak, a weapons merchant who runs Flak 'N Shrapnel's at Rivet City. Upon enslaving him during the quest Strictly Business, Grouse refers to him as "old queen Flak", with 'queen' being a term commonly used to refer to gay men. The script note for the line of dialogue reads (amused) genuinely mystified how the player managed to enslave one tough dude ("queen" as in gay).
 * Anthony Ling, a merchant who runs New Urban Apparel at Tenpenny Tower. He continually flirts with Tenpenny security guards,  as well as with Chief Gustavo.  Anthony's AI package for this behavior is called.

Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas explores the themes of sexuality much more than previous Fallout games, with it being host to numerous characters of differing sexualities. Players are introduced to two new perks: for female couriers, Cherchez La Femme; for male couriers, Confirmed Bachelor, granting unique same-sex dialogue options with various characters and damage bonuses against the same-sex, in addition to the Black Widow and Lady Killer perks for the opposite sex. Bisexual characters were kept in mind as well, as the combinations of Lady Killer/Confirmed Bachelor and Black Widow/Cherchez La Femme can both be obtained, granting unique dialogue options with all sexes.

Homosexuality within the wasteland is explored upon greatly. The political climate of the Mojave Wasteland with its various factions, each with opposing views on homosexuality gives bigotry an incredibly easy way to crawl up into the institutions. Major Knight, an New California Republic officer stationed at Mojave Outpost, will tell a male courier that people are not as accepting of homosexuality in the Mojave and further east. Within the NCR, their views on homosexuality would be more described as 'tolerant'.

This is at odds with Caesar's Legion out east, which has much more extremist and harsh views towards homosexuality. Jimmy, an escaped Legion slave turned male sex worker can inform the player of a homosexual relationship he had with a Centurion. He reveals that Caesar punishes homosexuality with death, as it stifles the number of soldiers available to further the Legion's cause. Women in the Legion are treated as nothing more than breeding stock and given out to men as rewards, while men are obligated to contribute to the "child count." If these requirements are met, however, many homosexual relationships are seen are more equal than the traditional nuclear family. Many Mojave inhabitants seem to echo that idea that homosexuality is fairly common practice within Legion ranks.

Some members of the Brotherhood of Steel believe that since outsiders are not allowed to join the ranks, procreation between members is an obligation, rather than a choice. This means that, while same-sex relationships are not explicitly prohibited, they are not explicitly encouraged either, as evidenced by the relationship between Veronica Santangelo and Christine Royce.

The Strip, and by extension, Mr. House, are indifferent towards homosexuality, only seeing it as a means for profit to flow. At the Gomorrah, prostitutes like Dazzle and Joana offer sexual services regardless of the customer's gender. Freeside is also profiting off of same-sex relations, as during the quest Wang Dang Atomic Tango, one of James Garrets wealthy male clients asks for a "ghoul cowboy" escort, and another client asks for suave talker that can fake the "boyfriend experience." Westside has a brothel in the Casa Madrid Apartments, owned by Marco and run by the pimp Pretty Sarah, offering same-sex services to both genders, with Sweetie for females and Jimmy for males.

Characters

 * Veronica Santangelo and Christine Royce, two Brotherhood of Steel members, were in a short-lived lesbian relationship before Christine left due to differences with her parents. Christine can be encountered in the Sierra Madre, and informs the Courier that Father Elijah, a former Brotherhood elder and the mentor of Veronica, used his status to separate the pair. Christine also confirms that she and Veronica were lovers.
 * When trying to recruit Arcade Gannon as a companions, a male Courier with the Confirmed Bachelor perk can flirt with him. Upon asking Arcade about himself, he sarcastically remarks about why no lucky man has swooped him off his feet yet.
 * Talking with Corporal Betsy as a female Courier with at least 7 Charisma results in her making several flirtatious remarks. Answering with the Cherchez La Femme option leads Betsy to remark about how she has leave coming up and would love to be rolled up in silk sheets at the Gomorrah with the Courier. Even without the perk, Betsy still comes onto the Courier, insisting that they won't know what it is like unless they try it. Upon exiting dialogue with a female Courier, she'll remark about how she scares away the hot ones. According to Lieutenant Gorobets, Betsy's incessant forwardness with women stems from trauma experienced in the past.
 * Upon initiating dialogue, Alex Richards will flirt with the Courier, if they are male and have the Confirmed Bachelor perk. Richards will give them pet names such as "buttercup" and "dear."
 * Cass mentions to a female Courier with the Cherchez La Femme perk, that when she is drunk enough, she does not care with whom she shares a bed.
 * Jimmy can be flirted with for a discount, if the Courier is male and has the Confirmed Bachelor perk. If a female Courier asks Marco about Jimmy's past as a Legion slave, Jimmy will talk about his past relationship with a centurion, that nearly cost him his life.
 * Major Knight can be flirted with by a male Courier with the Confirmed Bachelor perk. Knight will be taken aback and tell the Courier that homosexuality is not as accepted in the Mojave as it is in the NCR back west. While more tolerated within republic, he states it'll take time for things to change.
 * Sarah Weintraub will sleep with the Courier if they meet certain criteria, regardless of their gender.
 * Carlyle St. Clair III will have sex with the Courier regardless of their gender, if they have the Confirmed Bachelor (male) or Black Widow (female) perk.
 * Elaine and Angela. Elaine enlisted with the army to protect her loved one from the Legion, and had plans to propose to Angela upon the end of her tour.
 * Dobson O'Gill was involved in a love triangle with his colleagues Alan Dalton and Jenny DeSoto, though the latter two were unaware of one another.

Fallout 4
Fallout 4 introduced the ability to romance recruitable companions via the affinity mechanic. Except for Deacon, X6-88, and Old Longfellow, all companions can be romanced, regardless of the Sole Survivor's gender.

The game is the first of the series to explore the concept of romantic relationships between robots and humans. Miss Edna, a Miss Nanny teacher assistant for Mister Zwicky at the schoolhouse in Diamond City asks the the Sole Survivor about "love" and if it can flourish even if one person is human and the other a robot. Depending on their reply, Edna will privately confess her love to Zwicky, with Pastor Clements later wedding Edna and Zwicky outside of All Faiths Chapel. In the Far Harbor add-on, players of both genders can additionally flirt and share a bed with Gilda Broscoe, a former Hollywood actress turned Robobrain in Vault 118.

Characters

 * Professor Scara and Doctor Duff, two scientists who work and life together at the Science! Center in Diamond City. Script notes refer to them being "partners (romantic and professional)" and a "classic odd couple." To Scara's dismay, Duff will take to rearrange and clean Scara's workplace and even the bedroom that they share. Scara calls Duff "dear" while discussing a theory about how the Institute creates synths. If the Sole Survivor kills Madison Li or is banished from the Institute during the quest Liberty Reprimed, they will be directed to visit the Science! Center to recruit Professor Scara. Only Doctor Duff will be present, depressingly telling the player that Scara has gone missing. She recounts about how the two of them are very close and remark about how she won't know what to do if something happened to her.
 * Lily Bell and Mary Jane were two adventurers in a lesbian relationship who worked on the Commonwealth travel guide together. During the quest Way Back Home, the Sole Survivor finds the body of Mary Jane with the Commonwealth travel guide holotape and wedding ring on her body. The guide contains a plethora of entries following Lily and Mary's adventures across the Commonwealth, which unlock as the quest progress and locations are visited. In one entry, Lily recounts about how she met Mary while walking out of Fentons Food Stuffs and saw Mary carrying "enough firepower to mow down a ten story Deathclaw." Upon bumping into each other, Lily describes the encounter as "love at first collision," and the pair would soon be wed. Lily explained one of her big dreams to Mary, that being Commonwealth travel guide; a guide to provide travelers with useful information about Commonwealth locations, hoping to visit Sanctuary Hills on the way. After much treking, they eventually made it to Diamond City, though upon arriving, entries indicate that Lily fell incredibly ill. The pair visit Doctor Sun at the Mega surgery center for help, only for Sun to diagnose Lily with terminal cancer with one or two months to live. Mary, furious and unsatisfied, travels with Lily to visit another doctor in Goodneighbor, only to be given the same diagnosis.  Due to her worsening condition, Lily opted to speak with the caravans in Bunker Hill to complete her guide from hearsay. Upon finishing the compiling of her information on Sanctuary Hills, Lily has Mary make a promise to her that she'll truly complete the guide one day and visit Sanctuary Hills for her, which Mary agrees to. The two head home to their house in Quincy, to spend their last days together. Lily would later pass and be buried near the Peabody house. Following a 6-month trek to fulfill the promise she made, Mary made it to Sanctuary Hills to truly complete Lily's guide. She had hoped to make it back home to see Lily after this, though was killed by a pack of mongrels, where her body is found. The player is tasked with returning Mary's wedding ring to Lily's grave to reunite her soul with her lover.
 * Mel, a tech expert working for Bobbi No-Nose. When getting Mel out of jail during the quest The Big Dig, replying with sarcastic responses as a male Sole Survivor will result in Mel returning flirtatious remarks back at the player. Upon returning with Mel to Goodneighbor, in a conversation with Bobbi No-Nose, Mel will continue to flirt with the player, remarking that they are not so bad to look at.
 * Miranda Song, a resident of Vault 81. Upon entering the Vault, Miranda will harass the Sole Survivor for being an outsider. The player can respond with a speech check, asking why she hates outsiders. She recounts about how she once met a girl from the wasteland who promised to secure a place to live. Miranda forfeited all her money to this lady to find a place to settle, though she was met with months of silence. Upon speaking with a passing trader in the following months, she learns that the girl was now with a man in Diamond City.
 * Magnolia will sleep with the Sole Survivor, regardless of their gender.
 * Andre Michaud, a Mirelurk hunter in Far Harbor with his late husband, John. Upon healing Andre with an Intelligence of 8, level 2 of the Medic perk or with the Mysterious serum, Andre will recount about losing John to a mirelurk hunter in their last hunting trip.
 * Keith McKinney, a former Hollywood actor turned Robobrain. During the quest Brain Dead, the Sole Survivor can pass a speech check with Keith to make him confess about how he was once in love with Ezra Parker, another resident of Vault 118.

Fallout 76
Fallout 76 is the first game in the series to feature characters that explicitly identify as non-binary. In addition, some allies, like Beckett or Sofia Daguerre, can be romanced.

Characters

 * Burke is a member of the Raiders, located at the Crater war room. The quietest member of the Crater Raiders, when Burke first joined the group, they flinched when being talked about and other raiders called them by titles such as "The Silent Man" and "Albino Dog". Pierce, another raider whose Burke's previous employer kept imprisoned, approached Burke to ask them if they preferred to be called something else. They all eventually settled on a neutral 'they'. Pierce remarks that Burke is much happier than they were before. Burke is the first non-binary character to be featured in the Fallout series.
 * Polly is an Assaultron who works for Duchess. Polly's experiences and struggles with her body and identity are very similar to transgender ones. When Polly was first programmed, Duchess treated her as if she were a Protectron. Sol, a friend of Duchess, was convinced Polly was so much more than that, remarking she's like a "real lady". With Sol's help, Duchess would finally be convinced of this and treat Polly better. Sol affirms Polly's identity as a lady by calling her a 'bot-sis'. During the quest Strength in Numbers, the Vault Dweller is tasked with obtaining a new body for Polly after her old one was destroyed in the Gauley Mine. If the player obtains either a Protectron or Mr. Handy body, her new body will be painted to appear like an Assaultron, which can be seen as a way of affirming her true identity, something many trans people struggle with. She'll be incredibly upset and ask the player why they chose such awful bodies.  If the player obtains the Assaultron body, she'll express genuine euphoria, calling her body "nothing short of art", relieved with the lack of malfunctions and mishaps she was dealing with for years. Transgender people can feel the same feelings as Polly when getting treatment to obtain the correct body.
 * Miguel Caldera and Garry Wilkins, two members of the Responders. Garry is mentioned several times by Miguel in holotapes and terminal entries, and according to a cut holotape, they had been in love.
 * Freddie Lang and Lucie, a couple from before the Great War.
 * Kelly, a student attracted to Anya, a girl one grade higher than her.
 * Gnash has a preference for "bad boys."
 * Johnny Weston mentions to the player character that he would not mind "shacking up" with them, regardless of their gender.
 * Katherine Swan had a girlfriend in the past.

Player icons
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Behind the scenes

 * Developer Carl McKevitt stated that Deborah Timmerman and Shelley van Lowe are in a relationship.
 * According to the voice director for Expeditions: The Pitt, Phillip M. Reich, Orlando is non-binary.
 * Ellys Tan wrote the character Burke. A non-binary voice actor, Jason Greene, lend his voice for Burke.