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, including 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 accepting of same-sex relationships. If the Chosen One joins the family, John Bishop mentions 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, share a bed, and marry either of them, regardless of gender, at which point they will follow the player endlessly.
 * Leslie Anne Bishop, wife of John Bishop. She can be romanced and slept with, regardless of gender.

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

 * Ruby, a bisexual female escort in Carbon. She 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

 * Anthony Ling, a merchant who runs New Urban Apparel at Tenpenny Tower. He flirts with Tenpenny security guards and Chief Gustavo.    Anthony's AI package for this behavior is.
 * Bittercup, a resident of Big Town, can flirt with the player and ask if they're in a relationship, regardless of gender. Upon visiting her again, Bittercup will excitedly provide the player with random items.
 * 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 used to refer to gay men. The script note for the line of dialogue reads ""

Themes and politics
Fallout: New Vegas further explores the themes of sexuality. The storyline features several characters with differing sexualities and factions in the Mojave Wasteland hold differing views on homosexuality, which influence their actions. 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. Knight states that, the "Republic's a sight better than... other alternatives."

To the east, Caesar's Legion has extremist views towards homosexuality, punishing it with death. Jimmy, an escaped Legion slave turned male sex worker informs the player of a homosexual relationship he had with a Centurion, which ended when others became suspicious, resulting in the Centurion's attempt to kill him. He shares with the Courier that men have to "meet obligations and the child count" and if so, "friendships" are "a sight more equal than the level of most Legion husbands and wives." Mojave inhabitants make comments about homosexuality being common in the Legion's culture.

In the Brotherhood of Steel, outsiders are not allowed to join, necessitating procreation for maintaining the faction's numbers. As a result, same-sex relationships are discouraged.

Mr. House is indifferent towards homosexuality, stating that he has "no interest in legislating or otherwise dictating what people do in their private time." At Gomorrah, prostitutes like Dazzle and Joana offer sexual services regardless of the customer's gender. Westside has a brothel in the Casa Madrid Apartments, owned by Marco and run by Pretty Sarah, offering same-sex services to both genders, with Sweetie for females and Jimmy for males. Another prostitute, Maude, makes disparaging remarks about her peers' willingness to sleep with same-sex partners, calling Sweetie "perverted" and Jimmy "one of those."

Players have the option of choosing the perks Cherchez La Femme for female couriers and Confirmed Bachelor for male couriers. These perks grant 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 can choose a combination of Lady Killer/Confirmed Bachelor and Black Widow/Cherchez La Femme, granting unique dialogue options with all sexes.

Characters

 * 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 "always scares off the hot ones." According to Lieutenant Gorobets, due to a recent traumatic event, Betsy makes passes at "every woman who wanders by."
 * Alex Richards will flirt with the Courier if they are male and have the Confirmed Bachelor perk. Richards will call 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 who she shares a bed with.
 * Jimmy can be flirted with if the Courier is male and has the Confirmed Bachelor perk, where Jimmy responds he may "even give [them] a discount for my... company." If a female Courier asks Marco about Jimmy, he will share information about his past as a Legion slave, stating "Knowing Jimmy, I'm sure he took good care of them." 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 shares information about the New California Republic's stance on homosexuality, stating that it is not as accepted on the frontier, but that things have continued to improve, but will just take time.
 * 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/Black Widow 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 an affair with his colleague Alan Dalton.
 * Doctor Dala, a pre-war scientist operating at Big MT, has an interest in "formography", which is "the excessive examination of the human form to achieve psychological arousal." With a Charisma of 8, a Teddy bear or Lady Killer/Cherchez La Femme, the Courier can arouse her with their bodies, regardless of gender. This process can be repeated multiple times, in exchange for energy weapon ammunition. If attacked, Dala will sometimes refer to herself as a "gender-neutral entity".

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

The option to crossdress was also properly introduced. In previous Fallout titles, gender-specific armor and clothing, when worn by the opposite gender, would transform into an entirely separate outfit or modify the appearance slightly to match the player's gender. In Fallout 4, male players can wear feminine clothes, such as dresses, and female players can wear masculine clothes, such as tuxedos and suits.

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 live together at the Science! Center in Diamond City. Script notes state and .  The Sole Survivor can overhear an argument about Duff's attempts to organize their bedroom. 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, who tells 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.
 * 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 them. Upon returning with Mel to Goodneighbor, in a conversation with Bobbi No-Nose, Mel will remark 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 during 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.

The Atomic Shop also offers the free Pride Flag Player Icons Bundle, which can be used as in-game avatars.

Characters

 * 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." Sol convinced Duchess that this was the case, and that it was important to 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, affirming her true identity, something many trans people struggle with. She'll be upset and express her disappointment to the player, stating she is now "trapped."  If the player obtains the Assaultron body, she'll express gratitude, calling her body "nothing short of art," relieved with the lack of malfunctions and mishaps she was dealing with for years.
 * Garry Wilkins and Miguel Caldera, two members of the Responders. Garry is mentioned 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. Freddie visited a ski resort without telling Lucie, as she disliked skiing. While the two were apart, the Great War occurred and Lucie was killed by the bombs, which Freddie feels responsible for. In her holotape dedicated to Lucie, she leaves a posthumous message for her, wishing "the bombs never took you from me".
 * Kelly, a student attracted to Anya, a girl one grade higher than her.
 * Gnash can be flirted with as a male and say he has a preference for "bad boys." If a female player tries to flirt with him, he will say the player is "not my type" and to take a cold shower.
 * Johnny Weston mentions to the player character that he would not mind "shacking up" with them, regardless of their gender.
 * Katherine Swan will make multiple references to an ex she had. The player can eventually ask her directly about her ex, where Katherine will state she only started dating her because she "thought she was an alien." Katherine has gender specific lines, calling a female player "highly attractive" and a male player "high functioning" in response to the player asking if Katherine thinks they're an alien. However, only the male version of this dialogue plays in-game.
 * Orlando is non-binary, being referred to exclusively as they/them.
 * Ruggy, a deceased settler from the Foundation, is referred to as 'they' by Kenneth Dean in his journal.
 * Settler wanderer can mention a former girlfriend named Catherine when providing radiant quests.
 * Shelley van Lowe and Deborah Timmerman, two business owners. While Deborah was initially married Gregory Timmerman, a letter written to their son Carver, refers to Deb and Shelley as his "mamas". In a terminal entry to Shelley, Deb mentions Carver getting sick and exclaims how much she "needs" her.
 * Xerxo can tell the Vault Dweller he might plan on mating with humans. Regardless of gender, the player can respond to this by offering to mate with Xerxo, to which he states he can only perform the "ancient Zebulonian love dance with high ranking government officials." He will offer to instead stand near the player and "exchange nearby gases."

Player icons
The Pride Flag Player Icons Bundle is always available for free in the Atomic Shop. The celebration never ends because LGBTQIA+ Pride is year-round in Appalachia!

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, was the voice talent behind the character.
 * Joshua Sawyer described his inspirations for writing Arcade Gannon as a gay character in his 2011 blog post "Platonic Forms of the Marginalized."