13 Gay Badasses We Love

When it comes to popular culture, gay and bisexual characters are usually required to be sensitive and non-threatening. But every now and again, one will come along who either combines sensitivity with toughness, or who shirks it completely and doesn't take guff from anyone as he kicks some serious ass.

Here are just a few of our favorite out and proud gay badasses. And what is it about tough guys that is so appealing? Is it that we have a subconscious need to feel protected, and they make us feel safe? Or is it more Freudian, and we're attracted to the powerful pistols they pack?

Naah! These guys just look cool!

1. Russell Edgington

From HBO's True Blood, Russell (Denis O'Hare) is our favorite genteel ... "antique dealer." He has a younger lover named Talbot, and the two of them throw fancy dinner parties and we're sure they have friends named Muffy and Blaine.

Badass Credentials: He's also the Vampire King of Mississippi, and will definitely cut a bitch. And when we say "cut" we mean dismember and disembowel — and that's just for lunch. He's had his hand in nefarious deeds for centuries, and even commands the vampire's arch-nemesis, the werewolf. And when he asks you at dinner if you'd like a finger bowl ... he may mean it literally.

2. Omar Little

From HBO's The Wire, Omar (Michael K. Williams) was raised by his grandmother, doesn't use profanity, and loves Honey Nut Cheerios.

Badass Credentials: He also makes a living robbing drug dealers. But his strict moral code keeps him from robbing anyone not in the drug trade, and he has killed n cold blood ... but only the bad guys!