"Fiona Coyne" from Degrassi

Here is the last lesbian character from Degrassi, I promise. Fiona can be labeled as the "perfect girl" for any high school guy at Degrassi. She is rich and beautiful so, of course, all of the guys try to win her affection. She seems very picky and the few relationships that she has had in the past were short and not very serious. She starts to date the star quarterback whom she later discovers is gay. She tells him that she won't reveal his secret. She moves back to New York where she starts dating a rich, handsome boy at her new high school. Their relationship seems perfect but then it, quickly, turns violent. He punched her in the face (resulting in a black eye) and pushes her down the stairs. She, eventually, tells her mom what happened and they take the case to trial. To deal with her emotional stress, Fiona turns to alcohol. She becomes an alocoholic and goes to rehab. She, later, moves back to Degrassi because she wants to rid herself of the negative environment in New York. She becomes friends with her brother's ex-girlfriend, whom she used to despise. Fiona feels attraction towards Adam, a transgendered student at Degrassi. After she finds out that Adam is physically a girl, she believes that she has the best of both worlds because she is attracted to girls and people won't stare because Adam looks like a boy. Adam gets offended at her reaction because he feels like a boy. They break up and Fiona quickly realizes that she has feelings towards Holly J, her brother's ex-girlfriend and her best friend. Only one other student at school knows about her crush, so Fiona can keep her secret for a little longer.

Fiona, along with Alex and Paige, had something tragic happen in her life. Although she doesn't have money issues, she was physically abused. Along with physical abuse, Fiona fits the survey that Natasha Rudra wrote about because she also wrote, "one-third of the women surveyed had received treatment for depression or stress". Fiona also follows the stereotype that lesbians typically go out with men, at least in the beginning of their lives, to hide their true sexual feelings. She, however, is not afraid to come out to her close friends and family. She is very brave and I think that gay women can learn from her. After dealing with physical abuse and alcoholism, she realizes that it is not worth it to hide her true identity. Because she is open and honest about her feelings, except towards her feelings for her straight best friend, I think that Fiona will grow as a character.

Lesbians should follow Fiona's example and, eventually, come out to their close friends and family. They will realize that it can only lead to greater things. Although Fiona's only female romantic relationship ended shortly, she was still happier during that short time than she had been before she came out.