I’ve seen a few people asking about the representation in the show itself as well as what neil’s said about it, so here’s a semi-cohesive discussion on it!
first, lets start with the claim that angels and demons are inherently nonbinary. This is something that’s been especially highlighted with the adaptation, but has been present since the original novel!
the novel was published in 1990, so the term used then is “sexless,” but it’s stated plainly that angels (and by extension demons) aren’t men or women. The implication here is that they Physically don’t present one way or the other by default, but that they can Choose to if they want to. I think it’s also worth noting that with the addition of Physicality (they’re nonbinary in the identity sense, but they also aren’t gendered at all by default) that angels and demons Also fall along the lines of intersex (which is something that I don’t see brought up often). they can Choose how their physical parts manifest, and there’s absolutely nothing that says that that choice has to be limited to cis or perisex ideas of what bodies “should” look like.
and of course, we have Many Many instances of neil confirming that this was the intention.
and we can see this followed through on in both the casting and presentation for the angelic and demonic characters! according to neil, the casting itself completely dropped the barrier of gender, with people of any identity and presentation auditioning for the exact same roles. [Link]
as a result of that we have casting like the archangel michael, a character with a traditionally masculine name and traditionally masculine presentation played by the actress doon mackichan.
we have beelzebub, the prince of hell who’s pointedly never referred to with pronouns at all throughout the course of the show (though neil has suggested the possibility of zem using zir pronouns [Link], which would be the first time I’ve seen neopronouns in Any piece of mainstream media, which I really hope makes it into season two) who’s portrayed by anna maxwell martin.
We have pollution (not an angel or a demon but certainly related) using exclusively they/them pronouns while baring the title of king, who’s portrayed by lourdes faberes.
all of this is to say ! angels and demons are canonically nonbinary, canonically not constrained to gender or physical sex at all, and this is present in both the novel and the show and was carefully considered in both the casting and presentation of these characters. this Alone is overt and intentional queer representation. but naturally, this isn’t the main course when people talk about queer representation in good omens, so lets turn our attention towards our leads!
crowley is an obvious first start, fans of the show are likely to jump straight to nanny ashtoreth and for good reason, but I’d like to wait for a moment.
crowley, a being defined both by change and by pushing boundaries, actually shakes up his presentation quite often! though it’s more commonly in ways that aren’t as obvious to the audience, either because it’s more subtle, or because the style is so old it’s not recognizable.
for the latter, crowley was presenting femininely during the crucifixion scene ! wearing a style of robe and headdress that women wore at the time (which was confirmed as intentional by neil gaiman on twitter [Link]).
and then of course, what many people don’t realize is that crowley’s more modern looks are filled with subtle feminine touches ! This post goes into it all in more detail: [Link]
but for instance ! his iconic shades are women’s valentino glasses [Link], his pants are Mostly women’s jeans, his accessories are Very Often women’s, and his waistcoat and jacket are a women’s cut (low to accommodate breasts). Every article of clothing crowley is wearing in the picture below was designed for women, even the scarf.
he’s generally read masculinely in modern times, but the truth is that it’s a Mix of masculine And feminine.
which is where I’d like to acknowledge nanny ashtoreth. this is the point where crowley’s feminine presentation is the most overt (neither subtle Nor lost to a modern audience), but it’s also unfortunately not always taken in good faith. quite a few people have expressed concern that it’s an example of the transphobic man in a dress trope, which is a common kneejerk reaction to plot beats like this in media.
here’s the Truly important aspects of nanny ashtoreth:
1: while it’s true that crowley presents femininely while he’s posing as nanny, this is far from the Only time that he presents this way (as we’ve covered!). he wasn’t trying to “pretend” to be a woman for ill gain, he simply had to take on the role as warlock’s caretaker and chose to spend that time presenting femininely, as he’s done before and after. there was nothing about the situation that Necessitated that crowley present that way, he chose to because he Wanted to, simple as that.
2: nanny ashtoreth isn’t supposed to be funny. at least, no more than the situational comedy of a demon and an angel trying to raise the antichrist together in the hopes that their influences would cancel each other out creates. nanny is filmed neutrally, the show doesn’t call attention to or question her presentation at any point. and in fact, the script book describes crowley’s reveal as nanny as “sexy and domineering.”
which itself is Toned Down from the description the book uses for her.
good omens doesn’t want us to think that nanny ashtoreth is funny or strange or off putting, good omens wants us to think that nanny ashtoreth can get it. just like Canonically.
and notice how the book And the script book uses she/her pronouns for nanny, even when it’s in narration or description as opposed to dialogue. when crowley’s presentation changes her pronouns do too.
it’s also worth noting that neil himself has acknowledged the “man in a dress” reading of crowley as nanny and expressed Sadness at it coming across that way to anyone. this was also in the context of him agreeing with a post all about the nonbinary presentation of the characters in good omens. [Link]
which is to say ! crowley has a history of playing with gender presentation, presenting femininely and masculinely and everything in between, since the very Creation of presentation itself to modern day. he is an Overtly fluid nonbinary character, which is particularly important because that also sets him apart from other demons and angels. crowley is defined by the fact that he Does understand and Love humanity in a way that other demons simply don’t. while demons are simply Devoid of gender, crowley is intimately familiar with humans and their presentation and chooses to be All of it. he pushes boundaries for presentation by choice rather than incidentally.
and then we have aziraphale!
zira is, of course, nonbinary by the very nature of him being an angel, but of course his presentation doesn’t play with gender as overtly as someone like crowley does (or even archangel michael), but I do think it’s still There.
while crowley is defined by Change, aziraphale is defined by Comfort, Routine, and Indulgence. crowley is othered from the other demons with his overt presentation, while aziraphale is othered from other angels by the things that he Likes and the ways that he Acts.
where crowley is more likely to embrace the outright feminine, aziraphale is Effeminate. he’s Soft, he’s clean, he likes his clothes Posh (even when dressing like an aristocrat got him in trouble in revolutionary france), he likes good food and dancing old slang and his library (and he of course loves his crowley). and the story doesn’t fault him for these things, it wants him to Drop the shame that heaven makes him feel for them. Drop the shame that he’s not the perfect solder represented in gabriel, uriel, or michael (drop the shame of a guardian of the eastern gate who gave his sword away to humanity because he loved them).
and on the face of it, none of these traits Have to be related to queerness in and of themselves. but good omens directly makes that connection. lets go back to that book quote from earlier, now with slightly more context.
aziraphale is interpreted as a gay man by the people around him, and he has been for a Very Long Time. and this fact is, quite literally, one of the many things that aziraphale Happily claims for himself. that he learns to wear with Pride when he lets go of the notion of having to be what an angel is “supposed” to be.
this line in particular doesn’t make it into the show, but this makes it way through in shadwell (the bigoted old man set in his ways) who reacts to aziraphale the ways you think a character like him might. when shadwell calls aziraphale a “southern pansy” aziraphale knows exactly what that means. he was alive when that slang was popular, he was alive and Knew shadwell when shadwell learned that slang in the first place.
which is why its significant, then, when aziraphale finally drops all pretenses of needing to abide by heaven’s rules, when he possesses a body so he can find crowley and stop the war that heaven wants (a feminine body, which is significant as this is the first time that aziraphale has been allowed to present overtly Femininely. which I highlight because neil himself always includes it with the instances of crowley presenting that way, making it intentional), and shadwell uses that term for him again and we get this
aziraphale affirms himself, affirms his life on earth, affirms his individuality, affirms his desire to leave heaven behind to choose earth and humanity and Crowley, by declaring that he’s The southern pansy, that he’s Queer.
and of course, this is far from the only instances of aziraphale being overtly queer, but I wanted to highlight how it’s framed by the narrative. that it’s not just there but Celebrated. that the fact that he is the way that he is, that he’s able to Embrace it and Love himself as he is, is exactly what saves humanity. that We’re supposed to love him as he is too.
but while we’re here, lets talk about the subtler details for aziraphale’s queerness.
- Soho, the area his bookshop is located, has been a historically queer area for quite literally hundreds of years, populated with gay bars and clubs, and is still a hub for queer culture in london in the present day. [Link 1, Link 2, Link 3]
- aziraphale learning how to dance isn’t just queer for the fact that it’s something that no other angels do. aziraphale learned the gavotte in a “gentlemen’s club” in the 1800s. the gavotte is a kissing dance wherein you kiss your partner, eventually working your way through the room. kissing a room full of men in a gentlemen’s club recreationally is already pretty Queer, but we have further confirmation outside of the series itself ! neil confirmed on twitter that the club aziraphale learned in was “the hundred guineas club,” which was not only a real gay club in london at the time but was one of the Most Prestigious, Expensive, and Exclusive of its time (”The” southern pansy indeed). [Link 1, Link 2, Link 3]
- aziraphale’s Impressive collection of oscar wilde books. which of course ties him to queer culture on its own, but it can also be noted that it’s rumored that oscar wilde gave his first editions to his lovers. which michael sheen (aziraphale actor) has readily played into on twitter [Link] commenting on fanart of aziraphale looking smitten surrounded by flowers Like This
- the script book gives us more context on what aziraphale (and crowley) were doing in rome thanks to a few lines that were apparently cut for time.
aziraphale was in rome in the first place to influence Nero, who (after aziraphale’s apparent Influence) would become the first emperor to marry another man (three times in fact).
now, you may be asking yourself, if aziraphale is so strongly coded like a gay man, with this fact being reinforced by both other characters (and even the narration) throughout the book and show, then why can’t he be interpreted As a gay man? well, the simple answer is that he can be, as long as we also acknowledge that he’s still nonbinary. I’m a nonbinary gay man, and the fact that I’m one of these things doesn’t erase or Diminish the other. it just comes down to Respecting both aspects of his character.
that said, he doesn’t Have to be gay or aligned for his presentation and personality and coding to be this way. there are nonbinary people who Don’t identify as gay or as masc-aligned who look and act like aziraphale. and that’s exactly Why neil insists on refusing to label him that way, just like he’s always insisted that Fans can and should interpret his work however they want. he will not say that aziraphale is a gay man because he wrote him as nonbinary, but he fully supports people reading him as an aligned nonbinary gay man (or any interpretation at all, as long as they still acknowledge that he and crowley love each other).
and all of That is to say that crowley and aziraphale (along with all of the angels and demons on the show) are Overt and Intentional queer representation Regardless of how you read their relationship (if you think it wasn’t overt enough or, bizarrely, you try to insist that crowley and aziraphale weren’t intended to be in love at all). it is, in fact, Transphobic to say that Overt Nonbinary Representation isn’t “enough,” or worse that it’s Queerbaiting. if you think they should’ve kissed on screen, if you think they should’ve said “I love you” in so many words, if you think they should’ve said with their mouths that they were dating now, you’re free to feel that way. but none of that means that good omens Doesn’t Have overt queer representation.
this was Mainly focused on the queerness in good omens in terms of gender and presentation, so I may come back and do a breakdown of Exactly how much I disagree with the notion that aziraphale and crowley aren’t overtly in love in the show (not the least because neil says says as much every opportunity he can, and both the actors playing the leads have said as much themselves), but this is long enough and I’m sick of writing it now afkjlsd
so to close this off: the next person who calls good omens “queerbait” has to personally pay for my top surgery.
