Shug Avery

Shug Avery (played by Margaret Avery) is a supporting character in the 1985 drama The Color Purple, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was also later adapted into a Tony-winning Broadway musical.

Shug is a traveling songstress who has a long-standing affair with Celie’s (played by Whoopi Goldberg) husband, the cruel and vindictive Mister (Danny Glover). While she is a charming and talented entertainer, Shug has her demons that come in the form of hard addictions. After a performance one night, Shug and Celie act on their mutual attraction to each other, with Shug encouraging Celie to come out of her shell.

Shug as a character doesn’t have much screen time and doesn’t use the term “bi” to describe herself, but she is an affecting and nuanced queer woman of color ― a rarity in 1980s American cinema.

You can find an entry about this show in our Bi Media
section.