Shaken, not stirred: Coming out with a lesbian James Bond

Now there’s an interesting idea suggested by former Bond Girl Dame Diana Rigg: why not have a lesbian James Bond? Though Bond creator Ian Fleming might roll in his grave at that idea, a girl can dream, can’t she?

Admittedly, Fleming may have been more open to the idea of lesbian characters in his Bond stories. He did suggest Pussy Galore’s character in his book, Goldfinger.

A lesbian James Bond for today’s age

Still, Dame Diana Rigg knows what could make a possible lesbian James Bond, by suggesting a suave woman in an Yves Saint Laurent-inspired smoking jacket running after global villains.

Plus, in keeping with the Bond character, this new lady Bond gets to kiss a lot of girls.

Hannah Jane Parkinson, writing for The Guardian, notes possible names for this version of James Bond, like Jane Bond, Jen Bond, and Jamie Bond.

But why stop there? A lesbian secret spy named Jimmy Bond could actually do the trick.

Rigg and the lesbian James Bond

Dame Diana Rigg– she had been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1988 and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1994– knows what she’s talking about, after all.

As the character Contessa Teresa Di Vicenzo in the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, she was the only Bond girl the secret agent ever married.

The character first met James Bond when she attempted suicide after her daughter died of spinal meningitis. Bond saved her then, and that’s when he fell madly in love with her. However, (SPOILER ALERT!) her character dies on their wedding day.

In the Fleming novels, her death that gave Bond an emotional and identity crisis on being a spy.

More than this, however, Dame Rigg was also known for her role as Emma Peel in the cult 1960s TV series, The Avengers. As a strong, intelligent, stylish, and assertive secret agent, she could have been the perfect female James Bond.

A sub-genre of lesbian James Bond?

In today’s 007 films starring Daniel Craig, they’ve tried to introduce a more emotional James Bond (or an emotional-wreck, at least).

Likewise, there have also been other efforts to upend the male secret agent trope by presenting a female secret agent. So why not a lesbian, right?

For example, the 2004 film D.E.B.S. has a love story revolving around female spies loving other female spies. However, this was more a parody and homage to the Charlie’s Angels TV series and movies.

Dame Rigg also sketched out the idea of having the female hero fall in love with the female villain. Since this is all about spies, it’s not hard to imagine a woman Bond falling for one of her nemesis.

A girl can dream, can’t she? After all, a lesbian James Bond with a silver Porsche would be really nice.