Lana Crawford

Lana Crawford was a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Bridget Neval. She first appeared in 2004 then left in 2005. She was the soap's first openly lesbian character.

Character's background
After moving from Canada to Australia, Lana attended a private high school where she developed a crush on her best friend Leane. Thinking she could trust her, Lana decided to "open up" and tell her friend she is more interested in girls than in boys. Word quickly spread through the school and Lana's friends were disgusted with her sexual orientation. They began to harass her and abuse her and one day went too far and tied her up in the toilets and attacked her. The girls were suspended for a month. It is for this reason that the principal recommended to Lana and her parents it would be for the best of she transferred to the public Erinsborough High School.

It is here that she became reacquainted with Serena Bishop, who along with Lana had previously posed as a model for a perverted and sleazy photographer named Chris, for whom they shared a mutual disgust. Shortly after, Lana had lunch with Serena's cousin Sky Mangel, during Serena's absence. Lana, who is desperate to hide her sexuality, voices a number of homophobic comments which appalls Sky, who abruptly leaves, therefore both girls got off on the wrong foot. As Sky and Lana spend more time together (as a result of Serena and Sky living together). Sky begins to see a different side to Lana, and begins calling her Enigma Girl. Sky and Lana's relationship only worsened, when in another attempt to hide her sexuality, Lana fabricated a false crush on fellow student Boyd Hoyland, not knowing that he was in fact Sky's boyfriend, and also insulted Sky's friend Lou, who was doing community service at the time. This ultimately ended in a fight and Lana and Sky were both given detention. It is in detention that Lana first notices a skilfull drawing that Sky has done of her, naming her Enigma Girl. They decided to make a comic book based on themselves, with Lana as Engima Girl, and Sky as Freak Girl, much to the confusion of Serena who expected them to be at each other's throats while in detention.

One night Sky invited her "new best friend" Lana to stay over to watch old movies, as they both had a passion for them. They playfully began to fight over the remote, fell on top of each other on the sofa and Lana impulsively kissed Sky before running out of the house, horrified at what she'd done. Sky runs after her but instead meets Boyd, and tells him what happened. Lana ends up at the Coffee Shop where she speaks to her cousin Sindi and sobbingly reveals to her that she is gay. The following day Lana attempts to laugh off the kiss, but Sky pushes until Lana admits that she is gay. Lana became aggressive and began to shout, and assumed Sky would not hate her as much as everyone else at her last school did. Sky doesn't care that Lana is gay, and wants the two to remain friends, and agrees not to tell anyone about Lana's secret.

Meanwhile, Boyd has told Stingray, Serena's ex-boyfriend that Lana is gay, and Stingray tells Serena who, feeling betrayed outs Lana on a blackboard. Lana seeks to disprove the rumours, by dating a boy named Brendan. However at a party he tried to pressure her into sleeping with him and she couldn't go through with it, coming out to Brendan and hurried home to tell Sky. Sky was proud of Lana, but Lana felt worried about trouble she'd suffer at school. A gang of girls locked her in the girls' changing rooms and attempted to hack her hair off, but were quickly interrupted by Sky and Susan. Lana managed to stand up for herself later and did not suffer anymore homophobic abuse. She then came out to her parents, who accepted her sexuality straight away, as they clearly loved her regardless of her sexuality.

Sky and Lana later publish their comic in a gay underground magazine. It is here that Lana meets another lesbian Denise who calls herself Buffy. However their relationship ends after a double date with Sky and Boyd where Buffy notices that Lana is in love with Sky. Lana later asks Sky on a date, stunning Sky who remains silent which causes Lana to leave.

Later Lana confesses to Sky that her father, an engineer, has been offered a job in Ottawa and that she will be returning to Canada. As a way of saying goodbye the two sneak into the garden at Lassiters Hotel at night and plant rows of flowers. They spend the night in the garden and watch as the confused guards notice the flowers in the morning. In a moment of excitement Sky kisses Lana before they are spotted and run off.

Later at school, Sky realises that Lana has misinterpreted the kiss as something more than what is was and tells her that at one point she was confused about her sexuality but now realises that she loves Boyd, and is not gay, almost destroying their friendship.

Lana and Sky sustain their friendship and attend the end of year dance at school where Lana meets George, another lesbian who left a note in Lana's locker asking her to the dance. However Lana thought that it was a joke from a guy and disregarded it. Lana and George dance and spend the rest of the night talking.

George and Lana share a tearful goodbye as she leaves for Canada. Lana however stays in contact with Sky, sending her emails and on one occasion a birthday present.