Pride Month is celebrated yearly in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in Manhattan. The uprising was an outbreak of protests over six days by LGBTQ+ protesters against the police, who continuously harassed people in the LGBTQ+ community during that time. A year after the uprising came the first gay Pride parade to fight for LGBTQ+ rights, and now Pride is celebrated globally.
Although society has become much more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, there is still deep stigma and homophobia toward LGBTQ+ people. They often face erasure and misrepresentation in the media and are denied rights and opportunities. That’s why we need to continue to uplift their voices and acknowledge the contributions of people in this community. The increased representation of LGBTQ+ people in the media can help us understand their struggles and show that they are not a monolith.
To honor LGBTQ+ storytelling, we’ve compiled a list of shows and movies that showcase LGBTQ+ characters, culture, and experiences.
Heartstopper
Based on a comic book series by Alice Oseman, Netflix’s Heartstopper chronicles the relationship between two adolescent boys who fall in love while attending high school together. The show portrays the struggles LGBTQ+ people go through to figure out their sexual identity and the challenges they often face after deciding to come out. Praised for its heartfelt display of queer love, the series has been renewed for two seasons by Netflix. So, what are you waiting for? Grab some popcorn and tissues, and prepare for your heart to be stopped several times as you watch the show.
Love, Victor
Inspired by the film Love, Simon, the TV series Love, Victor focuses on Victor, a half-Puerto Rican and half-Colombian teen who moves to a new city with his family. The story follows Victor as he struggles to navigate a new city and high school while figuring out whether he likes boys, girls, or both. The Hulu show shines by being relatable to viewers and showcases the path to self-discovery. The series is now in its third and last season, and Victor will be forced to choose between his love interests and see how the decision will impact his future.
Fire Island
The highly anticipated queer movie of the year, Fire Island follows a group of men who journey to Fire Island, the longtime gay community on Long Island. While there, the group encounters other people on the island, and Noah, one of the men in the group, makes it his mission to get his friend Howie “laid” after witnessing an attraction to one of the men on the island. Though this Hulu rom-com movie is light and airy, it addresses heavy topics, such as racism in the queer community, body dysmorphia, and classism.
Young Royals
Young Royals is a Swedish drama involving Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and his attraction to another student, Simon Eriksson. Following his involvement in a fight at a party, Wilhelm is punished by being shipped to a boarding school, where he meets Simon. There, he has to deal with the pressures of being royal while also facing scrutiny about his relationship with Simon. The Netflix show has been praised for its realistic approach to teenage issues and features a neurodiverse character. Season two of the show is set to come out sometime this year, so now’s the time to watch season one.
First Kill
With a forbidden-first-love trope similar to that of Romeo and Juliet’s tragic love story, First Kill deals with a budding romance between Juliette, a vampire, and Calliope, a vampire hunter, and the repercussions that come with falling in love with your sworn enemy. If you are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight, you will also enjoy this Netflix show.
Legendary
“If you slay, you stay.” That is the mantra of the HBO Max reality competition show Legendary, which delves into the ball-culture scene. LGBTQ+ contestants are divided into various houses and must compete in a series of contests (including voguing and dancing) to win a $100,000 prize. Featuring judges Jameela Jamil, Law Roach, Leiomy Maldonado, and Keke Palmer (who replaces Megan Thee Stallion in the new season), Legendary brings the fashion, glamour, and culture of voguing to the TV screen. Check out this show if you are looking for the drama that reality TV brings.
The Book of Queer
If you’re not normally a Discovery+ watcher, one good reason to tune in this month is to watch The Book of Queer. Many LGBTQ+ historical figures who have contributed to our society have had to hide their sexuality or had their sexuality minimized by others. Told in a fun and comedic perspective, The Book of Queer sheds light on the hidden stories of queer individuals in history like Michelangelo and Abraham Lincoln.
Crush
In the mood for a cheesy lesbian rom-com? Check out Crush, a film on Hulu about a high school student who participates in the school’s track team to be near a girl she’s attracted to but then realizes she’s also interested in another girl on the team. In addition, she struggles with her college options and future aspirations, a situation every senior high school student can find relatable. What’s great about Crush is that it’s a lighthearted film that normalizes the main character’s sexuality without the usual angst and focuses more on getting the girl.
Transhood
Transgender people continue to fight a battle to be accepted in society, and the 2020 HBO documentary Transhood showcases the challenges that transgender people go through. Filmed in Kansas City, this documentary focuses on four kids of different ages and their families as they navigate through gender expression and self-discovery. The film gives viewers a glimpse of the challenges transgender people go through with opposition from society and government restrictions. If you want to educate yourself more on transgender issues, this documentary is one to watch.
Queer as Folk
A reboot of the 1999 Queer as Folk series, Peacock’s Queer as Folk centers on a group of friends whose lives are changed by a shooting similar to the real-life 2016 mass murder at an Orlando gay bar. While the show starts with a tragedy, its themes focus more on queer love and a community rebuilding itself after surviving trauma. Queer as Folk celebrates queer culture by featuring queer artists and having an important discussion on nonbinary people.
Oyinda is a Nigerian-born freelance writer whose work has been featured in Byrdie, Blavity, and Medium. She can talk for hours about her favorite TV shows. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.
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