Whether you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, an ally, or just want to learn more, Pride Month is the best time to begin exploring this subculture that’s given so much to the rest of us. And, while the best way to do this is to simply meet LGBTQ+ people, you can also show your support and become more informed by consuming content written by and for queer people (plus, who doesn’t love a good binge-watch?). Streaming giant Netflix has plenty of options, so here’s our list of the best LGBTQ+ movies and shows on Netflix!
Orange is the New Black
Comedy, drama, and a whole lot of injustice: Orange is the New Black exploded into popular cultural consciousness when it first premiered a decade ago. Based on a memoir by Piper Kerman, a woman sentenced to fifteen months in prison for money laundering and drug trafficking, the show follows a fictionalized Piper as the middle-class, blonde, white woman who finds herself incarcerated.
While in prison, she meets a varied cast of characters and learns how to survive in the hellish conditions she finds herself in. While the show was praised for its realistic depiction of female bodies and attitudes towards humanizing prisoners, it was also famed for having Laverne Cox, a transgender woman, star as a trans prisoner, and delving into the specific issues that incarcerated trans women face. Moreover, Piper is bisexual, and there’s plenty of lesbian representation too. Not quite sunshine and rainbows, but an honest account of various queer and trans women in one of the worst places they could have found themselves.
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Stunning, illuminating, and infuriating: The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson is a documentary about Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two huge figures in the gay and transgender liberation movements in 1960s New York and co-founders of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries. Johnson was killed in suspicious circumstances in 1992, and the death was originally ruled a suicide by the police. The documentary, directed by David France, follows the work of Victoria Cruz, an activist dedicated to finding out the truth behind what happened to Johnson. Not a happy watch, but an important one, especially if you want to get to grips with the struggles these communities have faced.
Heartstopper
Without a doubt one of the biggest shows of last year, Heartstopper made waves across the globe when it dropped on Netflix. The British coming-of-age gay love story is based on a webcomic and graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman, and follows Charlie, a schoolboy who falls in love with Nick, his new classmate. Although its beautiful portrayal of young gay love is one of the best things about Heartstopper, the unique filming style, and aesthetics that borrow from the original webcomic, make it a genuinely groundbreaking piece of television. Heartwarming and gorgeous, don’t be too upset when you binge the entire series in one sitting — season two is already almost out.
Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen
As right-wingers across the world put transgender people in the crosshairs in an attempt to distract their voter bases from genuine problems caused by their ideology, it’s important that heterosexual, cisgender people hear from actual trans voices to truly understand just how badly they’re being affected by being placed at the center of a culture war. Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen is an enlightening look at how trans people have been belittled and dehumanized by popular culture in the past, and how they’ve also been shown positively, from their depiction in films like Ace Ventura to supposedly LGBTQ+ positive films like Victor Victoria. The documentary makers interview many famous trans people, like Laverne Cox, Chaz Bono, and Lilly Wachowski, and by the end, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for what trans people have been through.
Queer Eye
A pop culture phenomenon of the best kind, Queer Eye recently returned with a stunning seventh season, bringing the good vibes and all the feels with it. Each season shows Bobby, Tan, JVN, Karamo and Anthony helping a “hero” improve their lives and get the love they deserve. The main cast began as openly gay men, although JVN has since declared they’re non-binary, and their heroes have been a mixture of folks across the political, gender, and sexuality spectrum.
In an increasingly polarized world, shows like Queer Eye offer us a path forward, showing us all that despite our differences, everyone is deserving of empathy. Bingeable in the best possible way, watch this with tissues at the side as you will shed a tear or ten.
Circus of Books
Nominated for the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary, Circus of Books follows the staff and regulars at the titular bookstore and gay pornography shop in West Hollywood, delving into their lives and beliefs in a charming but intriguing way. Although there is obviously plenty of queer content and representation in the show, at its heart it’s a family story about a husband and wife who had to toe the line between serving an underrepresented and maligned community while also trying to keep the peace with their less open-minded friends and neighbors. A great example of allyship in action, this quirky documentary is as interesting as anything else you’ll see this year.
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado
Although Walter Mercado, the infamous astrologist that’s at the center of this documentary, never confirmed his sexuality, he remains an LGBTQ+ icon to this day. The film includes clips and interviews with him and follows his life as he grew from a young man in the Puerto Rican countryside into one of the most famous astrologists and television personalities in Latin America and the States. Mercado was known for his flamboyance and androgynous style, and while this documentary addresses some deeper themes, it’s mostly just a great look at one of the most interesting personalities to ever grace the small screen.
She-Ra and the Princess of Power
This brilliant animated series is set on the planet Etheria, and follows Adora and Catra, two orphans raised to become deadly soldiers in an organization called the Horde, led by the tyrannical Hordak. However, one day Adora discovers a magic sword that turns her into a legendary Princess of Power named She-Ra. She soon discovers the Horde is evil, and joins the resistance against them, turning against her once best friend Catra, who rises through the ranks in the Horde. Adora and Catra have an incredibly complex relationship as their feelings for each other come up against their missions in life, and the show was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming thanks to its lesbian themes. An engrossing watch for all ages that has a live-action version coming soon.
Trinkets
Although this show is mostly about friendship, two of the leads in it are queer or non-binary in real life, and their characters are also depicted as queer, hence its inclusion on the list. Trinkets begins with three young people meeting at a shoplifters anonymous meeting and forming an unlikely friendship, which they keep secret at their school. Although there are only two seasons of this teen drama, they’re both supremely bingeable, and by the end, you’ll feel like you know all the characters as if they’re your own friends. Just a great watch in general, but the LGBTQ+ element makes it groundbreaking too.
Feel-Good
A semi-autobiographical rom-com written by Canadian comedian Mae Martin, this show follows Mae (named after themselves) as they meet George, a stiff-upper-lipped, middle-class English woman at one of Mae’s comedy shows, and begins a relationship with them. As we see the highs and lows of their relationship, we learn Mae is a former addict, and that George is struggling with her sexuality, refusing to come out to her friends and family. Laugh-out-loud funny but also genuinely beautiful and at times tear-inducing, this is a wonderful watch that will have you feeling the full gauntlet of emotions.
