July 2023: What’s New and Gay To Stream
Well, put your sense of self away, Pride Month is over and it’s time for all our favorite streaming networks to compete for the honor of who can do the least! It’s time to dig into where we can find lesbian and bisexual characters on Netflix, Prime Video, Max (it is very weird to call it that and I don’t like it), Peacock, Starz and Apple TV!
Netflix’s LGBTQ+ Content for July of 2023
Survival of the Thickest (Season 1) Netflix Original – July 13
In this A24 series, Michelle Buteau stars as Mavis Beaumont, a recently single stylist attempting to rebuild her life after “putting all of her eggs in one man’s basket.” She works with her friends and relatives to solve her problems with a “body-positive attitude, cute v-neck, and some lip gloss.” Tasha Smith plays Marley and Christine Jones plays Callie and they are kissing in the trailer, so!
Prime Video’s July 2023 Queer Content
Good Omens: Season 2 – July 28
Based on Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman’s novel, the second season of Good Omens goes beyond its source material by digging into the incredibly homoerotic alleged friendship between angel/book dealer Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and fast-living demon Crowley (David Tennant). Technically as angels and demons these characters have no gender, and there is a lot of Discourse about the nature of their relationship. Maggie Service and Nina Sosanya return to the show in new (gay!) roles — Maggie Service playing record store owner Maggie and Nina Sosanya playing neighboring coffee shop owner Nina. When a picture debuted of Maggie and Nina on the Good Omens Instagram, calls of LET’S GO LESBIANS were heard all over the land!
Max’s Girls, Gays and Theys for July 2023
V for Vendetta (2005)
V for Vendetta is a dystopian political action film from the Wachowskis starring Natalie Portman. In 2006, A*terE*len’s Sarah Warn called it “One of the most pro-gay films ever.”
Brandi Carlile: In the Canyon Haze – Live From Laurel Canyon- July 1
Our beloved Brandi Carlile performs “lushly reimagined songs” from her album “In These Silent Days,” in this concert special, bringing “her signature flair to a showcase of her unparalleled vocal talents” and nodding “to the artists who shaped the singer-songwriter’s voice.”
Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York: Docuseries Premiere – July 9
This docuseries tells the story of a serial killer preying on gay men in the New York City amidst the AIDS crisis and hate crime surge of the early 1990s, when the “criminal justice system,” the police, and media undermined any potential investigation or action that would protect this marginalized populace. As you can imagine, lesbians are amongst the activists involved in the response to this ongoing terror.
Harley Quinn: Season 4 – July 27
We don’t know much about the fourth season of this beloved animated series that follows the misadventures of Harley Quinn and her girlfriend Poison Ivy, but we know one thing: it’s happening.
Starz’s Queer TV Show of July 2023
Minx: Season Two – July 21
In Season Two of this delightful series formally housed at the network formally known as HBO Max, Minx is taking off and raking it in — Doug and Joyce sell Bottom Dollar, Joyce gets famous, and, as per Collider, “the misfits of Bottom Dollar find themselves thrust into the mainstream” at which point they “are confronted with introspection and start questioning their evolving identities and true desires amidst this newfound triumph.” In the trailer, Bambi and Shelly make out and also after doing some work Bambi says to Shelly, “I think that’s it, should we have sex now?” and well, I can’t wait!
Hulu’s Lesbians and Bisexuals for July 2023
Wild Things (1998) – July 1
This movie in which Neve Campbell and Diane Richards make out in a swimming pool is terrible and iconic.
Chloe (2010) – July 1
This erotic thriller finds Julianne Moore hiring a sex worker played by Amanda Seyfried to test her husband’s fidelity but then stuff happens between Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried, obviously.
Death on the Nile (2022) – July 1
This adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic novel finds Hercule Poirot aboard a Karnak traversing the river Nile, attempting to solve some murders! Unlike the original novel, this version features Mrs. Bowers and Marie Van Schuyler as members of a secret lesbian relationship with each other.
What We Do in the Shadows: Season Five Premiere (FX) – July 14
According to Out Magazine, Season Four highlighted “its characters’ queerness in new and delightful ways.” Pansexual Nadja of Antipaxos will be recovering from the effects of a previously undiagnosed supernatural hex and reconnecting with a family from the Old Country.
A Little White Lie (2023) – July 14
Kate Hudson stars as an English professor organizing a literary conference in this indie comedy about a middle-aged nobody man who ends up as a featured guest at said literary conference after accepting an invite that clearly confused him with a reclusive novelist who shares his name. Aja Naomi King plays lesbian poet Blythe Brown, who clashes with said man early in the conference.
The Donor Party (2023) – July 28
Fresh out of a messy divorce and unfruitful online dating experiments, recently single Jaclyn has decided to get pregnant and live her dream of being a Mom by any means necessary, enlisting her friends to pull off “the ultimate sperm heist.” Her friend Molly invites “three good prospects” for Jaclyn to seduce to a birthday party for her husband Geoff. According to Movieweb, “naughtiness abounds” when “Amandine (Bria Henderson), a lesbian with eyes on Geoff’s sister, encourages Jaclyn to get down and dirty.”
Apple TV+’s July 2023 Queer Action
The Afterparty: Season 2 Premiere – July 12
Once again Tiffany Haddish is called upon to investigate a murder reported by Aniq (Sam Richardson). Aniq’s now dating Zoë (Zoë Chao) and he accompanies her to her sister Grace’s (queer non-binary actor Poppy Liu) wedding to her rich crypto investor husband, Edgar, and then Edgar turns up dead as a doornail. The series blends a variety of styles as each character gets their own episode to tell their story of the murder. Anna Konkle plays Edgar’s weird queer adopted sister Hannah, who gets her own Wes Andersonian episode.
Peacock’s July 2023 Lesbian TV Show
Real Housewives of New York City (Season 14) – July 17 (Bravo)
Jenna Lyons of J.Crew fame is joining the Real Housewives of New York City cast, apparently due to a commitment she made on an episode of the Dyking Out podcast recorded at the Wing in 2021, after being told she hadn’t “done enough” to represent gay women. The trailer looks pretty juicy! I am confident Bravo Dyke will be all over it. The show premieres July 16th on Bravo and will be on Peacock the very next day.