October 2023: What’s New, Gay and Streaming On Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Max, Disney+ and Paramount+

Welcome to the most spooky season of the year, when you can eat candy corn on the couch while enjoying a plethora of options upon your television set starring lesbian, bisexual, queer and trans characters from networks such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, Max and Paramount+ With Showtime!

Netlix’s October 2023 Content For Girls, Gay and Theys

Everything Now: Season One – October 5

This British show created by 22-year old Ripley Parker centers on Mia (Sophie Wilde), a queer 16-year-old just out of eating disorder recovery who’s returned to school to see that her friends have changed since she left. To keep up with their bed-hopping and drinking, she creates her own bucket list of potentially thrilling and terrifying experiences. I’m very excited for this one!

The Fall of the House of Usher: Limited Series – October 12

Roderick and Madeline Usher have built their pharmaceutical company into a massive empire of wealth, privilege and power (despite their star drug contributing to an addiction epidemic) — but when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dropping dead, secrets begin angling towards the light. Mike Flanagan’s latest is a modern take on the Edgar Allen Poe story and is chock-full of queers — Roderick’s six offspring are, as per them dot us, “committing to being some of the worst rich gays you’ve ever met.” Amongst them is lesbian actor T’Nia Miller as Victorine, a lesbian medical researcher dating a surgeon and Camille (Kate Siegel), a PR Agent who has threesomes with her assistants.

Big Mouth: Season Seven – October 20

In Season Seven, our dysfunctional crew is leaving middle school for high school, where they’ll face new friends, new adversaries, and new Hormone Monsters.

Elite: Season Seven – October 20

Elite seems to be returning to its original spirit, which is to say that they’re dropping queer women like flies but there remains plenty for the straights and gay men! However; Nico, a trans male character introduced and seriously mishandled in Season 6, is back for Elite’s seventh trip around the sun. Sara, who flirted with a lesbian relationship with Mencia in Season Six, is also returning, but we all remember how that turned out, so! Also I guess this season is going to be about everybody dealing with their trauma, including Omar, who returns to Las Encinas for an internship.

Surviving Paradise: Season One – October 20

This reality show drops twelve contestants in a luxury villa only to discover that in fact they’ll be camping in the woods without any lavish amenities, and will have to fight their way back into the villa through friendships and alliances in pursuit of a $100,000 grand prize. If you have seen the trailer to this program I think you will have no choice but to agree with me that there is a lesbian or non-binary person present.

Prime Video’s October 2023 For The Queers

Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe – October 6

This fascinating three-part documentary follows a new age YouTube-centered movement (aka cult) lead by a bananas young Michigan couple who claimed the ability to enable their followers to find their “twin flames,” just like they had. There are myriad LGBTQ+ themes throughout the series. There’s the lesbian couple recruited early to be the model of Twin Flame’s success. There’s a trans woman struggling to understand her attraction towards a Cowboy-ish suitor. And, eventually, there’s a turning point in the cult’s evolution when they shifted towards intergroup matchmaking, which meant convincing a solid chunk of their almost-entirely female membership that they are, in fact, men.

Hulu’s LGBTQ+ TV and Film for October 2023

Goosebumps: Season One Premiere – October 13

Trans actor Miles McKenna plays one of the five high schoolers who are at the center of this adaptation of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series, but I haven’t been able to confirm if his character is also trans! The series will find said group of buddies embarking “on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle.”

Living for the Dead: Season One Premiere – October 18

It’s the hotly anticipated gay ghost hunting series produced by our very own Kristen Stewart and the creators of “Queer Eye” in which five “fabulous” queer ghost hunters travel the country, helping the living by healing the dead. They will explore some of the world’s most haunted locations and push boundaries to bring acceptance to all !

Paramount+ with Showtime’s September 2023 Gay Stuff

Citizen Ruth (1996) – October 1

Laura Dern stars as a poor, drug addicted pregnant woman who unexpectedly becomes a lighting rod in the abortion debate. Swwosie Kurtz plays a delightful lesbian abortion-rights activist and spy.

In the Heights (2021) – October 1

There’s a lightly expressed lesbian relationship between two characters played by Daphne Ruben-Vega and Stephanie Beatriz in this adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical set in Washington Heights.

Monster High 2 (2023) – October 5

Our beloved Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura and Frankie Stein are entering their sophomore year at Monster High, where they’ll face even bigger challenges than last year, including new students, new powers, and a threat to their friendship/the world. Frankie Stein is a nonbinary genius who’s been Frankenmonstered together from an assortment of famous historical body parts. Heather found the first Monster High movie very delightful!

Disney+’s Queer October 2023

Loki: Season Two Premiere – October 5

This successful Marvel series centered on the genderfluid bisexual god of mischief, Loki, wil find in Season Two its titular character working with Mobius M. Mobius, Hunter B-15, and other members of the Time Variance Authority to navigate the multiverse in order to find Sylvie, Ravonna Renslayer, and Miss Minutes.

Max’s October 2023 Gay Action

Our Flag Means Death: Season Two Premiere – October 5

Legendary around here for Vico Ortiz’s role as non-binary pirate Jim, Meg wrote of the first season that it has “so many queer relationships, so many exes and love triangles, so many beautiful stories playing out and interweaving in ways that feel familiar and fresh all at once.” In Seaso Two, Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and his mentor-slash-ex-boyfriend Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) will continue to navigate (mis)adventure at sea.

Doom Patrol: Season 4B Premiere – October 12

The second and final half of Doom Patrol debuts this October, in which the Doom Patrol will meet old friends and foes as they race to defeat Immortus and re-possess their longevities, which will require facing their deepest fears and deciding if they can let go of the past to reclaim their future. Diane Guerrero returns as lesbian character Kay Challis/Crazy Jane.

“High School Musical: The Musical Series” Ends With an Adorable Sapphic Romance

One of the funny things about writing queer TV reviews is that they should be accessible to super fans who’ve seen every episode, and also people who don’t watch the show but are curious about the LGBTQs. That first thing’s no problem, usually, because I am also a classic super fan. But the second thing can be trickier, especially for a show like High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which is somehow even more complicated than the name implies! But I’ll try!

Disney+’s HSM TV series is set in a fictionalized version of our own world, where the actual High School Musical movies are just that: movies. Like, there’s no Troy and Gabriella in the TV show. Zac Effron and Vanessa Hudgens are the real people and Troy and Gabriella are the characters they play. It’s just that the students on the HSM series go to the high school where the movies were filmed, so the theater kids have a special attachment to them, especially because their drama teacher, Ms. Jenn, was an extra in the movies. In this, the final season, the drama kids of East High (“it’s practically a national landmark”) are planning a stage production of High School Musical 3 (“a complicated 2008 period piece”), while a (fictional) reunion movie, High School Musical 4, is filming at their school. Does that make any sense? To you, I mean? I’ve seen the whole season, so it makes perfect sense to me. Mostly.

The major difference between the HSM TV show and the HSM movies is that the series is absolutely bursting with actual queer characters, not just queer-coded characters. Last season, when the East High kids went to drama camp in the woods to preform Frozen: The Musical, we got even more gays. There was Maddox, Camp Counselor and Tech Crew Chief. There was her girlfriend, JoJo “Madison” Siwa, who showed up to the camp dance in a sparkly rainbow tux that made her look like a holographic Pokemon card (a compliment). And then there was our longtime thespian pal Ashlyn, played by Tony Award nominee / friend of Milky White Julia Lester, who realized she’s bisexual when she developed a crush on Maddox. Her boyfriend, Big Red, realized he was bi at the same time — which kept Ashlyn from coming out, because she didn’t want to steal his Big Bi Thunder.

This season kicks off with Big Red and Ashyln still together, but Ashylyn and Maddox cannot stop texting every second of every day, all the tiny details and major moments of their lives. It becomes pretty clear to her pals that Ashylyn’s got a major crush. In true HSM fashion, Maddox arrives with her brother, Jet, as a surprise, to work as a PA on the set of High School Musical 4, which is just East High. It’s obvious their chemistry is still sizzling, even though Ashlyn tries to play it cool. Of course, Ashlyn is a teenage thespian, so that means shouting “I’LL GIVE HER MOUTH-TO-MOUTH — AS A FRIEND!” when Maddox does a gag like she got electrocuted during a Halloween party. The flirting gives way to a duet about crushing and first loves, which is the first sapphic duet I think we’ve ever had in this franchise. It’s so lovely. Big Red and Ashlyn have the most amicable break-up in history, when he reveals that he cheated on her while she was at camp.

And it all leads to a rom-com-worthy finale where Ashlyn finally confesses to Maddox, “I have feelings for you! I have every feeling for you!” And then the music goes berserk as they kiss and kiss!

Maybe it’s because I, too, am a complicated 2008 period piece, but I’m just never going to grow tired of sweet queer love stories aimed at younger audiences. I know some people want me to critique them like they’re experimental erotic queer French cinema or whatever, but I’m never going to do that because that’s not the world I live in. I live in the world where a third of the country still supports Donald Trump, including many people in my own family, and where queer and trans kids are under attack by everyone from the church to the state. An endgame queer women couple in the series finale of one of the most iconic Disney properties of all time? That’s a big dang deal and I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried watching it. For grown-up me in this often cruel world, and the closeted lesbian little girl who still lives inside my heart; and for all the kids who need these triumphant stories more than ever. Bet on it.

August 2023: What’s New, Gay and Streaming On Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Showtime, Max and Disney+!

As we roast alive in the unending heat of this dying planet, it’s time once again to turn to our televisions for comfort, wherein we are regularly served television programs and films with lesbian and bisexual characters, from networks that overpay their executives and underpay their actors and writers, such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, Max and Paramount Plus With Showtime! This month is a unique one for me insofar as the two things I’m the most excited about are kinda gay-boy-centric but I think we can take our joy where we can get it these days you know?

Netlix’s August 2023 Content For Girls, Gay and Theys

Heartstopper: Season Two – August 3

One of my favorite shows of 2023 for how deeply it warmed and delighted my heart (and inspired me to read all the books from the series!) is back for Season Two, in which events will likely involve eating ice cream and definitely will involve going to prom and taking a class trip to Paris. Nick will struggling to figure out how to come out and make his love with Charlie public and Ellie’s making new gal pals at Truman’s sister school, including our favorite lesbian couple Tara and Darcy. Early reviews have declared it “still euphoric and blissfully queer” and “TV’s sweetest teen romance.”

The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge – August 4th

Bisexual comic Nicole Beyer hosts a high-stakes “Nailed It!” spinoff where ten really bad bakers employ instruction from really amazing bakers in the race to win a sweet cash prize.

Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop – August 9th

This limited documentary series promises to “re-contextualize the irrepressible women of hip hop and their role in the genre’s 50 years by reinserting them into the canon where they belong: at the center, from day one to present day.” Iconic emcees include our very own Queen Latifah, Chika and Da Brat.

Depp v Heard: Limited Series – August 16th

I am so extremely very nervous for how this story is going to be told and also that it is being told so soon after the trial concluded. But um, bisexual actress Amber Heard faces Johnny Depp in a court of law.

Prime Video’s August 2023 For The Queers

Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) – August 11

Continuing my “gay boy love story” summer is the much-anticipated adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s delightful Red, White & Royal Blue, a romance between the son of the first woman president of the U.S, Alex Claremont-Diaz, and Britain’s Prince Henry. Rachel Hilson plays Nora Halleran, the 22-year-old granddaughter of the Vice President who is best friends (and exes) with Alex. Furthermore she is bisexual and Jewish!

Harlan Coben’s Shelter: Season One – August 18th

I do not know who this man (Harlan Coben) is, but every time one of his books is adapted into a television series I find myself GLUED TO THE SCREEN. In Shelter, we find teenager Mickey Boltar having recently lost his father in a tragic car accident and therefore made to move in with his (queer, it turns out!) aunt Shira (Constance Zimmer) in suburban New Jersey. He quickly finds himself at the center of a mystery surrounding another new student at his school vanishing. Mickey quickly becomes friends with (also queer!) school outcast Ema, played by queer actor Abby Corrigan.

Hulu’s LGBTQ+ TV and Film for August 2023

D.E.B.S. (2005) – August 1

Angela Robinson’s campy lesbian action comedy has delighted our people for years with its homoerotic group of lady spies in skirts and ties.

Breeders: Season 4 Premiere (FX) – August 1

This British dark comedy’s last season follows two parents who struggle with parenthood in a way that is funny enough for the AV Club to declare its final chapter “smart, wistful and funny as ever.” In the trailer we witness their now-teenage daughter Ava, played by Zoë Athena, experiencing her own “bombshell moment” when she meets and immediately develops a deep crush on charismatic hairdresser Holly (Jessie Williams).

Reservation Dogs: Season Three Premiere (FX) – August 2

Season Three of Reservation Dogs picks up with the group returning to Oklahoma after their unfortunate series of events in Los Angeles. Queer Kahnawà:ke Mohawk actress Devery Jacobs stars as teenager Elora Dana and queer two-spirit actor Elva Guerra plays Jackie in this critically beloved show with an all-Native and very queer writer’s room and crew.

Only Murders in the Building: Season Three Premiere – August 8

It’s unclear if our bisexual queen Mabel (Selena Gomez) will date a woman again this season (as she did last season with Cara Delevingne’s Alice), but she will continue to be on the series as the gang investigates another murder and also Meryl Streep and Ashley Park are joining the cast. We can also expect to see more of lesbian Detective Williams.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) – August 24

Sasha Lane is Theo, a woman dying from a rare cancer caused by pollution and Jayme Lawson is her girlfriend, Alisha, a skeptical do-gooder, in this film Drew described as “a radical masterpiece” that transposes a “critique of non-violence in climate activism” “into the entertainment of a heist movie and the pathos of a character study.”

Paramount+ / Showtime’s August 2023 Gay Shows

The Chi: Season 6 Premiere – August 4

In Season Six, “big dreams are finally realized but at a cost and everyone will be tested in unimaginable ways as they calculate the risks and rewards of their next big move.” Tyla Abercrumbie will be returning as lesbian character Nina and Miriam A. Hyman as her wife Dre.

Billions: Season 7 Premiere – August 13

The final season of this show about terrible rich people will continue to feature Asia Kate Dillon as non-binary character Taylor. This is the longline:“In season seven, alliances are turned on their heads. Old wounds are weaponized. Loyalties are tested. Betrayal takes on epic proportions. Enemies become wary friends. And Bobby Axelrod returns, as the stakes grow from Wall Street to the world.”

Max’s Lesbian Shows of August 2023

Rap Sh!t: Season 2 Premiere – August 8th

Update: The premiere of the second season of Rap Sh!t has been delayed due to the Writer’s Strike.

Bisexual actor Jonica Booth plays Chastity, a stud and the self-proclaimed “Duke of Miami” who, in Season One, begins managing a rap group formed by her estranged high school friends. In Season Two, “the girls are on tour, tensions are high, and they’re quickly realizing how much they’re willing to sacrifice for success.”

Disney+ Queer Materials for August 2023

High School Musical: The Series – Season Four Premiere – August 9

Fans of this franchise I still know nearly nothing about were thrilled last year when Ashlyn, played by pansexual actress Julia Lester, realized she also liked girls in Season Three. In Season Four, plans for their stage production of High School Musical 3: Senior Year is interrupted when the Principal announces that Disney’s making “High School Musical 4: The Reunion” movie on location at East High. I am confident that all of this makes perfect sense to somebody!

Apple TV’s Lesbian August 2023 Fare

Invasion: Season Two Premiere – August 23

The second season of Invasion promises to be “a bigger, more intense season that drops our viewers into a wide-scale, global battle from the start,” which saw its characters cope with the results of an alien invasion. It also has a lesbian lead character, Mitsuki Yamato, played by Shioli Kitsuna!

“The Owl House” Ends With a Gloriously Gay Sendoff

When The Owl House premiered on The Disney Channel back in January 2020, JK Rowling was still a good six months away from beginning her rapid descent into becoming the face of violent transphobia; Florida governor Ron Desantis hadn’t even floated the country’s first “don’t say gay” bill; and, frankly, most LGBTQ+ people were just relieved Donald Trump was out of the White House. We were taking a real breather for the first time in a long time.

That’s the real world Luz “the Human” Noceda left behind when she stepped through the portal into the Demon Realm. Over the course of three seasons, Luz got herself an enemies-to-lovers lesbian girlfriend, came out as bisexual, discovered that her pseudo-mom was queer and in love with a nonbinary witch, got herself a queer shape-shifting basilisk sister who fell for a nonbinary human, met her best friend’s gay dads, chatted with a genderqueer Titan, redeemed a he/they baddie, studied under her aro/ace adopted aunty, and beamed as her mom became the greatest ally of all-time.

The series ended this weekend, triumphantly and unapologetically queer, just like its creator, Dana Terrace. And it did so as LGBTQ+ youth and trans people of all ages are under cultural and legislative attack in the United States like never before. “Watching and Dreaming” would always have been a triumph — to close out a story with so many beloved characters, and such deep mythology, in a truncated final season mandated by spineless Disney execs is no small task — but doing so in a time of so much violence aimed at gay and trans kids feels like the firm planting of a beacon of hope. Over the past three years, The Owl House has soared, while the U.S. has plummeted even deeper into anti-LGBTQ hysteria.

The plot of the series finale is probably a little too dense for folks who haven’t watched the show. Like I said: This lore is enormous! But the emotional beats are really what makes “Watching and Dreaming” one of the best finales of one of the best shows ever made. When Luz arrives on The Boiling Isles in the pilot, she feels so alone and so misunderstood. Immediately she finds a home with Eda the Owl Lady, a practitioner of forbidden wild magic, and her monster son, King, who seems like kind of a dog and kind of a demon with grandiose visions of ruling the world. A cuddly little boss guy who actually happens to know exactly who he is.

Luz makes outcast friends at the magic school. She accidentally falls for her nemesis, who falls right back at her. It seems like your typical ragtag magical band of pals holding up The Chosen One — Luz’s best buddy is even named Willow — but actually The Owl House is about choosing yourself, a theme driven home hard in the final episode. Every character has a moving coming of age arc, most of them punctuated by some kind of trauma, and in the end they win not because they’re more powerful, or more clever, or because good always triumphs over evil. No, they win because they just refuse to give up. Beaten, broken, bloody, scarred, devastated, depressed, grief-stricken, surrounded by puritanical baddies and literal puppets. But they’re not alone anymore. They fight for each other.

Queerness isn’t some peripheral happenstance on The Owl House. It is a formative part of each gay and trans characters’ lives. It informs who they love and how they love, and also how they contextualize themselves in the larger world. It also gifts its audience with a vast palette of experiences to paint with. Queerness, like wild magic, goes against the tyrannical leanings of Emperor Belos because queerness, like wild magic, seeps into the cracks of rigid, binary thinking and busts “normal” apart with a song and a smile. Belos can’t control Eda because she doesn’t want to be normal. She’s the leader of the Bad Girl Coven and she wears her differences like a Titan-given cloak of many colors. She is proud to be a weirdo and she’s raising kids who are proud to be weirdos too.

Everyone gets a huge individual win in “Watching and Dreaming,” as Luz saves the day. And the epilogue is a slice-of-life low-fi hip-hop Hooty beat of unabashed celebration. I cried watching it. I’m crying right now just thinking about it. And before too long, I’m sure the whole thing will be seared onto my heart, forever, like a Flapjack tattoo.

April 2023: What’s New, Gay and Streaming on Netflix, Showtime, HBO Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, Roku and Paramount+

It’s time for April showers but after you get out of that shower you need to get into this guide to all the television you could be enjoying on your sofa or preferred place to sit! We’ve looked deeply into this and have come to you with a plethora of television shows and movies with lesbian, bisexual, queer and trans characters streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, Paramount+, Disney+, Roku and Showtime.

Top: Tiny Beautiful Things, Slip, Dead Ringers, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Bottom: The Matildas, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Beef, Couples Therapy, Walker: Independence, Miriam Margolyes: Almost Australian

New and Gay and/or Lesbian on Netflix in April 2023

Beef (Season One) – April 6

This series from A24 “follows the aftermath of a road rage incident between two strangers. Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, goes head-to-head with Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life. The increasing stakes of their feud unravel their lives and relationships in this darkly comedic and deeply moving series.” Queer actress Maria Bello plays queer billionaire character Jordan.

All-American: Homecoming (Season 2) – April 11

When Simone Hicks leaves her family and friends behind in Los Angeles, she finds a chosen family at Bringston University in Atlanta. While Simone tries to balance freshman year with collegiate athletics and the realities of life at an HBCU, she leans on Nate — a non-binary, gender non-comforming diva who offers to share her space — and Keisha, a bisexual, aspiring dancer turned med student with commitment issues (natch). (Thanks to Natalie for writing this blurb for me!)

Miriam Margolyes: Almost Australian (Season 1) – April 11

Legendary British lesbian actress Miriam Margolyes has just become an official citizen of Australia, and she has a lot of questions about what this means for her! In this series she will FIND OUT.

Welcome to Eden (Season 2) – April 21

This Spanish-language series returns to the rebellion that’d been sparked on Eden. There were a few queer and trans characters in the first season, including trans DJ Mayaka, lesbian Bel and the lead character, Zoa, who’s bisexual.

Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ Stuff For April 2023

Bros (2022) – April 4

This major studio gay rom-com that got so much press about people not going to see it that nobody ended up going to see it is focused on the love story between two white cis gay men, but has “a queer world that is predominantly trans and POC — even if the white cis gay men are the only ones with real characters.”

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel: Season Five Premiere – April 14

It’s the final season of one of Prime Video’s flagship properties, promising to give Midge a grand send-off complete with numerous flash-forwards and a final season story that finds her working as a writer for a late-night show while her dapper lesbian manager Susie toils away to improve her career and everybody wears cute period outfits!

Dead Ringers (Season One) – April 21

This absolutely bananas gender-swapped re-imagining of David Cronenberg’s psychosexual horror cult classic Dead Ringers (1988) stars Rachel Weisz as twins Elliot and Beverly Mantle, obstetricians who have big ideas for revolutionizing women’s health. Beverly is a lesbian and she begins dating Genevive, an actress on a popular TV show, early in the story, which makes Elliot very mad. Like the original film, the series promises “co-dependent twin doctors at the top of their professions who start to unravel under the weight of their obsession with each other and their career pursuits.” You can also look forward to a lot of blood and realistic depictions of childbirth!

Queer HBO Max Shows & Movies Streaming April 2023

Walker: Independence (Season One) – April 1

This CW Western series is set in the late 1800s and follows an affluent East Coaster whose husband is murdered while they’re journeying out West together. She eventually lands in Independence, Texas, with her new  companion, loveable rogue Hoyt. Queer non-binary actor Katie Findlay plays eccentric burlesque dancer Kate Carver. According to Looper, “with the blessing of producer and showrunner Seamus Fahey, Katie infused their own queerness into Kate, giving us a glimpse at what life was like for the queer community in the 1800s.”

Tangerine (2015) – January 1

Shot entirely on an iPhone, this iconic film follows two trans sex workers, Sin-Dee and Alexandra, on Christmas Eve, as just-out-of-jail Sin-Dee tracks down the pimp/boyfriend who’s been cheating on her and Alexandra’s on a journey towards her singing performance that evening.

The Winchesters (Season One) – April 6

The first season of The CW’s Supernatural spinoff is set in the 1970s, telling the story of how John Winchester and Mary Campbell fell in love and fought monsters together while looking for their missing fathers. The characters include Mary’s friend Carlos Cervantez, who is bisexual and non-binary, and DJ Rockin’ Roxy (Bridget Reagan), who is queer.

A Black Lady Sketch Show: Season Four Premiere – April 14

Our favorite sketch show returns for its 4th season. Sadly, queer writer/performer Ashley Nicole Black isn’t returning for the fourth season because she has so many other hot jobs!  Tamara Jade (The Voice season 19), Angel Laketa Moore (Atypical) and DaMya Gurley will be joining Robin Thede, Sky Townsend and Gabrielle Dennis as featured players.

#BringBackAlice: Season One Premiere – April 14

A year after her shocking disappearance, popular influencer Alicja Stec is finally found — with no memory of what happened to her. But then it turns out that another teenager disappeared without a trace on the same day as Alicja, and her brother’s certain Alicja is the key to finding her. There’s a brief moment in the trailer where Alicja is kissing a girl, but also I cannot find a trailer in English or subtitles so!

Somebody Somewhere: Season Two Premiere – April 23

After slowly building a cult following throughout its first season, Bridget Everett’s Somebody Somewhere returns with more of that portrayal of small-town Midwestern queer life for which it has been so very praised. In Season Two, Sam’s working to move beyond her grief, deepening her friendship with Joel, building a new connection to her other sister and working with a new singing teacher.

Hulu’s April 2023 Shows for Girls, Gays and Theys

Tiny Beautiful Things (Limited Series) – April 7

Kathryn Hahn plays Claire, the advice columnist behind Dear Sugar, in this adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling book that finds Claire’s entire life falling apart just as she’s hired to help people work through the pieces of their own. Tanzyn Crawford plays Rae, her biracial queer teenage daughter, described like so: “uncomfortable in her own skin and often emotionally torn between her parents, Rae shows artistic leanings, though she’s an introvert of few words, just starting to develop her own opinions and making sense of who she is in the world.” Also, Desiree Akhavan is amongst the directors on this project that was created and written by queer producer Liz Tigelaar, who also was showrunner for my beloved Little Fires Everywhere.

Single Drunk Female: Season Two Premiere (Freeform) – April 13

One of the only shows to portray sobriety and recovery in a way that is not actively harmful is back! The protagonist is queer, but appears to be just dating men this season. But her sponsor (played by Rebecca Henderson0 remains a lesbian, and trans actor Jojo Brown plays Mindy, her “delightfully acerbic sobriety sister and manager at the grocery store.”

Paramount+‘s Gay Stuff For April 2023

Broad City (Seasons 1-5) – April 5th

The legendary Abbi and Ilana, who are both pretty queer, are landing in their entirety upon Paramount+, which is nice for us, what a treat!

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: Season One Premiere – April 6

Set in 1954, four years prior to the official Grease movie timeline, four “fed-up and misfit students band together to bring out the moral panic that will change Rydell High forever and become the founding mothers of the first high school clique known as the Pink Ladies.”  There is definitely some sapphic kissing in the trailer, and non-binary actor Ari Notartomaso plays gender non-conforming character Cynthia who, in the trailer, is seen as one of the T-Birds, one of the Pink Ladies, and also in a scene where she’s about to kiss a girl wearing a gay hat.

Showtime Queer April 2023 Streaming Content

Couple’s Therapy: Season 3B – April 28

Queen Mother Dr. Orna Guralnik returns for the second half of the third season of Couple’s Therapy, where she’ll be working with four new couples “wrestling with the confines of long-term relationships” and challenging heteronormative structures of what a successful relationship looks like. Amongst them are Nadine and Christine, a couple desperately trying to adjust to one partner’s desire to transition into polyamory.

The Roku Channel’s Bisexual Content for April 2023

Slip: Season One – April 21

Mae (Zoe Lister-Jones) feels dull in her relationship, cheats on her partner, and wakes up the next day in an entirely new life where nobody remembers the reality she lived in before. The life-hopping continues, each jump inspired by Mae having an orgasm. And of course, Mae dates a lot throughout this journey into alternate universes — men and women both! Shelli saw Slip at SXSW and said “It’s clever as hell, gets pretty damn queer, and the way she has to “activate” her time travel is hilarious.”

Disney+ LGBTQ+ Content for April 2023

The Owl House: Final Special Episode – April 8

We will say goodbye to this beloved queer-inclusive animated series with this final episode of their three-episode third season. It will follow Luz’s journey to save the boiling isles from the evil Emperor Belos & the unpredictable Collector.

Matildas: The World At Our Feet – April 26

Football Australia has partnered with Disney+ to make this six-part docuseries about the journey of their national women’s football team, the CommBank Matildas, as they prepare for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Obviously gay team captain Sam Kerr, recently named the most influential woman in Australian sport, will be central to the docuseries.

Also.Also.Also: Wizards of Waverly Place Showrunner Says “It’s Obvious” Selena Gomez’s Character Was Bisexual, 11 Years Later

Hi! STOP SCROLLING! If you’re going to read one thing today, it should be this piece about the shooting in Nashville by Nico Hall for us: Conservatives Will Try to Paint Trans People as Violent Extremists, We Cannot Let Them

Now, here’s what else is in the news….

Queer as in F*ck You

‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Showrunner Says Selena Gomez’s Character Was Bisexual: ‘It Was Quite Obvious’. To get into even more detail, Alex was supposed to have a relationship with Stevie (that’s Lesbian Jesus Hayley Kiyoko to you). Ok the thing is that there’s a long history of characters who were “supposed to be gay” but never get said until many years after the fact, which can be a little eye roll worthy, for sure. In fact it’s such a common trope that we even wrote a whole list about it! But depending on your age when Wizards first aired and/or your affinity for peak Disney Channel, this one does feel little special. And to celebrate the special occasion, may I offer you: All Disney Stars Are Gay Now, We Don’t Make the Rules

^^^ there may or may not be a shout out to Selena Gomez in that article, I’m not saying.😉

Ugh, we’ve gone so far as to ban singing Rainbow Connection from The Muppets in preschools now? really?

Powerful Photos of Butch Lesbian Identity. “Photographer Roman Manfredi travelled around the UK documenting the lives of working-class butches, studs and the femmes who love them.”

This study from The Washington Post is absolutely vital, and I’m really glad they removed the paywall from it: Most Trans Adults Say Transitioning Made Them More Satisfied With Their Lives

Send a Message of Support to Incarcerated Transgender People. “Incarceration can be extremely isolating and dehumanizing for everyone, but especially for trans people. In partnership with Black & Pink, we’re sending messages of hope and strength to incarcerated trans people to let them know we are in solidarity with trans liberation and justice.” (I can not speak enough praises for Black & Pink, please please consider doing this)

Saw This, Thought of You

Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra, 67, Face of Puerto Rican Culinary History, Dies. Am I always gonna fit a little Puerto Rico into these round ups? I gotta do me. (que descansa en paz.)

“‘We don’t have access to abortion in Louisiana right now unless you’ve had a miscarriage … As a student, ‘you’re not going to be seeing this procedure very often. You’re not getting enough practice in that procedure.’” As Restrictions Complicate Abortion Training in Medical Schools, Papayas Are Filling a Gap

Extremely relevant, “The U.S. maternal-mortality rate spiked in 2021, according to a new report from the CDC. The report reveals that 1,205 women died of maternal causes in 2021, a 40 percent increase from 2020 and the highest rate the country has seen since the 1960s.” The U.S. Maternal-Mortality Rate Soared in 2021

Abortion Wins Elections — “The fight to make reproductive rights the centerpiece of the Democratic Party’s 2024 agenda.” (I’ll be honest that I sneaking this in, because I haven’t had a chance to sit and read it in the attention that I want yet. But it’s Rebecca Traister in a cover story for New York Magazine writing about the political efficacy of how we talk about abortions, and that matters A LOT to me. Okay. If you enjoy incredibly smart, detailed feminist  analysis of electoral politics, it should matter a lot to you, too.)

Political Snacks

Intersex Surgery Is Condemned by the United Nations. Anti-trans Bills Are Allowing It. “Exemptions for intersex surgery allow doctors to assign minors who are born with secondary sex characteristics as ‘male’ or ‘female,’ reinforcing rigid gender ideals and heterosexuality, experts say.”

Crowds in Milan Protest Against Curbs on Rights of Same-Sex Parents

Uganda to Jail People Who Identify as LGBTQ in One of World’s Most Anti-Gay Laws

And Relevant to All Our Interests, One More F*cking Thing

The red line is when Republicans ended the national assault weapons ban. pic.twitter.com/lIYa5xURsd

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) March 28, 2023

March 2023: What’s New, Gay and Streaming on Netflix, Showtime, HBO Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, Starz and Paramount+

As any March hare could tell you, we are now entering the month of March and that means it’s time for Yellowjackets! But also there are other television shows and movies with lesbian, bisexual, queer and trans characters streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, Paramount+, Disney+, Starz and Showtime this fine March of 2023 and it’s time for us to talk about them!

Top row: Wreck (Hulu), Yellowjackets (Showtime), Class of ’07 (Prime Video), Mae Martin: Sap (Netflix). Bottom row: Perry Mason (HBO), Turning the Tables With Robin Roberts (Disney+), The Big Door Prize (Apple TV), Queen of the Universe (Paramount+), All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (HBO Max), Good Trouble (Freeform/Hulu)

New and Gay and/or Lesbian on Netflix in March 2023

Magic Mike XXL (2015) – March 1

This cinematic masterpiece sequel about an all-male stripper team features bisexual actress Amber Heard as a flirty bisexual photographer named Zeo.

Next in Fashion: Season 2 – March 3

Tan France and Gigi Hadid’s version of Project Runway has a few seemingly LGBTQ+ contestants this season, including trans designer James Ford, who you may recognize from his various connections to the Autostraddle-verse including that one time he said on this very website that Spindrift is bad.

Shadow & Bone: Season Two – March 16

It’s time for everybody’s favorite streaming guide game: Riese Tries To Explain The Plot of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show They Have Never Seen By Paraphrasing The Show’s Promotional Materials!!! AHEM: in the second season of this show, Alina Starkov and Mal Oretsev must rise to the challenge presented by General Kirigan’s new army by gathering their own powerful new allies and begin an epic journey to locate two mythical creatures that’ll amplify their powers. Also, a deadly heist will send the Crows on a collision course with the Sun Summoner. Queer actor Jessie Mel Li plays Alina, and has said she’d love to see Alina go bisexual in Season 2, and Nina Zenik is cannon bisexual.

Carol (2015) – March 20

Hmmmmm not sure what this is about but i do feel like I’ve heard of it and it’s definitely gay

Mae Martin: Sap – March 28

Non-binary queer comic Mae Martin of Feel Good and that one picture with Elliot Page gets their own stand-up special, directed by Abbi Jacobson! We are all so very excited about because they are so hot and funny and we love everything they have ever done or will do!

Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ Stuff For March 2023

Daisy Jones & The Six: Season One Premiere – March 3

Based on the best-selling novel by Taylor Jenkins-Reid (Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo), this mockumentary-ish show tells the story 20 years later of a band that rose from obscurity to fame and then, following a massive show at Chicago’s Soldier Field, broke up forever. Although the book didn’t have any queer elements, Nabiyah Be’s character Simone is queer and Ayesha Harris is playing her love interest!

Class of ’07: Season One – March 17

This Australian comedy about an all-girls school class reunion that gets interrupted by an apocalypse that strands all its attendees on a just-created island really should be a lot gayer than it is but… for not being gay, it is still a good time. The cast includes queer hip-hop artist BVT (whose character is clearly gay but doesn’t really like, do anything gay), the delightfully weird and gay actress / director Caitlin Stasey (Neighbours, Please Like Me, Reign) and queer actor / content creator Emma Horn.

Swarm: Season One – March 17

Dre (Dominique Fishback) is a devoted member of an obsessive fandom focused on Ni’Jah and her obsession gets really dark when she becomes a serial killer. Dre is queer (although she doesn’t come fully into her identity until the very end of the series) and she also at one point on her traveling reign of terror, intersects with a queer women’s empowerment cult led by Billie Eilish. In the last episode we meet Kiersey Clemons’ Rashida, a queer graduate student who dares to dislike Ni’Jah.

Nope (2022) – March 21

In this neo-Western science fiction horror film from Jordan Peele, Keke Palmer plays a character A. Tony describes as “the charismatic little lesbian of my dreams,” the sibling to Daniel Kaluuya’s OJ. Together they manage a horse ranch in California that handles horses for film & TV productions, discover something “wonderful and sinister in the skies above” that might offer a clue to who killed their father. They also must contend with the owner of an adjacent theme park trying to profit from the supernatural phenomenon lurking above them all.

The Power: Season One Premiere – March 31

This adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s bestselling novel which explored the question “What if women ruled the world?” focuses on a group of teenage girls who mysteriously develop a special power that allows them to electrocute people. Among them is Roxy (Ria Zmitrowicz), the secret daughter of a powerful business owner in London who witnesses her Mom getting killed by gangsters and also she is queer!

Queer HBO Max Shows & Movies Streaming March 2023

Milk (2008) – March 1

This biopic telling the story of the legendary gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk has a queer female character, Anne Kronenberg, played by Allison Pill. I saw this film in the theater and cried like a baby!

Tangerine (2015) – March 1

Shot entirely on an iPhone, this iconic film follows two trans sex workers, Sin-Dee and Alexandra, on Christmas Eve, as just-out-of-jail Sin-Dee tracks down the pimp/boyfriend who’s been cheating on her and Alexandra’s on a journey towards her singing performance that evening.

Perry Mason: Season 2 Premiere – March 6

It’s been a long wait for the second season of this drama series reboot that tells the origin story of famed defense lawyer Perry Mason in post-WWI Los Angeles. In Season Two, Mason’s number two Della Street (Juliet Rylance) has found herself a beard, is bored with her girlfriend Hazel (Molly Ephraim) and will find a distraction in the form of Hollywood screenwriter Anita St. Pierre (Jen Tullock). So far, reviews claim Season Two is actually better than Season One!

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) – March 19

“Laura Poitras’ remarkable documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is about Nan Goldin and her work,” wrote Drew Gregory of this award-winning film about legendary bisexual photographer Nan Goldin. “It’s also about Goldin’s campaign to take down the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, the company who manufactured Oxycontin. The brilliance of the film is it shows these aspects of her life to be one in the same.”

Hulu’s March 2023 Shows for Girls, Gays and Theys

Wreck: Season One – March 1

This British comedy horror show — which got negative reviews overall but positive reviews from LGBTQ+ publications specifically — finds a young gay lad named Jamie working on a cruise ship to investigate his sister’s disappearance. Also aboard is Vivian Lim (Thaddea Graham), who joined the Sacramentum after fleeing her homophobic family. She eventually has a thing with Lily Tee (Ramanique Ahluwalia). Writer Ryan J. Brown said of the show’s thematic bent: “as a gay man and horror fan, I think horror has always been queer but it’s always coded, and subtext. I thought, ‘let’s do away with the subtext. Let’s have explicit representation.”

Good Trouble: Season 5 Premiere – March 17

According to the Good Trouble Fandom Wiki, ” The roommates will face their toughest obstacles yet as they’re confronted with evolving relationship challenges and new career opportunities. Through highs and lows, romance and heartbreak, The Coterie crew will lean on each other while they navigate the next stage of adulthood.”

Showtime’s March 2023 Queer Content

Yellowjackets: Season 2 Premiere – March 24

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ !!!! Lots of new cast members will joining our favorite program including Lauren Ambrose as adult Van! Trans actress Nicole Maines is joining up as an associate of adult Lottie — who’ll be played by Simone Kessell. Season One ended with everybody wondering if Lottie was leading a plane-crash-obsessed cult, so!!! Please check out our in-depth analysis of the Yellowjackets Season Two Trailer here.

Disney+ LGBTQ+ Content for March 2023

Turning the Tables With Robin Roberts: Season 2 – March 15

If you’ve been waiting all your life to see lesbian news anchor Robin Roberts (Good Morning America) hold intimate roundtable conversations with female celebrities from all walks of life then you are in luck my friend! The first season was jam-packed with queer participants (Tig Notaro, Raven-Symone, Melissa Etheridge, Billie Jean King, etc), this year I have spotted one (1) and her name is Hayley Kiyoko.

Apple TV+’s Lesbians of March 2023

The Big Door Prize: Season One Premiere – March 29

A machine in a small town grocery store promises to predict the destiny of any user who submits themselves to its powers! The story centers on Cass (Gabrielle Dennis) and Dusty (Chris O’Dowd)’s family, which includes Izzy (Crystal R. Fox), Cass’s lesbian Mom who owns a shop in Deerfield.

Paramount+‘s Gay Stuff For March 2023

The Challenge: World Championship: Season Premiere – March 8

MVPs and Global Champions from Challenge editions in Argentina, the UK, Australia and the USA will come together to represent their countries and fight for the chance to be crowned CHALLENGE WORLD CHAMPION. Amongst these humans is lesbian athlete Kaycee Clark (Big Brother, The Challenge).

Queen of the Universe: Season 2 Premiere – March 31

Vanessa Williams hosts this drag queen singing competition and bisexual Spice Girl Mel B will be joining the judging panel that already includes Trixie Mattel, Michelle Visage and Graham Norton!

Starz Queer March 2023 Streaming Content

Power Book II: Ghost: Season 3 Premiere – March 8

In Season Three, Tariq St. Patrick sets out to get his trust, return to his family, and leave the game for good. But a ruthless new connect interrupts his plan to reconnect with Tasha and Yaz, putting him back into business with Brayden, (bisexual character! although she hasn’t had a bisexual storyline yet!) Effie and the Tejadas.

Minx: Season One – March 24

HBO Max renewed this brilliant little show and then VERY RUDELY rescinded the offer but luckily Starz swooped in to save it and they’re putting season one on their platform on March 24th! This story of a young feminist in 1970s Los Angeles who joins forces with a porn rag publisher to create the first women’s porn magazine has a major gay man of color character and also some delightfully surprising queer lady storylines!

February 2023: What’s New, Gay and Streaming on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Peacock, Disney+, Shudder and Paramount+

Hello and welcome to your monthly adventure into which streaming networks are bold and visionary enough to include lesbian and bisexual and queer women and/or trans people in their February lineup. What is new and gay on  Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Peacock and HBO Max this February 2023? Wh

It was another challenging month for me, friends, as once more I found myself picking up strong gay vibes from a number of programs only to get five screeners deep and learn those vibes were actually radiating from gay men. But if you’re looking for some gay male storylines this month, look no further than Apple+ TV’s Dear Edward and Shrinking; as well as the film Spoiler Alert on Peacock!

Top Row: Harlem, The Watchful Eye, Love Match: Paris, Bel-Air
Bottom Row: Million Little Things, Your Place or Mine, Attachment, Star Trek Picard, Harley Quinn and Planet Sex With Cara Delevingne

New and Gay and/or Lesbian on Netflix in February 2023

Your Place or Mine (2023) – February 10

This rom-com from Alline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) sees Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) as best friends forever who swap houses for a week — him taking care of her son in LA, her spreading her wings in NYC — to discover themselves et cetera you know how it is with heterosexuals. Tig Notaro appears in this film as, I believe, Debbie’s sardonic lesbian pal! I suppose it’s possible her character is straight but lord have mercy if so.

Perfect Match: First 4 Episodes – February 14

This Netflix reality show mashup — bringing together contestants from previous Netflix reality shows for a new game that I suppose involves love or dating in a matchy matchy way — is teeming with bisexuals! We’ve got Too Hot to Handle star Francesca Farago, who previously dated fellow reality queen Demi Sims and is now dating trans influencer Jesse Sullivan. Then there’s Are You The One’s bisexual season alum Kariselle Snow (who also appeared in Netflix’s Sexy Beast, thus qualifying her for this program). Also there is the bisexual Abbey Humphrey from Twentysomethings: Austin. Two girls who kissed on their season of Too Hot to Handle, Izzy and Georgia, are also in the cast, but I’ve got no clue if they’re actually bi because I did not see the show. It appears the cast includes 11 men and 12 women, and while it’s possible I am bad at counting, it’s also possible that there’ll be some room for some same-sex matchups!

Some Netflix shows on my gaydar although I couldn’t confirm one way or the other if they’re gonna have queers relevant to our interest are: the new Elite-inspired Indian teen melodrama Class, Season Four of You, and Tig Notaro in We Have a Ghost.

Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ Stuff For February 2023

Harlem: Season 2 – February 3

This series about four stylish & ambitious best girlfriends in Harlem has a lesbian lead, Tye, played by lesbian actress Jerrie Johnson! She’ll be “considering her future” in Season Two while her friends go on their own journeys of self-discovery as they level up to the next phase of their careers, relationships and big city dreams.

Carnival Row: Season 2 – February 17

In Season Two of this fantasy-noir series, inspector Philo is investigating a series of gruesome murders that have stoked social tension while pansexual character Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) and the Black Raven are plotting payback against The Burgue’s human leaders. Bisexual character Tourmaline will be inheriting supernatural powers that threaten her fate and the future of The Row. I have no idea what any of this means but it feels true that “with humans and fae folk divided and freedom on the line, each hero will face impossible dilemmas and soul-defining tests in the epic conclusion of Carnival Row.”

Queer HBO Max Shows Streaming February 2023

Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special – February 9

This special event follows Harley as she pursues her goal of having the best first Valentine’s Day ever with Ivy with obsessive zeal. Meanwhile, Bane’s efforts to impress an unexpected date go off-kilter and Clayface “engages in some self-love.”

Hulu’s February 2023 Shows for Girls, Gays and Theys

The Watchful Eye: Season One Premiere (Freeform) – January 31

A late add from the tail end of January is this thriller following a young woman with a complicated past who secures a nanny job with an affluent Manhattan family, where her own intent to be a con woman is compromised by the building’s deadly secrets and its inhabitants’ ulterior motives. She also makes nanny friends and of those nanny friends, Ginny (Aliyah Royale) and Kim (Clare Filipow) are queer and Alex (Baraka Rahmani) uses they/them pronouns.

Kissing Jessica Stein (2022) – February 1

This classic was frustrating in its time but is delightful to experience in the present day — following Jessica, who’s yet to find her soulmate and thus goes for it when the personal ad she feels drawn to turns out to be written by a woman — a downtown hipster named Helen, with whom she strikes up a relationship despite not being sure if she’s actually into women. Also Tovah Feldshuh is her Mom!

A Million Little Things: Season Five Premiere (ABC) – February 9

A Million Little Things will kick off its fifth and final season with a funeral and a new haircut for the love of my life, Grace Park, who plays a character named Katherine who is currently dating Greta, played by Cameron Esposito.

Three Ways (2023) – February 10

From Black-led media platform Andscape, “Three Ways” is a sex comedy following Stacey, a sexually awkward woman who decides to take control of her life, get over her ex and conquer her fears by having a threesome with her new suitor and a mysterious woman she’s yet to meet.

Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne: Limited Series – February 14

In this docuseries, queer model Cara Delevingne will “put her mind and body on the line in search of answers regarding human sexuality, its joys, mysteries and constantly changing nature. In every episode, she shares her own personal experiences. Uniquely unfiltered and authentic, there’s no limit on how far Cara’s willing to go to explore what makes us all human.”

Love Trip: Paris: Two-Episode Season Premiere (Freeform) – February 15

Premiering on Freeform on February 14th and debuting the next day on Hulu, this reality program is dropping four American girls who are allegedly “unlucky in love in their own country” into a French penthouse in the middle of Pairs, beneath a floor of French suitors ready to date them. Caroline is a personal trainer and a lesbian looking for her dream girl, Lacy is a France-obsessed mental health influencer who identifies as sexually fluid, and Josielyn is a Mexican transgender L.A.-based model who’s also open to dating people of all genders!

Grey’s Anatomy: S19 Winter Premiere (ABC) – February 24

Station 19: S6 Winter Premiere (ABC) – February 24

Spin Me Round (2022) – February 24

Shelli reported that the gay vibes in this comedy-thriller starring Aubrey Plaza and Alison Brie “are there but it’s not some major part of the film,” so your milage may vary! Aubrey Plaza plays the manager of a chain restaurant who gets to attend a special training program in Italy but her dreams of European glamour and romance turn out to not be what she’d hoped for because also there is DANGER!

Peacock’s Lesbians and Bisexuals of February 2023

Bel-Air: Season Two Premiere – February 23

Fresh Prince alum Tatayana Ali is joining the cast in a recurring guest star capacity for Season Two of this dramatic adaptation of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She’ll be playing Mrs. Hughes, an English teacher who takes Ashley Banks (aka Ali’s role in the original sitcom) under her wing. Ashley came out as queer in the first season and we can’t wait to see what happens in the second!

Disney+

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) – February 1

In the wake of King T’Challa’s death, Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje must fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers and work to embrace the best new path forward for the kingdom of Wakanda. Aneka and Ayo, both Dora Milaje who have a relationship in the comics, are girlfriends on the periphery of Wakanda Forever.

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder: Season 2 Premiere – February 1

Nic reported that this reboot of The Proud Family (2005-2010) is “louder, prouder and gayer” — and it includes the genderfluid character Michael (voiced by EJ Johnson). The second season promises to “highlight culturally specific experiences of the Black community.” Billy Porter voices Randall, one of two gay Dads in the series. (The other is played by Zachary Quinto.)

Apple TV+

Pincecone & Pony: Season 2 Premiere – February 1

Queer story editor Taneka Stotts and non-binary writers Pilot Viruet and Gigi D.G. are behind this show that features a queer/nonbinary storyline between Rachel House’s Gladys and her partner Ser Anzoategui‘s Wren. This animated series is about a plucky heroine going on magical adventures as she faces down dragons, giants, trolls, and all the hard parts of growing up.

Paramount+

Star Trek: Picard: Season Three Premiere – February 16

The final season of this spin-off which officially made Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) canonically bisexual and in a romance with Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) promises a “proper send-off” to the series. Also Levar Burton is coming back!

The Equalizer: S2 Winter Premiere  – February 19

Shudder

Attachment (2022) – February 9

In this horror romance, has-been Danish actress Maja falls for British Jewish academic Leah, who swiftly has a seizure and must return to London and Maja of course follows her. But then she meets Leah’s mother, Chana, who is very religious and hates Maja and is very mysterious!! When strange things begin happening in the building, Maja suspects Chana’s secrets are super dark. “The horror of Attachment is found in Jewish folklore,” wrote Drew in her review. “But it’s also found in the specific relationships Jewish children have with their mothers.”

How Happy Could I Make These Disney Villains?

If there is no TV character that gives me more joy than the mean mom, then it is likely not surprising that I’ve never met a Disney Villain I didn’t love. Perhaps it is because I also have a short fuse when it comes to things like earnestness and vulnerability; perhaps it is because the best Disney villains are over-the-top, incredibly dramatic gays (we’re not discussing this, it’s just a fact) who get the best songs. No matter the sickness that has led me down this path, now is the time for me to put on my scholar drag and figure out which of these legendary villains I could make happy.

Evil Queen, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs  

“All alone, my pet?”

Make no mistake, I respect and understand this woman. Snow White is pretty boring — girl, I beg you, get to a theater program and stop singing at deer — and her Prince is an absolute drip, but there has to be more to do as Queen. I also love looking at my own reflection, but I have to imagine if I was running a whole kingdom I would find something else to do? Is there no infrastructure to invest in, no grand parties to throw? We’re just vibing in a castle and talking to a spooky mirror? Babe, you gotta get a grip, I’m gonna get bored!

Marriage Rating: 1/10

Scar, The Lion King

“Just between us, you might want to work on that little roar of yours.”

It hurts to place a legend so low, especially as we have so many of the same interests: throwing ourselves around with dramatic abandon, bringing Shakespearean energy to conversations with children, not being very physically strong. And who doesn’t love a full-blown musical number about your planned coup? I get Scar, but I know myself more. I am not trying to live on a bummer Pride Rock where we have no food and the watering hole is dried up. It’s one thing to want to rule my guy, it’s another to do it poorly — especially when your whole song is literally about being prepared.

We’d have a few good moments, but let’s be real, when push comes to shove, I’m finding Sarabi with a quickness!

Marriage Rating: 2/10

Jafar, Aladdin 

“Ecstatic.”

When Aladdin’s loud ass parade wraps up and the Sultan is tripping over himself with joy and Jafar’s response is to call him Prince Abubu? That was the moment I knew this dude was for me. And fine, yes, his methods are aggressive. But be serious for a minute: Who do you think was running Agrabah while the Sultan was playing with toys and forgetting he had the power to change actual marriage law? You know that long disdainful man was up to his ears in paperwork whenever he wasn’t cackling in his magic tower. Plus, his tenure as Sultan involved making the palace a place charged with a surprising amount of sexual energy, and god help me, I respect it!

Unfortunately, I don’t love the idea of being trapped in an hourglass, and while I respect a quest for power, you gotta know when enough is enough! You can’t be sultan and then a sorcerer and then a genie! The power is not the problem, you are!

Marriage Rating: 3/10

Yzma, The Emperor’s New Groove

“I’ll turn him into a flea. A harmless little flea. And then, I’ll put that flea in a box, and then I’ll put that box inside another box, and then I’ll mail that box to myself. And when it arrives-AHAHA!”

Man, my girl and Jafar would probably have a lot to discuss, huh? Another in a long line of disrespected royal advisors, Yzma is nothing if not committed to the bit, and for that alone I love her. She’s got a killer lash tech, the king of all Himbos by her side, Eartha Kitt’s voice, and she’s a Woman in STEM! It’s not like Kuzco was that great; the man was going to displace John Goodman for a tacky summer palace! Yzma is simply doing the work that he refused to do, and while she might not be doing it well, she is doing something!

I think our marriage would be pretty good, actually! Truly, it’s only due to the number of legends on this list that she finds herself at seven, but I would be more than happy to be a political wife. Yzma needs someone who will pull her back from putting so much work into what should be rather simple plans for takeover, and there is nothing I like more than doing less work. I worry I am not energetic enough for her, if I am being honest, I know I wouldn’t be into plotting 24/7. But I believe in you Yzma!

Marriage Rating: 5/10

Queen Narissa, Enchanted 

All this nauseating talk of true love’s kiss… it really does bring out the worst in me.

Frankly, I find it appalling how often we forget Queen Narissa when it comes to Disney Villains. Yes, she is basically just a combination of all the evil queens and stepmothers from Disney history, and fine, that does make her a little boring. But the woman is Susan Sarandon — does that not sway the jury even a little? Because let me tell you, counsel finds that to be a VERY compelling reason to include her here!

…granted, there isn’t much else to say, really. Andalasia seems nice, and she is nothing if not dedicated to keeping her crown. I could get down with that, and I’d frankly be honored to hang with noted character actor Timothy Spall. Again, it’s Susan Sarandon, I’ll do anything!

Marriage Rating: 6/10

Cruella De Vil, 101 Dalmatians

“My Only True Love, Darling. I Live For Furs. I Worship Furs! After All, Is There A Woman In All This Wretched World Who Doesn’t?”

Yes, she wants to kill puppies for a coat. Let’s just get that out there, because I know that it is a rather troubling agenda. I don’t even know if it would be worth it in the end. Think about it: a dog hair coat? Taking away the morality issue, I truly do not think it would feel that nice? Anyway, what I truly love about Cruella is that in the original film, she is not Anita’s boss, or weird family member — she’s a friend from school? Why are they still friends?? What did they talk about before Anita had all those damn dogs??? (No, I did not see Cruella, that has no place here.)

Aside from the murdering dogs thing, Cruella rocks! She’s got a theme song, she’s got henchmen, and literally no one on earth has made smoking look better. Frankly, I’d be honored to help her with her no doubt exhausting hair upkeep, and I might even be able to wean her onto more sustainable fur!

Marriage Rating: 7/10

Mother Gothel, Tangled

“Mother knows best, listen to your mother”

I respect all of you too much to pretend that living in a tower with a scary dark haired witch who has Donna Murphy’s voice isn’t a dream of mine. If it helps clear anything up, I had a dream that I was either married to or being tortured by Marcia Gay Harden, and I literally couldn’t tell which scenario was happening. So that’s the baseline we’re coming from, okay? I love a woman who is committed to getting what she wants! I am aware that it is hypocritical to rank the Evil Queen so low and Mother Gothel so high when they basically want the same thing but Mother Gothel is at least capable of a show stopping musical performance. Please, watch Donna Murphy perform this number and then try to tell me you aren’t hoisting yourself up the nearest tower ASAP.

Plus! I love not leaving the house! I’ve got two earth signs in my big three; I am down to chill and watercolor while my girl goes out and does…whatever it is that she does all day. I certainly would know better than to ask, my god.

Marriage Rating: 8/10

Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty

“Oh dear, what an awkward situation.”

Honesty, this is very nearly too obvious? We are talking about a woman who cursed a child because she didn’t get invited to a party! That is a mind-blowing level of pettiness, a kind that I cannot even fathom. Maleficent needs to call Andy Cohen ASAP and get on a Housewives franchise, because she would absolutely crush. I would actually pay money to see her amongst the classic New York girlies — she called the fairies “rabble,” can you imagine what she would say to Ramona??

We could raise a murder of ravens together and laugh at Prince Phillip being a straight up boring loser, gossip nonstop about the fairies, and whenever she needed solo time, she could peace out and turn into a dragon. Sounds sick to me????

Marriage Rating: 8/10

Stepmother, Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Whitney’s Version)

“Don’t cling to the past Cinderella. It’s not very attractive.”

As far as I am concerned, there is one version of Cinderella, and it is the Whitney Houston/Brandy/ masterpiece. I know every single line of dialogue, every breath, every panicked sound Whoopi Goldberg makes. It is simply a perfect film, and there is no more perfect performance than Bernadette Peters as Cinderella’s Stepmother. The way she says “This isn’t about love! It’s about marriage!” before she sings “Falling In Love With Love” ??? When she tells Cinderella she is nothing but common, like her father??? Every single outfit she wears is perfect; the way she flusters and infuriates Jason Alexander is art. Art!

I would give her literally everything she ever asked for, I would help her raise her beautifully mixed household of, let’s be honest, straight up grown children. She would sing to me, and I would pass out because it’s Bernadette Peters. It feels important to note at this moment that I do in fact have a sticker of Bernadette on my water bottle, such was her impact on me.

Marriage Rating: 9/10

Ursula, The Little Mermaid 

“I admit that in the past I’ve been a nasty, they weren’t kidding when they called me— well— a witch.”

…do I have to say anything else? Look at her! That shock of white hair, the bright red lip, the eye makeup. The way she undulates around that cave absolutely rewired my brain, and as it has become somewhat of a theme here, I would be remiss not to mention her voice. I literally never understood why she wanted Ariel’s — who wouldn’t be seduced by that rasp?? I know what idle chatter is for, and it’s 100% getting seduced by a sea witch!

Our marriage would be incredible. I have five ocean tattoos; the only sport I was ever halfway decent at was swimming; and I think eels rock. King Triton might be the ultimate sea daddy, but he seems to be entirely confused about how to run an underwater kingdom. I mean, Sebastian wants to perform; he does not want to keep tabs on a child! I would let him pursue his passion for composing while keeping Ursula from turning everyone into mermaid seaweed. A match made in heaven! It feels important to mention I do have a note from the voice of Ursula herself, Pat Carroll. My mother waited on her sometime in the late 90s and told her that I was fully obsessed with The Little Mermaid and Ursula, and she kindly wrote me a note that I have included below. God, is it any wonder I am as gay as I am??

Yes, my mother added the cut out images.

Marriage Rating: 10/10

“Willow” Gives Us the Lesbian Disney Princess We’ve Been Waiting For

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve had to write about some Disney character or Marvel superhero who was definitely for sure absolutely no doubt going to be gay this time, and stayed straight anyway, I’d have enough money to make my own lesbian princess movie. But! I don’t need to dream that dream anymore! Because, finally, she’s here! Willow‘s Princess Kit Tanthalos of Tir Asleen, Daughter of Queen Sorsha, Protector of Her Royal Highness the Sacred Princess Elora Danan, girlfriend of Shining Legion Knight Jade Claymore. That’s right, I said “girlfriend” — but first please allow me to list Kit’s Disney Princess qualifications.

Tragic backstory involving at least one parent? Check. Antagonistic relationship with an alive parent? Check. Resents the life that was planned for her? Check. Rebels in the first fifteen minutes? Check. Road trip? Check. Royal blood? Check. Goofy sidekick? Check. Training montage set against a stunning backdrop? Check. Shiny and gritty? Check. Takes turns rescuing and being rescued by her love interest? Check. Surprise awesome outfit in the final act? Check. Handsome consort? CHECK! Happily ever after? Check check check! The only thing Kit Tanthalos doesn’t do is sing, and, frankly, she’d probably destroy you with her withering stare if you even suggested it.

The Princess, The Knight, The Goofy Sidekick, The Aspiring Wizard

When Nic spotted the queerness in Willow‘s first episode, I could hardly believe it. She compared the series to Dungeons & Dragons, and she was right, of course, and in that classic ’80s way like the original Disney movie too. Silly and spooky sword and sorcery! As delighted as I was to see two queer women in my favorite genre, something that’s usually reserved for the rare fantasy book, I still had a hard time believing it was going to be what I wanted it to be. Even though all I wanted was for them to stay gay and alive! But Disney+ dropped the season one finale yesterday, and in the end, the series succeeded beyond my wildest imaginings.

Over the course of eight episodes, our ragtag crew set out to rescue Prince Arik, and ended up saving the world. Kit grew as a person and a princess. Jade grew as a person and a knight. They fought with their words and fought with their swords, confessed their feelings, sword fought some more, saved and saved and saved each other, smooched, and destroyed the bad guy, back-to-back and side-by-side. They said, “I love you.” They lived!

I cast Charm Person

Covering Disney and Marvel’s reluctant dance with LGBTQ+ visibility has been one of the most frustrating things about my 15-year career. For all the screeching conservatives do about Disney being part of the “woke agenda,” actual storytelling involving gay characters has been basically nonexistent. In the last few years, we’ve gotten a handful of throwaway lines from characters like LeFou in the live-action Beauty and the Beast or Loki in his TV series that indicate they’re queer, but we never actually see it.

It’s a maddening irony: Disney and Marvel make the most-watched — and therefore most influential — movies and TV shows in the entire world, but for them to exist all over the world, and all the merch that goes along with them, Disney refuses to make them gay. They don’t want the pushback and they don’t want the loss of even one single straight dollar. It’s only because Disney bobbled their response to Florida’s Don’t Say Gay nonsense last year that they were able to be shamed into adding the lesbian kiss back into the Toy Story prequel, Lightyear. Every single small victory has been such a fight! And we’ve lost most of them! Where’s Valkyrie’s girlfriend? How many women kissing have been cut from Black Panther movies?

Willow treats Kit like a modern day Disney Princess, it really does. She hits all the beats. And it gives Kit and Jade the kind of epic love story that’s always reserved for straight couples. And it doesn’t make Jade a sidekick in the process; it’s Kit offering to follow Jade before it’s all over, because Jade has a fascinating backstory too. All I’ve ever wanted is for Disney to put their mouth where the Mouse Money is. Or, in the words of our beloveds…

Kit: I love you.
Jade: Yeah? Then shut up and do something about it.

Disney+’s “Willow” Has Multiple Queer Characters to Root For

The following contains mild spoilers for the first three episodes of Willow on Disney+

I’ll admit, the world of Willow was unknown to me until a few months ago when I learned of the upcoming Disney+ series. I was a mere one year old when the 1988 George Lucas and Ron Howard film, of the same name, was released, so I’m not too surprised that I hadn’t yet heard of the cult classic. I love all things fantasy though, so inevitably the show made its way onto my ever-increasing watchlist. However, all it took was a text from a friend that said “I don’t know if Willow is on your radar, but you will love it. It’s gay within the first 20 minutes!” to skyrocket it to the top of that very list.

The series picks up 20 years after the events of the film, and the pilot very handily begins with a quick recap of those events. There’s a Chosen One prophecy (like any good fantasy story), an unlikely hero (Willow Ufgood, the titular role!), and a princess (Sorsha) who turns against her mother, the Queen, to save baby Elora (our Chosen One) and ultimately bring about Queen Bavmorda’s destruction.

Once the Sorsha-narrated recap ends, we’re taken immediately to a cliffside training session between two of my new favorite TV characters, Kit (Ruby Cruz) and Jade (Erin Kellyman). Reader, the moment Kit took off her helmet and swaggered over to banter with “best friend” Jade, I knew that though she probably doesn’t need it, I would protect this queer child with everything I have.

“I think I’m gonna like it here.”

Later the same night, Jade begrudgingly puts on a dress (which she hates) and accompanies Kit (who she very much does not hate) to an event being held in the latter’s honor, because you see, Kit is the princess and daughter of Sorsha (see above). She is set to marry Graydon, the Prince of Galladoorn (yes, that is the self-proclaimed best friend of Spidey in the Mr. Zendaya Spiderman movies), to unite their two regions. Because of course. It’s the age-old story of the headstrong princess who refuses to live a life she hasn’t chosen based on rules she hasn’t made. But in this story, our princess would much rather end up in the arms of her best friend.

Complicating those matters for Kit, is the fact that Jade will soon be leaving Tir Asleen to train to become the first ever female Knight of Galladoorn, something she’s dreamed about her whole life. Kit does not take the news well at all, and has an entire Gay Panic™ about it in front of half the queendom, before deciding her only available course of action is to run away. But before leaving, she stops by her “bestie”’s quarters to give her an entire kiss on the mouth, lest her feelings be unclear. It’s complicated for Jade though, because sure, she loves the princess, but she’s not about to give up everything she’s worked so hard for.

My queendom for a well-lit wlw kiss.

But before they can have a real conversation about it, the castle comes under attack and Kit’s twin brother Airk is kidnapped. A mission to get him back commences, with Kit, Jade, and a prisoner named Thraxus Boorman making up the adventuring party (look, if a show puts a bunch of characters on a quest, I’m going to treat it as if it’s a D&D campaign, sorry about it). Also joining them on said quest? Airk’s secret girlfriend (who, spoiler alert, learns she IS ELORA), and a certain powerful sorcerer by the name of Willow.

The first three episodes of the series are filled with action, sweeping and lush green landscapes, and the kind of fantasy lore that can be a little totems schmotems, but that I love all the same. One of the things I’m most looking forward to in the remaining episodes of its eight-episode run, is how Kit, Jade, and their relationship will factor into the larger story. So far we’ve seen Kit as a cynical, rough around the edges, stubborn, and singularly-focused shunner of tradition, which yes, is incredibly fun to watch. But combine that with Jade, whose strong but seemingly wary disposition is rooted in her desire (and initial assignment) to protect Kit, and you’ve got a recipe for some dramaaaaaa! We don’t yet know a whole lot about Jade’s past; was she raised solely by her mentor-turned-possessed-bad-guy Ballantine? Were she and Kit always best friends? What led to her fierce need to protect? There’s a lot going on on this show, so I hope we get to learn more about how Kit and Jade became Kit and Jade.

“I never get Bored of lookin’ at you ‘Cause every time I see somethin’ new”

I can’t help but root for these two crazy kids; for Kit to find her place in a world that demands she fill a role she doesn’t want; and for Jade to become the knight and protector she’s always wanted to be. Is it too much to hope that these two things happen hand-in-hand? The show so far hasn’t shied away from its queerness (Hannah Waddingham even shows up as one half of a lesbian-coded twosome) and I truly hope that continues as the rest of the series unfolds.

New episodes of Willow drop every Wednesday on Disney+.

Andor’s Lesbian Couple and the Messy History of Queerness in the Star Wars Universe

In early October, Twitter user Star Wars Queers Watch and I half-jokingly debated whether a newly introduced character in Andor, the franchise’s most recent live-action television series which wrapped up its first season last Wednesday, was actually giving off seriously gay vibes. Vel Sartha, played by Faye Marsay who is maybe best known as that girl who smacked Arya Stark with a stick for like two seasons straight on Game of Thrones, was a poncho-sporting, no-nonsense backwoods resistance fighter who seemed to maybe be a little more than friendly with a woman who was also one of her fellow comrades in arms. Queers Watch, I, and the rest of Star Wars’ queer fandom were hopeful — but skeptical. We’d been burned many, many times before by Lucasfilm’s messy attempts at making the Galaxy Far, Far Away just a little bit less hetero, and there was no real indication that the Disney subsidiary was about to change course any time soon.

But, come Andor’s fifth episode, “The Axe Forgets,” the answer was made very clear. Vel is queer. She is in fact sleeping with fellow rebellion fighter Cinta Kaz played by Varada Sethu. And while they weren’t exactly having steamy lesbian sex on a Disney+ series, their relationship is explicitly woven into the fabric of the show. Other queer fans and I were understandably cynical about how Vel and Cinta’s romance would develop. Given the high stakes and often action-packed plots of Andor, showrunner Tony Gilroy had more than one opportunity to bury some gays. However, with each passing episode, it became clear that Andor deserved our attention and confidence and that at the very least it was a significant step forward for a gayer galaxy.

To say that Star Wars’ march toward having any sort of visible queer representation has been fraught would be an understatement. Unlike its rival space series Star Trek, which was incorporating queer themes into its narratives as far back as the early 90s, Star Wars never seemed quite sure what to do with its queers. Its first canonically queer character is the lesbian redeemed Jedi, Juhani, in the classic 2002 video game Knights of the Old Republic, but given the relatively small role her queerness plays in the RPG’s admittedly massive story one couldn’t really be blamed for flat out missing this. Even then, Juhani’s legacy was complicated by later community statements made by Knights’ production company, Bioware. In the long role out for the game’s MMO sequel, The Old Republic, Bioware community managers made the bizarre and inescapably homophobic statement in 2009 that gays simply don’t exist in Star Wars in response to forum users noting that threads discussing queer characters and themes were routinely blocked and deleted by moderators. While Bioware did eventually capitulate after the game’s release (well over three years later) and feature romanceable characters for queer players, the message had already been loudly made that queers weren’t welcome in this space.

Things would luckily take a turn for the better following Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012 and Star Wars’ canonical resetting that followed. Star Wars novels started to regularly feature queer characters. Gay freedom fighters. Lesbian Imperials. Bisexual bounty hunters. Quirky enby smugglers. It was a change that predictably was met with a decent amount of pushback from homophobic fans who had grown accustomed to the franchise’s willing ignorance toward queer characters, but the publishing side of Lucasfilm marched on forward with its army full of weird space gays.

The most notable queer addition to Star Wars canon was, and arguably still is, the comics anti-hero Doctor Aphra. Created by bisexual comic writer Kieron Gillen, known for writing the gayest iteration of Young Avengers and the overstuffed with queers mythological mystery The Wicked + the Divine. Doctor Aphra is a chaotic lesbian archaeologist who frequently runs awry with galactic treasure hunters and the ghosts of long dead Sith Lords. Think Indiana Jones if he was a queer Asian woman with a very questionable moral compass. Aphra originally began as a supporting character in Gillen’s Darth Vader comic before spinning out into her own long-running series, which sported Star Wars’ first ever depicted lesbian kiss. Aphra’s comics are effortlessly queer, not only in how they depict Aphra’s own messy love life but in the sprawling queer supporting cast that Gillen and later writers Si Spurrier and Alyssa Wong have populated her adventures with. A long-running antagonist was a vengeful space detective whose cyborg boyfriend Aphra left for dead after a particularly bad job. Wong’s current arc has a team of Aphra’s former flings and enemies trying to save her from a rogue AI that has taken over her body. Doctor Aphra is to this day the only Star Wars media to win a GLAAD award, and it feels deserved.

It’s beyond frustrating then that the film and television side of Lucasfilm has floundered so badly in comparison. Perhaps most famously, fans around the world have lobbied for John Boyega’s Finn and Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron to shack up ever since they first appeared in 2015’s The Force Awakens. Finn and Poe’s chemistry was infectious, and Isaac was not subtle about his intent to play the dynamic between both characters as romantic. This of course culminated in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker seemingly inventing two women to pair off both characters with, shutting the book on the two leads becoming boyfriends. Isaac in particular was outspoken in his disappointment in Poe’s straightwashing chalking it up to institutional cowardice on Disney’s part. Director and co-writer JJ Abrams did assure queer fans that there would be something for them in the trilogy capper, but this ended up being a split-second kiss between two women extras in the film’s final moments. It was a move that was so transparently trivial and easy to remove for foreign censors that it immediately became a source of mockery and derision. The best of which is Twitter user Lyra Silvertongue’s viral tweet highlighting a sluglike alien’s apparent disgust at the whole development.

Rise of Skywalker does have one perfect moment, it’s that right after they show the first gay kiss in Star Wars (for 2 seconds) they immediately cut to this frowning slug monster for twice as long. 16/10, no notes pic.twitter.com/B0KlKteZrr

— Lyra, Esq., is NOT DAREDEVIL (@PinkRangerLB) February 21, 2022

This is of course not even accounting for Donald Glover’s assertion that his portrayal of classic character Lando Calrissian is pansexual, which in the context of the film just seems to mean that he’s fucking a robot played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

And sure, there are slightly less problematic moments like the epilogue to animated series Star Wars Rebels implying in the loosest of terms that two male characters are now maybe kind of a thing or the comedic relief fussy alien couple portrayed by Bobby Moynihan and Jim Rash in the children’s series Star Wars Resistance. But again, if you weren’t a queer viewer starving for any small hint of space gays or the kind of fan who reads mountains of interviews with cast and crew, you could have easily missed all of this.

This is all to say that Andor simply having an on-screen queer couple whose role extends beyond a winking reference or quick cameo is already leaps and bounds ahead of anything that Lucasfilm has bothered to offer up to date. But Andor is a particularly rare beast. Actually great, thoughtful, Star Wars. The series, which on paper is a prequel to 2016’s Rogue One, follows Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor as he is brought into the fold of the very early days of the rebellion against the Empire. Andor not only stands above pretty much everything that Disney Star Wars has churned out in the last half decade in terms of its grounded production design, great cinematography, and nuanced performances, but because it’s the first Star Wars media in a long time to be about something besides itself. As enjoyable as it might be to watch Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian bond with a baby Yoda puppet, Star Wars has absolutely gotten itself stuck in a self-referencing nostalgia loop. Sure, it sometimes excels at celebrating itself or even deconstructing its own myth, but Star Wars has been about Star Wars and only about Star Wars for years now. And while Andor is a spin-off of a spin-off, Tony Gilroy’s show is much more interested in showcasing what the early days of resistance against a fascist Empire actually looks like. Whether it be depictions of the corporate stooges or ladder climbing bureaucrats, Andor revels in the banality of its evil and is unflinching in depicting the recognizable horrors of a government that believes itself too big to fail. It’s anti-cop, anti-prison industrial complex, anti-colonialism, anti-incremental resistance, and restlessly pissed off at the state of the world, whether that be our humble little planet or a galaxy-spanning dystopia. As much as Star Wars has always had a slight political edge to it, Andor is the first iteration of the series to make its anti-fascist underpinnings the front and center focus of its story.

And thankfully this nuanced and surprisingly grounded approach extends to our space lesbians as well. While we first meet Vel and Cinta as backwoods revolutionaries, their relationship is defined by their fight against fascism. Cinta, whose family was murdered by Stormtroopers prior to the start of the series, is clearly the more driven of the two. She’s the most eager freedom fighter to blast away Imperials and is more than willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake of burning down the fascist establishment. More than once over the series’ 12 episode first season, Cinta opts to stay behind to clean up the messes of revolution while Vel’s work takes her elsewhere. It naturally becomes a point of contention between both women. Vel is eager to find whatever moments of happiness that the two can eek out amid the growing violence, but as Cinta tells her, “I told you upfront, the struggle always comes first. We take what’s left.”

Vel in contrast hails from the aristocratic and socially conservative world of Chandrila. Cousin to long-time Star Wars supporting character, Mon Mothma (played wonderfully here by Genevieve O’Reilly), Vel lives a double life as the heiress to a centuries old family fortune. Where Cinta’s work often has her skulking in the shadows of dark apartment buildings or dank alley ways, Vel finds herself rubbing shoulders with the galactic elite. And it’s here that Andor throws maybe it’s most interesting wrinkle into Vel’s character. As we learn throughout the season, on Vel and Mon’s home world of Chandrila arranged (straight) marriages among teens are common and a cultural norm. Mon’s own arranged husband, a Mitt Romney type that just can’t seem to get why his wife is so upset about the fascist evil wizard running the government, even remarks on how strange it is that Vel continues to be single well into adulthood. The knowing glances shared between cousins let us know that Mon is well-aware of the real reason why Vel has yet to find a man, but the point has already been made. Vel is living another double life. Not only in her work as a revolutionary, but also that she’s a huge les. It’s the first hint that at least in some corners of the Galaxy Far, Far Away that life in the closet is a very real thing.

And while I’m not exactly glad that homophobia exists in the Star Wars universe, its inclusion in Andor still feels important and maybe even necessary. While the abundant queerness of Doctor Aphra is definitely a delight, the casual acceptance of its gay, lesbian, and nonbinary characters can’t help but feel oddly segregated given how starkly cishet the rest of the universe is portrayed to be. It’s joyful escapism, but it can’t help but feel oddly hollow. In a galaxy that is rife with conflict, crime, and inequality, the open acceptance of queer characters in the Star Wars publishing wing feels inauthentic not only to our own world but to how Disney/Lucasfilm have decided to craft their fiction. Just as how Andor shows us the banal evils of the Empire and its supporters, it feels right that we at least acknowledge that queer identity isn’t always easy and that sometimes those most sympathetic to the authoritarian rule are those most willing to enforce cishteronormative values, intentionally or not.

Andor’s portrayal of Vel and Cinta isn’t without its problems. As clearly communicated as their relationship is, the two don’t kiss or do much of anything physical besides tender hand-holding or caressing one another’s shoulders. To be fair, this isn’t that different from how Andor showcases any of its heterosexual relationships. Andor may be the rare Star Wars media that actually acknowledges that sex exists, but its hook ups and love makings always happen just off screen. If anything, it may just be a sad symptom of just how sexless so much franchise media has become over the last decade or so. This is a Disney production after all. I mean, when a stale dry humping heterosexual sex scene in The Eternals makes headlines, you know we’re in a particularly chaste era of blockbusters.

All the same, the ease at which Tony Gilroy and the rest of his creative team portray Cinta and Vel’s relationship marks a far too late, but much needed step forward for this franchise. Andor manages to walk the delicate line of featuring undeniably queer characters in a lesbian relationship without making their inclusion feel like a pandering bone thrown to fans. They exist as characters with their own individual arcs and a relationship that is believably flawed but at times still remarkably tender. And thankfully (spoilers) both Vel and Cinta live. Whenever Andor finally manages to grace our screens again, which by all accounts seems to be at least two years away, we will get to see more of both women. That’s two years for the rest of the Star Wars galaxy to get its shit together. I’m not exactly holding my breath, but hey there’s hope. A new hope, maybe, for the gays to strike back.

November 2022: What’s New and Gay on Netflix, HBO Max, Showtime, Peacock, Hulu, Disney+ and Prime Video?

As we head boldly in the direction of November, everybody’s favorite Introduction to December, one comes around to asking oneself: what is new in the world of television and film on channels such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Peacock, HBO Max and Showtime when it comes to lesbian, queer, bisexual, trans and otherwise-compelling-to-us characters? The answer is “not much” but also, it’s L Word Generation Q season so I think we’ll survive!

Netflix’s LGBTQ+ Movies and TV Shows for November 2022

Manifest: Season 4A – November 4

The fourth season of this drama about the aftermath of a mysterious plane crash is set two years after Grace’s murder, with the Stone family picking up the pieces as death day approaches. Bisexual character Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) is continuing her work at Eureka despite interference from the government and the lack of funding that comes when your operation is no longer supposed to exist.

Warrior Nun: Season 2 – November 10

I’m gonna be honest I have yet to cast my eyes upon this program and nothing I am reading about it is friendly to the perspective of an outsider so here is the season synopsis: “Ava and the Sister-Warriors of the OCS must find a way to defeat the angel, Adriel, as he attempts to build his following into the dominant religion on the planet.” One of the main characters, Sister Beatrice, is a lesbian!

Dead To Me: Season 3 – November 17

“Just pitched all of Dead to Me Season 3 to my partners at  Netflix and they’re excited and I’m excited and I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY’RE GONNA LET ME TELL THIS STORY,” Liz Feldman tweeted about the final season of Dead To Me. In Season Two, Judy hooked up with a cop played by Natalie Morales, who will be returning to the cast. There’s a trailer right here for you!

Elite: Season 6 – November 18

This Spanish bananas teenage soap opera about hot young people who love blackmail and filming sex on their mobile telephones is back for a sixth season of chaos as Las Encinas deals with the impact of the death of yet another student at their deadly school. The Elite Wiki says the season will tackle systemic issues like racism, sexism and LBGTI_phobia. Sadly, bisexual badass Beka has left the show but queer character Mencia is looking very flirty with new character Sara in promo pics! I love this homoerotic romp, it never ceases to entertain.

HBO Max’s LGBTQ+ Content for Gals, Gays and Theys in November 2022

The Big Brunch, Season One Premiere – November 10

This reality competition show hosted by Dan Levy brings together ten talented brunch chefs with big dreams and a commitment to their local communities and personal heritage. The contestants include queer private chef J Chong, who is “passionate about bringing Cantonese food to her sweet little mountain town of Asheville” and non-binary L.A-based chef Catie Randazzo, who says “brunch is the perfect place to meet up with friends and family to bond over pancakes, memories and mimosas.”

The Sex Lives of College Girls: Season Two – November 17

One of my favorite shows of 2021 is finally back, with the foursome of Kimberly, Leighton (a lesbian character played by queer actor Renee Rap), Whitney and Bela navigating their way through relationships, underwear parties and strip show fundraisers as they proceed merrily along their college journey. In the trailer, it appears Leighton will be dating 30 women at once and having a lot of sex!

Love, Lizzo (2022)

Over the course of three years, filmmakers followed Lizzo through the Cuz I Love You world tour, the pandemic, and recording her latest album and this “intimate documentary” is the result, promising to show the artist getting “candid about body-positivity, self-love, and recognizing Black women for their contributions.”

We’re Here: Season 3 – November 25

Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela, and Eureka continue to journey across America, helping innocent people stage one-night-only drag shows.

Prime Video’s Offerings To the LGBTQ+ Audience In November 2022

Leverage: Redemption Season 2 (Freevee) – November 16 (US + UK only)

In this follow-up to the original Leverage (2008 – 2012), reformed criminals — the Hitter, the Hacker, the Grifter and the Thief — have returned, and along with a new tech genius and corporate fixer, they’re ready to take on a new style of villain and provide leverage to people who need help. Queer actress Aleyse Shannon plays lesbian character Breanna Casey, Hardison’s foster sister and the new tech genius, a skilled hacker and engineer. This season, “the corporate bad guys and dirty dealers are stepping on the little guy in their quest for money and power and the Leverage team is back to teach them a lesson.”

Hulu’s Lesbian and Queer and Trans Characters for November 2022

All Rise, Season 3A – November 9

This drama that “pulls back the curtain on the court system and shows the chaotic and sometimes absurd lives of judges and attorneys as they work with bailiffs, clerks, cops and jurors to bring justice to the people of Los Angeles” was cancelled at CBS and revived by OWN for its third season. Marg Helgenberger plays (lesbian) Supervising Judge Lisa Benner.

Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne: Season One – November 29

The model/actress who identifies as “100% queer” in Episode One is bringing us all along on her “personal journey with sexuality” in this series that includes masturbation seminars and going to porn libraries as part of her voyage through “laboratories, different cultures, different individuals” and “her own mind and body.” A “more explicit version” of the show will be airing on the BBC, apparently Hulu’s cut is a bit tamer.

Wrong Place (2022) – November 25

This film, currently rocking a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, features Chloe (Ashley Greene) as the recently-diagnosed-with-cancer daughter of security guard Frank (Bruce Willis), who takes her girlfriend Tammy (Stacey Danger) on a trip to the family cabin in the woods but then Frank witnesses an execution and and bla bla crime crime who cares, Chloe is taken hostage and must survive!

Showtime’s November 2022 Lesbian Content

The L Word: Generation Q: Season Three Premiere – November 18

Have you heard? There’s this show on Showtime and every single character is queer!! We will even be recapping it here right here on Autostraddle.com. I think I probably will be writing or talking about this show every day for the next three months!!!!!!! This season everybody is looking for “the one” and Finley’s coming back from rehab and Bette and Tina are getting back together and Gigi and Dani have to make some tough choices and Alice is dating around and you know what you’ll just have to tune in I think

Peacock’s Queer Content for November 2022

Nope (2022) – November 18

In this neo-Western science fiction horror film from Jordan Peele, Keke Palmer plays a character A. Tony describes as “the charismatic little lesbian of my dreams,” the sibling to Daniel Kaluuya’s OJ. Together they manage a horse ranch in California that handles horses for film & TV productions, discover something “wonderful and sinister in the skies above” that might offer a clue to who killed their father. They also must contend with the owner of an adjacent theme park trying to profit from the supernatural phenomenon lurking above them all.

Booksmart (2019) – November 20

Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), have been best friends forever, committed to their schoolwork and future collegiate success, eschewing social lives and typical high school shenanigans. When they find out all their partying classmates are also headed to prestigious colleges they decide to go all out the night before graduation and do all the teenage nonsense they’d foresaken all this time. Amy is a lesbian and tonight she’s gonna go for it with her crush!

Apple TV+ November 2022 Homosexuals, Bisexuals & Etc

Mythic Quest: Season 3 Premiere – November 11

Ian and Poppy are heading up their new banner GrimPop and making names for themselves while tensions brew and close ties are whittled away at their rival studio, Mythic Quest. Queer actor Ashley Burch is a game tester, Rachel, whose romance with fellow tester Dana (Imani Hakim) sizzled in Season Two, but they’ll be long distance as we head into Season Three.

Shudder’s Queer Movie for November 2022

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

This British Christmas zombie musical has a lesbian character played by openly queer actor Sarah Swire. Drew describes it as “a zombie movie musical filled with charm and heart and even a little emotional devastation” with “a very poppy teen vibe.”

Disney+ is Gay in November 2022

Willow: Season One Premiere – November 30

This fantasy adventure television series is billed as a sequel to the 1988 film that for some reason gave me nightmares for three straight years. Six heroes are on a dangerous quest to far away places where they’ll face their inner demons and try to save their world. Trans British actress Talisa Garcia’s casting as the Queen (a cis character) in the series makes her the first openly trans actor cast in a Lucasfilm production. In the trailer, Jade (Erin Kellyman) and Kit (Ruby Cruz) sure do seem like they are going to be getting INTIMATE.

“The Owl House” Begins its End By Gaying Up Disney Beyond Recognition

Disney dropped the first of its final three mega-episodes of The Owl House over the weekend and it was everything fans could have hoped for — especially us LGBTQ+ pals. When season two was at its end, our ragtag band of youthful witches battled Belos on the Day of Unity and ended up trapped in the human realm, on Camila Noceda’s doorstep. “Thanks to Them” should have been ten episodes, but because Disney pulled the plug on the beloved series way too soon, showrunner Dana Terrace and her team had to pack a whole heck of a lot into one sitting, and they did it beautifully. There’s Luz & Co. getting settled into the Noceda’s home with Vee, Luz and Hunter dealing with the things they learned about themselves in the finale, Luz coming out and introducing her mom to Amity, brainstorming ways to open a portal back to the Boiling Isles, solving the mystery of the artifacts Phillip and Caleb left behind, and then a BIG BAD BOSS FIGHT. It’s swoony and heartbreaking and nuanced and smart and hilarious and — did I mention heartbreaking? Because it’s heartbreaking!

I don’t want to spoil too much. I know a lot of people have to wait for Disney+ to release the episodes, and right now it’s just available on The Disney Channel (and Disney Now, which you have to log into with a cable provider) — so I’ve decided to run down the fuck-it-we-do-what-we-want gayness that set the backdrop for the final season. These 45 minutes were gayer than every other gay Disney and Marvel thing combined, and that was clearly very on purpose.

Luz, of course, comes out with a montage video by her (wink, wink) production company, Lumity Studios.

She says she’s bisexual! Puts a label right on it! Do you know how rare it is for a TV character to say “bisexual” and for cartoon characters to use a label at all?

Bi flag!

Camila, of course, is delighted with the news and pulls Amity and Luz into a group hug while Gus transforms the kitchen into a queer paradise.

Mom of the Year, Camila Noceda, she’s got a bisexual LOVE bracelet on her nightstand.

Oh and she immediately puts on — and never takes off — a gay pride pin.

Vee’s camp friend, Masha, they’re nonbinary.

And they’ve got a crush on Vee who’s crushing right back on them.

When Luz comes out, Camila buys books called Always My Child and Parenting LGBTQ.

Lumity in the rain!

Lumity cosplaying their favorite fictional queers!

A page of Willow’s scrapbook with lesbian and bisexual stickers!

Camila has officially adopted a second queer daughter.

I can’t wait for everyone to watch so we can discuss this at length forever! The second mega-episode of season three lands in… 2023. Both too far away and too soon for it to be over.

Update: Disney Channel has put the whole episode up for free on YouTube — and it’s the #1 trending video!

What’s New and Gay To Stream in October 2022

Spooky season is descending upon us — a time for horror movie marathons, fall themed beverages, orange candles boasting autumnal scents and a whole new month of television programs and movies with lesbian, gay and bisexual characters on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Peacock, HBO Max, Showtime, Paramount Plus and Disney+. Unfortunately, this year our October is not the bounty I’d hoped it’d be, although I came across a bevy of new content for queer cis men, so that is nice for them. Furthermore, I feel like every time a queer show is cancelled, another one needs to be created. An eye for an eye, look it up!

Top Row: Derry Girls, Wendell & Wild, High School, One of Us is Lying
Bottom Row: Monster High, Matriarch, Reginald the Vampire, Sissy, Pennyworth, Hellraiser

Netflix’s LGBTQ+ Movies and TV Shows for October 2022

First of all I would like to say that I have spent an ungodly amount of time attempting to deduce if The Midnight Club or The School of Good & Evil have queer female and/or trans characters and I remain SADLY STILL unsure.

The Color Purple (1985) – October 1

This classic based on Alice Walker’s novel is set in rural Georgia and is a raw emotional account of pain, passion and survival told by Celie, who seizes your whole heart with letters that trace her coming of age, falling in love for the first time and breaking free. The film de-gayed the story significantly, but subtext remains loud enough for the queer eye.

Nailed It! Season 7 – October 5

Queer comic Nicole Byer celebrates Halloween hosting a new season of home bakers battling it out for the Netflix crown.

Derry Girls: Season 3 – October 7

Sadly it is our final season with the Girls of Derry and we can look forward to a little love interest for our dearest girl Clare in a show Heather described as “consistently one of the best surprises on TV.”

Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal – October 13

The conceit of this program starring beloved Bake-Off co-host and comic Sue Perkins is apparently that Sue will be “learn[ing] about Latin American people and their attitude towards authority, love and life by doing things that she never could or would do at home… in adventurous, shockingly legal and sometimes dangerous ways.” Honestly I do not love this premise!!

Dead End: Paranormal Park Season 2 – October 13

This is what our TV Editor Heather told me about Dead End: Paranormal Park: “Barney Guttman is the jewish trans queer teen guy who lives in the haunted house and he has a crush on his best guy friend, Logs (Logan). Norma is autistic and probably the best portrayal of autism i’ve seen/read praise about. She’s very queer in the comics but not queer on the show yet. Lots of speculation she will be this season.

Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune – October 25

Comic Fortune Feimster is a lesbian and she will be sharing stories about her life including “getting engaged, getting iced and getting a mind-blowing butt massage.”

Big Mouth: Season 6 – October 28

This traditionally very queer-inclusive cartoon show will explore “a whole new slate of cringeworthy situations and heartwarming vulnerability” in its sixth season.

Wendell & Wild (2022) – October 28

Henry Selick and Jordan Peele’s stop-motion horror comedy film features two scheming demon brothers, Wendell and Wild, who get 13-year-old Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross) on board to summon them right on back to the Land of the Living. Most importantly for our purposes here today: Wendell & Wild the first animated film to feature a trans male supporting character! Raul is played by trans actor Sam Zelaya and he’s the only boy at Kat’s Catholic School and Kat’s best friend. “This isn’t just inclusive children’s entertainment,” Drew wrote of the film. “It’s inclusive children’s entertainment that actually engages with the realities of the people it represents.”

Prime Video’s Offerings To the LGBTQ+ Audience In October 2022

Jennifer’s Body (2009) – October 1

“This film explores some of my favorite themes all in one glossy, campy, self-aware package: misandry, women being extremely gay together, principled revenge, and the triumph of aught culture.” – Erin Sullivan, “I Watched Lebianish Classic “Jennifer’s Body” and Now I Love Cinema!”

High School: Season One – October 14 (Freevee)

Queer Canadian TikTok twins Railey and Seazynn Gilliand star as Tegan and Sara Quinn in this adaptation of the legendary musical duo’s memoir, High School, set in ’90s Calgary, Alberta, and featuring Colbie Smulders as their Mom! It’s executive produced, co-written, directed, and co-showrun by Clea DuVall! It’s full of queer teen angst and awkwardness and first loves and heartbreaks and self-discovery! We are so excitant for this one!

The Peripheral: Season One Premiere – October 22

Based on William Gibson’s 2014 book, this series stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a young woman in a small forgotten town in future America, trying to hold together the pieces of her broken family while lacking a viable path for herself, until she comes in contact with a device that connects her to an alternate reality and a dark future of her own. Alexandra Billings has a recurring role as Detective Ainsely Lowbeer, who is transgender. Queer actor T’Nia Miller is also in it, and I don’t know what role she is playing, but I hope it’s a gay one!

Hulu’s Lesbian and Queer and Trans Characters for October 2022

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) – October 1

Bisexual hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) helps Journalist Mikael Blomkvist track down a woman who’s been missing for 40 years! This celebrated film is chock-full of trauma, dark mysteries and cold landscapes. It’s possible that Ronney Mara made you gay when you first saw this film, or perhaps you were already gay after seeing Noomi Rapace play Lisbeth in the Swedish film that came out in 2009.

Huluween Dragstravaganza (2022) – October 1

This little spooky drag variety show promises glitz, glamour, ghouls and a special performance by Ke$ha!

Hellraiser (2022) – October 7

Beloved trans actress Jamie Clayton will be the first woman to play the androgynous Pinhead in this re-imagining of the classic 1987 horror film, long considered “queer-coded.” In the new version, “a young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.”

Matriarch (2022) – October 21

This unpleasant body horror film follows a lesbian with some sort of office job who does a lot of coke, overdoses, gets a mysterious disease and then heads to her childhood home to confront her personal demons, only to find that her mother is even more bananas than she remembered and the entire town is full of creeps and something terrible is happening to everybody!

Black Swan (2011) – October 31

This is an important film about a mother who yells at her tiny daughter Natalie Portman who grows wings maybe out of her shoulder-blades and has to turn around again and again and be a better ballerina, and at some point something sexual happens with MIla Kunis.

Shows Debuting on Hulu the day after their network premiere:

• Grey’s Anatomy: Season 19 – October 7
• Station 19: Season 6 – October 7

Peacock’s Queer Content for October 2022

Bombshell (2019) – October 1

Kate McKinnon plays a lesbian reporter stuck working at Fox News when a new staffer decides it’s time to fight back against CEO Roger Ailes’s rampant sexual harassment of the channel’s talent.

Reginald the Vampire: Season One Premiere – October 6 
Reginald debuts on Syfy on October 5th, and will be available the next day on Peacock

Reginald Andres (Marvel’s Jacob Batalon) is an unlikely hero living a life of dreams deferred and about to find himself unprepared to navigate numerous obstacles as he enters the world of beautiful, thin, self-obsessed vampires in this “feel-good, heartfelt, kind of a bit stabby vampire bloody type of show.” Based on Johnny Truant’s Fat Vampire books, queer non-binary actor Marguerite Hanna plays queer non-binary character Ashley Weeks, who works with Reginald at Slushy Shack.

Chucky: Season Two Premiere – October 6
This show debuts on Syfy on October 5th, and will be available the next day on Peacock

There is a part in the trailer for Season Two of this campy horror flick where Tiffany Valentine’s daughters find Nica Pierce held captive in their house and Nica is like “your mother is a psychotic murderer, I think she’s in love with me and she chopped off all my limbs and she’s kept me trapped up here for over a year” and one of the daughters is like “Mom’s a murderer???” and the other is like “Mom’s a LESBIAN?!!!” and anyhow, so there you go on that. Non-binary actor Lachlan Watson (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) plays Glen and Glenda, the doll to which the Bride of Chucky gave birth. (I don’t know what that means, I’m just a vessel of information.)

One of Us Is Lying: Season 2 (Episodes 1-8) – October 20

Simon, who dropped dead in Season One, was best friends with Janae, who is a lesbian, and gradually became part of the “Murder Club” of kids who were in detention when Simon died. In Season Two, Janae and the other teens will fight “to protect their secret, themselves and each other.” Also she’s kissing Maeve in the trailer!

Paramount Plus+ October 2022 Homosexuals, Bisexuals & Etc

Monster High: The Movie (2022) – October 6

Non-binary actor Ceci Balagot plays non-binary character Frankie Stein in this film that follows Clawdeen Wolf, born half-human and half-werewolf, after she arrives at her new school, Monster High, and makes new friends including the aforementioned Frankie!

Star Trek: Prodigy: Returning October 27

The animated Star Trek series aimed at kiddos has been applauded for its non-binary character, Zero. Zero is a Medusan, an energy-based species that has no gender or corporeal form (living the dream, honestly).

LGBTQ+ Inclusive Shows Debuting on Paramount+ the day after their network premiere:

• The Equalizer: Season Three Premiere – October 2
• S.W.A.T: Season Six Premiere – October 7

Disney+ Programming for LGBTQ+ Population in October 2022

Big Shot: Season Two Premiere – October 12

In Season Two Marvyn (John Stamos) is hoping to recruit a new volleyball player to their basketball team after she was ousted from her own following an extreme public tantrum while tensions build when the Sirens lose their assistant coach to a rival team. In Season One, Carolyn “Mouse” Smith came out to her friend Harper and confessed her crush, so we’ll see how that all plays out in Season Two.

HBO Max’s LGBTQ+ Content for Gals, Gays and Theys in October 2022

Pennyworth: The Origins of Batman’s Butler: Season 3 – October 6

Season Three of this psychological thriller formerly housed at Epix “begins after a five-year time jump: the civil war is over, and a cultural revolution has changed the world for better or worse – ushering in a new age of Super Heroes and Supervillains.” Paloma Faith, who plays the “delightfully sadistic” queer foe-turned-friend Bet Sykes, confirmed that Season 3 will be “a bit more DC,” cartoony” and “quite fun.”

Showtime’s LGBTQ+ Characters for October 2022

Nothing Compares (2022) – October 2

A documentary that takes a look at the wild life and career of Sinead O’Connor, including the incredible fallout of her ripping-up-a-pic-of-the-pope appearance on Saturday Night Live. Yes we ARE going to redeem another emotionally intense ’90s woman who got unfairly maligned!

Shudder’s LGBTQ+ Horror For September/October 2022

Sissy (2022) – September 29

Cecelia (Aisha Dee) is a (queer) social media influencer who peddles promisees of wellness to independent millennial women when she runs into Emma (Hannah Barlow), her former BFF — they had a viscous friend breakup instigated by a third friend, bully Alex (Emily De Margheriti) — and is invited to her (gay) Hens weekend (she’s about to marry Fran (Lucy Barrett) in a remote cabin in the mountains. But it turns out to be Alex’s cabin, and Alex is there to make Cecelia’s life a living hell! The film will also hit cinema theaters in Australia on October 27th.

Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror: Documentary Series Premiere – September 30

This four-part documentary tells the story of LGBTQIA+ horror from its literary roots to 1920s Universal Monster Era to lavender scare alien invasion films to contemporary queer cinema. Talking heads include Jasmin Savoy Brown, Leslye Headland, Lea DeLaria, Liv Hewson and Briana Venskus.

Nostalgia Is Quite Simply Not Enough to Light Hocus Pocus 2’s Black Flame Candle

When I woke up this morning, our Managing Editor Kayla Kumari wished us all a “Happy Hocus Pocus 2 Day!” in the Autostraddle slack. That was pretty immediately followed by our A+ & Fundraising Director Nico reminding us that Bette Midler has been parroting some anti-trans talking points recently, which she never apologized for. I bring that up because if we’re going to talk Hocus Pocus 2 and queer Millennial nostalgia, it’s important to get that out right at the front (Bette, I know you can do better than this).

It’s also tied to something I thought a lot about today — as I played a 90s pop hits playlist on Spotify, as I made chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup infused whipped cream (a sugar high fitting any seven-year-old, the age I was when the first Hocus Pocus premiered), as I settled into Disney+ to press play — you really can’t go home again. Even if Hollywood has spent untold hundreds of millions of dollars in reboots and sequels to trick Millennials specifically into trying.

I know there is nothing more boring than a Millennial talking about 90s nostalgia! Waxing on about AOL dial-up is our “I walked 10 miles in the snow uphill.” And even now, everyone just rolled their eyes. But it’s pretty clear early on, despite being an overall solid family film, that the new Hocus Pocus is written with the adults who grew up watching it on cable in mind, and not the kids who will discover it on streaming. At one point Becca (Whitney Peak), the new virgin in charge, is told that legend has it that a witch comes into her power on her 16^th birthday. She scoffs “and like most legends, I’m assuming that’s based in some sort of patriarchal fear of female aging.”

Ah yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking about at seven years old while I searched for the last mini reese’s cup! The Patriarchal! Fear! Of! Aging! That line is written for someone who knows what it sounds like for their knees to creak, who has pondered the liquid gold that is Vitamin C serums (coincidentally, another gag in the film). There is, quite simply, no other way.

I’m pointing out the obvious because Hocus Pocus 2 really is cute (enough). If you’re in the right mood, it’s maybe even good. I don’t think anyone who loves the original — I love it so much, I once wrote an entire article dedicated to creating a themed movie night around it — will watch Hocus Pocus 2 and feel like they wasted their time. But it is hard to write about Hocus Pocus 2 seriously on adult terms, and it’s not taking children seriously enough to write about it on their own terms. Where does that leave us? I don’t know. But it’s not holding a black flame candle to the original.

I originally volunteered to write about the new Hocus Pocus because I had hoped, much like the 2018 sequel book, that it would be gay. Because all witches are gay. Sadly, that’s gonna be a huge “Nope!”

In the book, Allison and Max (the reigning virgins from the original film) are married and still living in Salem. They have a daughter named Poppy who does not believe in witches, but very much believes in her crush on Isabella, the most popular girl in school, who absolutely does. Black candles get lit, witches come back to town, and Halloween night hijinks ensue. In the movie Hocus Pocus 2, none of that happens. Allison and Max are nowhere to be found, and they don’t have a daughter named Poppy. Like Isabella, Becca is Black, and like Isabella, Becca has a serious thing for witches. Once again, candles do get lit and witches do come back to life. That’s about where the comparisons end.

Instead of being gay in a literal sense, Hocus Pocus 2 focuses on the strength and power of girls’ relationships to each other, friendship, and sisterhood (we shall call this gay, in the Baby-sitter’s Club sense). Becca has two best friends, Izzy (a Latina nerd with all the best one-liners) and Casey, who doesn’t have much personality on her own and fell out of touch with Becca and Izzy after getting a boyfriend. Halloween doubles as Becca’s 16^th birthday and at the friends’ annual honorary séance things don’t go as planned, bringing Winnifred (Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) back from the dead.

Meanwhile, Winnifred has plans of her own. Instead of eating children à la ’93, she wants to gain ultimate power to control her own fate, which was denied to her as a girl growing up during the Salem Witch Trials — there’s a flashback that brings in a very hot Hannah Waddingham (sorry, I’m gay). Instead of the 90s witch hunt, this time both trios of women, well a trio of teen girls and a trio of women, learn more about each other as All Hallows Eve drags on. This is where the movie gets a little thin; one of the things that works so well in 1993 is that in between the jokes, if you step away for even a second, the Sandersons were a terrifying threat to a child. The sequel seems nervous to cast them as villains, I assume because in the 30 years since they’ve become beloved Disney properties with their own sing-a-long spectacular at Mouse parks.

A different writer would try to make broader pulls about witches as codes for empowered women defeated at the hands of angry men, about women learning from each other, and recasting witches as cultural icons. Certainly the movie thinks it’s clever in those comparisons. But I can’t bring myself to do it. Hocus Pocus 2 is mindless, and I feel just great about that. The Sandersons sing Blondie and Elton John, one slightly less cringe than the other, and neither performance approaching the stratospheric “I Put a Spell on You.” Kathy Najimy flies on two roombas instead of a vacuum cleaner for… some reason? SJP steals nearly every scene running amuck (Sarah Sanderson voice: amuck amuck amuck). Bette Midler gets a surprisingly moving monologue at the end there. I had a great sugar crash from my pancakes. No one got hurt.

What’s New and Gay To Stream in September 2022

The leaves are falling, children are rushing towards the first day of school with large backpacks weighing on their tender spinal cords, and you and me are wondering “what lesbian and bisexual characters are gonna show up on our television sets this September?” Well good news: there are in fact some programs and films to look forward to on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, Disney+, Prime Video and more!

Netflix’s LGBTQ+ Movies and TV Shows for September 2022

Devil in Ohio: Limited Series – September 2

This absurd but engaging limited series about a girl who escapes a Satanic Cult stars Emily Deschanel as Suzanne, the suburban mother/doctor who takes her in, a decision which ends up impacting her, her three daughters and her husband in unexpected ways. Queer actor Djouliet Amara plays queer character Tatiana, the former best friend of Suzanne’s popular daughter Helen (Alisha Newton), who is also a little bit queer herself!

The Imperfects: Season One – September 8

In this sci-fi series, teenagers suffer intense consequences to illegal experiments performed on their bodies without their consent: Juan becomes a werewolf-esque creature, Abbi produces poison she can secrete through her body and Tilda, a punk band singer, gets a supersonic voice that makes performing impossible. Together they attempt to find out what happened to them and get their lives together. This show has been categorized as having “LGBTQ themes” on several platforms including Netflix itself but TBD on what that actually means!

Colette (2018) – September 13

“Certainly there’s a hint of salaciousness in the depiction of Colette’s early forays into lady-love,” writes Heather of this bipoic starring Keira Knightley as writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, “but the film treats her relationship with Missy with the utmost respect and tenderness. ”

In the Dark: Season Five – September 13

Heartbreak High – September 14

This Australian teen drama, a reboot of the 1994 Network Ten series, stars Ayesha Madon as Amerie, a “brash, working class girl who becomes a pariah at Hartley High” after “a discovery” (the preview suggests this “discovery” is a color-coded chart that reveals everybody’s hookups) (You know, A CHART), which causes “a mysterious and very public rift” with her best friend Harper (Asher Yasbincek). She befriends Darren (James Majoos), a South African queer and non-binary student. Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran), the Shane of this chart, is “the coolest, sexiest, chiccest lesbian at the school” who is involved with Indigenous student Missy (Sherry-Lee Watson). There’s a lot of First Nation and queer representation in this show as well as an autistic character played by an autistic actor so I think we will all really enjoy ourselves!

Do Revenge (2022) – September 16

This film starring Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke aims to answer the question “what would it be like to take the fun, thrillery stakes of a Hitchcock movie and put it in high school?” Super-popular Drea wants to get back at her boyfriend for leaking her sex tape. Transfer student Eleanor has been outed by another girl. They decide to team up and help each other out by seeking vengeance on each other’s bullies. This could be a Glee plot but instead it’s this film and I am excited to see it!

The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone (2022) – Sep 22

This 29-minute documentary “reveals the memories of Georgia Stone, an Australian transgender teen as she helps change laws, affirms her gender, finds her voice and emerges into adulthood.”

Dynasty: Season Five – September 24

Rainbow (2022) – September 30

So this movie is called “Rainbow” and the lead is a alternateen girl with short hot-pink hair who wants to be a singer and Samantha Hudson is in it and the director is bisexual actor / producer / activist Paco León and it’s a modern re-telling of The Wizard of Oz soooooooooo

Peacock’s Offerings To the LGBTQ+ Gods In September 2022

Real Girlfriends In Paris: Season One Premiere (Bravo) – September 6

Victoria Zito, fresh out of a messy divorce from her ex-husband, will indeed be coming out as bisexual in the very first episode of the new Bravo reality series, Real Girlfriends in Paris, which follows six bold twentysomething women as they experience “wild adventures” and “romantic rendezvous” in Emily’s favorite city, Paris. Zito is a “small-town girl with big fashion dreams” raised in Texas and currently working as the head designer at fashion brand Chloe Colette.

Vampire Academy: Season One, Episodes 1-4 Premiere: September 15

Julie Plec’s latest vampire series follows two young women whose “friendship transcends their strikingly different classes as they prepare to complete their education and enter royal vampire society.” Pride dot com says the book upon which it was based was “subtextually queer” due to the “passionate and intimate” aforementioned friendship, but the adaptation should be more explicitly queer, as per a moment of two women kissing in the trailer that I painstakingly paused to evaluate as my service to the community.

Returning LGBTQ-inclusive NBC Shows Available on Hulu the Day After Their network premiere:

• New Amsterdam: Season 5 Premiere – September 21
• Law & Order SVU: Season 24 Premiere – September 23

Hulu’s Lesbian and Queer Characters for September 2022

Tell it to the Bees (2018) – September 1

Anna Paquin is Jean, a new doctor in a 1950s rural Scotland town who forms a special connection with Lydia, the mother of her patient Charlie, who is really obsessed with Jean’s bee colonies. The story was adapted by a straight person from a novel by a lesbian and The AV Club said that it “crushes a tender midcentury love story under the weight of melancholy,” so ymmv.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Season Five Two-episode premiere  – September 14

Moira (Samira Wiley) and Luke will be helping June fight Gilead from a distance as they continue to pursue their ongoing interest of “rescuing Hannah” in a season that will find June facing consequences for killing Commander Waterford. Commander Lawrence is working with Nick and Aunt Lydia for some reason to reform Gilead while Serena’s working on raising her profile in Toronto, as one does.

Monarch: Series Premiere (Fox) – September 12

This “Texas-sized, multi-generational musical drama about America’s leading family of country music” stars Susan Sarandon as the queen of country music, Dottie Cantrell Roman. Beth Ditto is her daughter, Gigi Tucker-Roman, who has always felt like an outcast in her family despite her incredible singing voice, and also Gigi is GAY and married to Kayla Roman-Tucker (Meagan Holder), who is keeping a secret that could destroy her marriage to Gigi. This show was originally slated to debut on January 30, 2022, but then was delayed due to Covid-related issues.

Reboot: Season One Premiere – September 20

This Hulu original stars Rachel Bloom as a lesbian TV writer, Hannah, who pitches a reboot of an early 2000s family sitcom to a network and everybody gets right on board, forcing this dysfunctional cast of kooky characters to face their demons (each other) amid today’s fast-changing world. Rachel Bloom looks very gay in her sweater vests.

Reasonable Doubt: Two-Episode Series Premiere (Onyx/Hulu) – September 27

Kerry Washington’s the EP of this new legal drama with an all-Black writers room starring Emayatzy Corinealdi as Jax Stewart, “the most brilliant and fearless defense attorney in Los Angeles who bucks the justice system at every chance she gets.” Tiffany Yvonne Cox (Good Trouble) has a recurring role as Autumn, “the listener and caretaker of Jax’s friends” who’s happily married to her wife and has been best friends with Jax since tenth grade.

Returning LGBTQ-inclusive Fox & ABC Shows Available on Hulu the Day After Their Network Premiere:

• 9-1-1: Season 6 Premiere (Fox) – September 20
• The Cleaning Lady: Season 2 Premiere (Fox) – September 23
• Home Economics: Season 3 Premiere (ABC) – September 23
• Big Sky: Season 3 Premiere (ABC) – September 23

Paramount Plus+ September 2022

The Good Fight Season 6 Premiere – September 8th

I do feel like if you pause this trailer at 1:47, that could be Carmen Mayo (played by queer actress Charmaine Bingwa) kissing a girl! Just a note!

The Amazing Race Season 34 Premiere (CBS) – September 21

FINALLY my dream is coming true — an out engaged lesbian couple with a real shot at the gold are competing! It’ll be the first-ever season of Amazing Race to open outside of the United States, the first season since Season 15 to feature twelve teams, and the first time the series will eschew non-elimination rounds.

Disney+ Programming for LGBTQ+ in September 2022

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers: Season 2 Premiere – September 22

Inspired by the beloved film, this family-friendly comedy finds The Mighty Ducks evolved from their once-scrappy origins into a super competitive youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan is cut from the team, he teams up with his Mom to start a new team of underdog misfits to challenge the reign of the ducks. One of the players, Nick, has two Moms.

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) – September 30

The much anticipated sequel to the 90s camp classic Hocus Pocus reunites Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, who’ve come to Salem to cause chaos and have to face three teenage girls who will pull out all the stops to stop them from succeeding. Some of this chaos will hopefully be GAY because the novelization that was rumored to be the basis of the sequel includes a lesbian teen love story at its heart. Queer actress Belissa Escobedo is playing “Izzy,” a name that sounds a lot like Isabella, who was a lesbian in the book. Bisexual actress Lilia Buckingham plays the lead role of Cassie and there are also three drag queens involved.

HBO Max’s LGBTQ+ Content for Gals, Gays and Theys in September 2022

Tom Swift: Season One (The CW) – September 9

This sci-fi show follows Tom Swift, a Black gay man and “an exceptionally brilliant inventor with unlimited resources and unimaginable wealth” whose father’s disappearance thrusts him into a “breathtaking adventure full of mysterious conspiracies and unexplained phenomena.” His bodyguard, Isaac Vega, is trans and pansexual!

Los Espookys: Season 2 Premiere – September 16

Vulture describes Los Espookys as “Latinx and queer as hell.” The eccentric program comes from a team of creators that includes Latinx comedians Ana Fabrega and Julio Torres and follows a group of weirdos who start a business creating “custom horror events,” like exorcisms or hauntings, for people who need them. Torres’ plays Andrés, a gay chocolate empire heir estranged from his family. Goth dental assistant Ursula (Cassandra Ciangherotti), the older sister of Fabrega’s character Tati (who is allegedly straight but “has the androgynous goofiness of a clown“), is queer and in Season Two will be reuniting with a former acquaintance to shake up local politics. Trans pop star Kim Petras is joining the cast as Secretary of State Kimberly Reynolds.

Showtime Anytime Content for September 2022

Club Cumming Presents A Queer Comedy Extravaganza – Sep 2

Alan Cumming hosts a cabaret-style gathering of seven up-and-coming queer comics: Joe Castle Baker, Julia Shiplett, duo Zach Teague & Drew Lausch, Nori Reed, Pat Regan, and Larry Owens.

American Giglio: Season One Premiere – September 9

Rosie O’Donnell is the very butch Detective Sunday in this reimagining of the ’80s Richard Gere flick. This time around, Julian is fresh out of lockup where he’s been exonerated after serving 15 years for a murder he didn’t commit after he woke up to find his client stabbed to death. I don’t think there’s gonna be any actual gay stories in this but Detective Sunday sure does seem like a homosexual!

A Queer Read on Tatiana Maslany’s “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law”

Before we start, I’ll answer the burning question: Is She-Hulk gay? My answer is…it’s complicated. First of all, it’s only been one episode, so even though technically we have no evidence any of the characters are queer, there’s plenty of time for that. Second, Jameela Jamil quite literally burst onto the scene in this episode, and SHE’S queer, so that counts for something. Also, my homosexual heart has been burning brightly for Tatiana Maslany for almost a decade. But my “it’s complicated” answer is because while we don’t know yet how Jennifer Walters would label her sexuality, there’s something very queer about her story.

Before I explain why, a warning: this review will contain spoilers for the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

I missed that smile!!!

At first glance, it seems Jennifer Walters has an origin story similar to many others, but this show tells you that it’s going to be a different kind of story right off the bat. First of all, her paralegal, Nikki, with whom she has cute banter reveals that she knows Jennifer can hulk out. Then, Jennifer breaks the fourth wall and talks directly at the audience, telling us that this is going to be a “fun lawyer show.” But first, she’ll tell us aforementioned origin story, otherwise we won’t be able to focus on the law stuff. Which she’s very determined to make us care about.

So we flash back to when Jennifer first hulks out, how she ended up in a bar bathroom looking like hell warmed over. In the bathroom, she’s greeted by women who gave her a makeover and told her to leave her/him/them if they left her looking like this. In stark contrast, as soon as she steps outside the bar, she gets catcalled by men who don’t take no for an answer and start slowly encroaching like a wolf pack approaching prey. She hulks out on them but Bruce knocks her out before she can hurt anyone.

When she wakes up, she’s in Bruce’s Smart!Hulk lab, and he goes through the basics of being a hulk. But the thing is, just because they are similar in one way doesn’t mean they’re the same. Just because they’re both hulks doesn’t mean they move through the world the same way.

And of course, even though Bruce is a Nice Guy, he immediately underestimates Jennifer. She’s strong as hell and a fast learner and she’s immediately in control of her hulk; his trauma caused him to create two separate identities, something he’s had to wrestle with for years. Jen’s familiarity with rage means her hulk is just an extension of her. She’s in control, because as a very small woman, and especially one in a male-dominated field, she’s always had to be. Because women have to consider things like this, and are acutely aware that too often, your reaction could be the only thing keeping you from physical danger. It’s just the reality of the toxic, patriarchal society we live in.

This episode was called, “A Normal Amount of Rage,” which I thought was funny.

This conversation also had similar vibes to elder queers vs baby gays; the world is different now, being superpowered isn’t as rare or hush-hush as it was back in Bruce’s day. And Hulk himself being an Avenger paved the way for another hulk to exist without as much prejudice, but that doesn’t mean Jen doesn’t respect his journey. Their situations are similar, but they are not the same.

(Side note: I now want a parody sketch or fanart/comic strip of She-Hulk meeting a non-binary hulk called They-Hulk and the two of them calling Bruce He-Hulk despite his constant protests.)

Anyway, Jen thinks it’s a good thing she can control her hulking, not only so she’s not a danger to society, but also because she has no intention of ever doing it again. Bruce can’t believe someone would actively choose to NOT be an Avenger, and questions her duty as a powered person; sure, with great power comes great responsibility… but do you have to accept that responsibility? Jen just wants to be a lawyer! Though even in that, it’s a question she poses herself as she gets ready for her case at the start of the episode.

If this were a thesis paper and not a review, this is where I’d dive into a deep analysis of how this applies to queerness. Especially in the age of the internet, when everyone has a platform of sorts, what responsibilities do we have as queer people? What responsibilities do queer celebrities with BIG platforms have to be out? Is it enough to appear as an ally, or do they have a responsibility to come out to normalize not hiding? Does staying in the closet as a celebrity under the guise of “being a private person” perpetuate the stigma of it being something you should hide, or equating sexuality with sex too literally? But on the other hand, is that fair to ask of queer celebrities who are just trying to exist and do their jobs and not be held up to different standards because of who they love? But alas, this isn’t a thesis paper and I do not have the word count to get into all THAT.

Also, go read Niko’s article about She-Hulk as it relates to transness, please and thank you.

Bruce warns Jennifer that hiding half of who she is is no way to live, and as someone who lived a decade in the closet between realizing with certainty I was queer and coming out, I could have told Jen that hiding it isn’t going to make it any less true.

Also I cannot emphasize enough how absolutely itty bitty Tatiana looks next to Smart!Hulk and how freaking adorable it is when she’s looking up at him and sassing this man whose sneeze could send her into orbit.

Overall I had a blast watching the pilot. Every Marvel show takes a different tone but one thing most of them have in common is that even if there are Big Speeches or heavy moments, they all seem a bit… lighter than the movies. And even the character designs feel a little less action hero, a little more comic book.

I have a lot of questions about her. Including but not limited to: why bust through the wall instead of storming through the doors?

This show is no exception. Jen is funny and cute and somehow despite the fact that Tatiana Maslany played 900 characters in Orphan Black alone, Jennifer Walters feels like a brand new player. (Also, the post-credit scene made me laugh out loud alone in my apartment.) The show has character and it’s fun and frankly I can’t wait for more.

What’s New and Gay To Stream in August 2022

Take me out to the ballgame it’s August, the month in which A League of Their Own is coming out and not a whole lot else!! After a triumphant June and an uneven July, we head into this hot breath of extreme summer with our eyes peeled for lesbian, queer, bisexual and trans characters on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Paramount+ and Disney+.  Where will we find them? More importantly: where will they find us? The answer to these questions and more will become apparent as the days roll out before us.

Amazon Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ Movies and TV Shows for August 2022

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) – August 1

Recently divorced writer Frances (Diane Lane) buys a villa in Tuscany on a whim hoping for a big change in her life! Famously, Sandra Oh plays her lesbian best friend Patti who is expecting a baby with her partner, Grace (Kate Walsh), and thus gave Frances the Italian vacation ticket that started this whole charade. Later Patti comes to visit! Big Mommi energy.

The Outlaws: Season 2 – August 5

Seven lawbreakers unite to pursue the completion of their community payback sentences in this series starring Christopher Walken that involves humorous heists and an influencer who committed her crime during a bad breakup with her girlfriend.

A League Of Their Own: Season One – August 12

I am more excited for y’all to see this show than I’ve been for anything since Orange is the New Black’s first season! I got screeners last month and have already watched the entire season twice. Unlike the iconic 1992 film that managed to make us all into the homosexuals we are today without any explicitly homosexual content, the reboot, which stars Abbi Jacobson, D’Arcy Carden, Chante Adams and Roberta Colindrez; directly explores racism and lesbianism within and outside of the leagues. There are unforgettable queer characters at the epicenter of every scene, plot and story. The only thing wrong with this show is that Amazon Prime Video did not buy advertising on our website to promote it.

Netflix’s Queer Content for August 2022

Sandman: Season One – August 5

Non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park plays pansexual gender-fluid entity Desire and Daisy Head plays lesbian character Judy Talbot in this adaptation of the Neil Gaiman series described as “a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven.” The entire series has plenty of lesbian and trans characters turn up throughout its full run, and promo photos suggest we’ll be seeing some of them in Season One, including Chantal (Daisy Badger) and Zelda (Cara Horgan).

Riverdale: Season 6 – August 7

Dope (2015) – August 11

Carmen describes Dope, a coming-of-age drug-heist comedy set in Inglewood, as “a complete love letter to nerdy ass black kids and the black communities we grew up in.” And while Kiersey Clemons’ queer character’s queerness isn’t at the center of the story, it doesn’t really matter because the movie is simply so good.

Never Have I Ever: Season 3 – August 12

Dev returns to school with a very popular boyfriend and everybody has feelings about it. I personally have feelings about a production still of non-binary actor Terry Hu looking absolutely fantastic in episode 308. What will happen with our lesbian character Fabiola? Good question, and it seems that watching the show is our best avenue to get an answer.

Echoes: Limited Series – August 19th

Can Karen Robinson, Ali Stroker, Rosanny Zayas and Matt Bomer all come together to be in a television show in which nothing gay happens? Let’s find out in this creepy limited series about twin sisters who’ve shared their life until one of them disappears, throwing their weird little existence into DISARRAY. Even though to be honest films where one person is playing both parts of a set of twins for some reason stress me out.

Disobedience (2017) – August 26

This lesbian romantic drama about the secret relationship between two Orthodox Jewish women, played by Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz, is iconic for the spitplay. You know what I mean.

Peacock’s Offerings To the LGBTQ+ Gods In August 2022

They/Them (2022) – August 5

The title of this horror film struck fear in everybody’s hearts before anybody even had a chance to watch it, but now it has closed Outfest and is popping up on Peacock. Kevin Bacon and Carrie Preston are a couple running a Christian “gay conversion therapy” camp in a remote area, where a group of LGBTQ+ kids, including characters played by queer and trans actors like Theo Germaine, Quei Tann, Noëlle Cameron, Monique Kim and Destiny Freeman; find themselves facing off with a mysterious killer. “Audiences can expect a frightening, thrilling movie,” writer John Logan told Deadline, “but even more so, it’s a story about queer empowerment and about seven queer kids who are heroes, which is something we don’t see a lot and we really don’t see a lot in the horror genre.”

The Undeclared War: Season One – August 18

This British thriller, set in a post-pandemic 2024 in the run-up to a general election, finds a leading team of analysts working to fend off a cyberattack on the country’s electoral system. Saara Parvan (Hannah Khalique), a student working in the malware department, ends up at the center of this escalating data war with Russia and also at the center of a LESBIAN SUBPLOT

Hulu’s Lesbian and Queer Characters for August 2022

Black Swan (2010) – August 1

This is an important film about a mother who yells at her tiny daughter Natalie Portman who grows wings maybe out of her shoulder-blades and has to turn around again and again and be a better ballerina, and at some point something sexual happens with MIla Kunis.

Reservation Dogs: Season 2 Premiere – August 3

When Season One of this series created by an incredible team of Indigenous people including lots of queer people ended, Jackie (queer actor Elva Guerra) and Elora (queer activist Devery Jacobs) ended up heading out to California on their own, leaving Willie Jack, Cheese and Bear behind on the reservation, and it picks up with the crew separated on these divergent paths. Devery Jacobs joined the writing team this season and told Entertainment Weekly that she sees “an inherent queerness in Reservation Dogs that she’s noticed the LGBTQ community picking up on.” TBD if anything explicitly queer will happen, but Willie Jack being asked if she has a boyfriend or a girlfriend in the trailer is promising.

Hotties: Season One – August 16

This dating competition drops a bunch of hot singles on blind dates in food trucks? In the middle of the desert? While Jade Catta-Preta watches them on an iPad from a trailer and makes comments? And then the couples battle to cook up “date night worthy dishes” while also being subjected to “extreme spicy food challenges.” Some of these couples will indeed be queer, I saw it with my own eyes in the trailer. I just want to say, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall of this pitch meeting.

Disobedience (2017) – August 25

Netflix gets Disobedience, Hulu gets Disobedience, we all get Disobedience!

Paramount Plus+ July 2022

Star Trek Lower Decks: Season 3 Premiere – August 25

This animated comedy follows the characters aboard the least important ship in the galaxy, with a special focus on “lower-deckers.” Amongst these characters are Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), a pansexual rebel who serves as Ensign on the Cerritos and gets romantically involved with her former frenemy Jen Sh’reyan (Lauren Lapkus). Heather wrote of the show: “It’s smart, but most importantly: it’s hilarious.”

Apple TV LGBTQ+ Content for August 2022

See: Season 3 Premiere – August 26

See is set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia in a distant future where, after a virus wiped out almost the entire population several centuries ago, those remaining alive lost their sense of sight. But then!!! A tribe believes that two of its children have the mythical power to see! Now we are at Season Three, and I know the exact same amount of information about this program as I did in Season One (nothing). There are two queer characters: Haniwa (Nesta Cooper) and Wren (Eden Epstein).

Disney+ Programming for LGBTQ+ in August 2022

Lightyear (2022) – August 3

In Toy Story, Andy gets a toy, Buzz Lightyear, from his favorite movie. Lightyear is that movie, and there sure is a queer family in it! “It’s so refreshing to feel energized by queer representation in mainstream animation, particularly Disney and Pixar,” wrote Em in her review. “Instead of writing a critique or piece about only seeing a few seconds of one couple in passing, I’m able to write about an entire universe of people loving and looking up to people like me.”

AMC+ Pulling Out the Gay Spots in August 2022

Kevin Can F**ck Himself: Season 2 – August 22

Heather described season one of Kevin Can F**ck Himself like this: “What if Thelma and Louise fell in big canonical bisexual love while engaging in a misandrist bender with all roads leading to a murdered husband? Now you have my full and undivided attention!” In its second and final season, the gals need a new plan now that the original plan to murder

HBO Max’s LGBTQ+ Content for Gals, Gays and Theys in August 2022

Industry: Season Two – August 1

This show about the dramatic finance world as seen through the eyes of newcomer Harper (Myha’la Herrold) had like one minute of a predatory lesbian in its first season, and now it returns with a trailer that really seems to present a highly homoerotic situation between Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and her new mentor, Celeste Pacquet (Katrine de Candole). How will this pan out? I likely will find the answer to this question eventually and then either delete or reinforce this blurb.

What’s New and Gay To Stream in July 2022

Well my friends it is now July, when all the corporations can finally deactivate their rainbow gradients and move forward with heterosexual revelry. Yet we remain thirsty every month of the year for lesbian, bisexual, queer and trans characters on our streaming television screams — but will Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Paramount+ and Disney+ deliver? Or did they exhaust their gay wings flapping so hard in June? Let’s find out!

HBO Max’s LGBTQ+ Content for Gals, Gays and Theys in July 2022

Rap Sh*t: Season One Premiere – July 21

Following two estranged best friends who reunite and deicide to form a rap group, this new show from Issa Rae is co-stars queer non-binary actor Aida Osman, who’s also the Executive Story Editor! Bisexual actress Jonica Blu Booth plays Chastity, a character who I am certain is as gay as the day is long or I will quit my job??? But officially all we know about her character is that Chastity is a “sex work manager” who calls herself “The Duke of Miami.”

Harley Quinn: Season 3 – July 28

Harley and Poison Ivy are finally GFFs and BFFs forever in the only animated series I have watched in full as an adult! In Season 3, Harley and Poison Ivy wrap up their ‘Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour” and return to Gotham as the new DC villany power couple. Together they aim to become the best Harlivy possible and work towards Ivy’s goal of turning Gotham into an Eden.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin: Season One – July 28

The latest entry in the PLL franchise takes place in the blue-collar town of Milwood, where twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the town apart. Now, a new set of Liars are being tormented by an A-ish figure to pay for their parents’ secret sins and their own. Trans actor Jordan Gonzalez plays trans character Ash, the head of the school’s LGBTQIA+ group and the love interest of main character Minnie (Maria Pyles), a queer teen who escapes her childhood trauma by engaging in virtual worlds. Lea Salonga plays Minne’s gay Mom and Kim Berrios Lin plays her other Mom!

Amazon Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ Movies and TV Shows for July 2022

Jennifer’s Body (2009) – July 1

“This film explores some of my favorite themes all in one glossy, campy, self-aware package: misandry, women being extremely gay together, principled revenge, and the triumph of aught culture,” wrote Erin Sullivan in her favorable review of this vaguely queer Megan Fox / Amanda Seyfriend vehicle.

1UP (2022) – July 15

In this effort from Buzzfeed Studios, Vivian “V” Lee (Paris Berelc) is a competitive gamer on video game scholarship (?!) to Barrett University, where, frustrated by the overconfident men on her gaming team (?!) The Betas, she makes the bold choice to quit and start her own girl power squad, joined by her best friend Sloane (Hari Nef) and with a little help from coach Parker (Ruby Rose). Ruby Rose has a shaved head, a motorcycle jacket and a sassy young son in the trailer. (Fun fact: their role was originally cast with Elliot Page, who stepped back from the project after coming out as a trans man because the role was written as a queer woman character.)

Anything’s Possible (2022) – July 22

Billy Porter’s exuberant LGBTQ+ rom-com follows Kelsa (newcomer Eva Reign), a confident Black trans high school student, through her senior year and her first big romance with her cutie classmate Khal. Amazon Prime describes it as a “romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love” and I am inclined to believe them in this instance!!!

Paper Girls: Season One – July 29

Paper Girls, based on the wildly popular critically acclaimed comic book series that debuted in 2015 (YES I OWN A COPY OF ISSUE #1), opens in 1988 when a group of 12-year-old girls discover a time machine on their paper route and are thrust into the future to confront their future selves (and in two cases, their queerness). I AM SO EXCITED 4 THIS TO HAPPEN

Hulu’s Lesbian and Queer Characters for July 2022

Milk (2008) – July 1

This biopic telling the story of the legendary gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk has a queer female character, Anne Kronenberg, played by Allison Pill. I saw this film in the theater and cried like a baby!

Killing Eve: Season Four – July 10

The final season of Killing Eve had a very controversial ending, perhaps you heard??? Anyhow, Season Four also provided additional opportunities to witness the erotic cat-and-mouse game played by Eve and Villanelle set against the background of some international spy assassin government situation that nobody cares about anymore.

Not Okay (2022) – July 29

Not Okay, written and directed by multi-talented queer Quinn Shephard, stars Zoey Deutch as Danni Sanders, an aspiring influencer who pretends to have lived through a Paris terrorist attack to earn a social media following. Shephard’s girlfriend, Nadia Alexander, is playing “Harper,” which I am confident is a gay character because if you’re in your girlfriend’s movie and the character is named Harper then surprise, you’re gay!

Paramount Plus+ July 2022

The Only (2022) – July 12

This documentary about Black gay goalkeeper legend Briana Scurry honors her legacy and her impact on women’s sports and gives a glimpse at what she was silently enduring behind the scenes.

Peacock’s Offerings To the LGBTQ+ Gods In July 2022

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) – July 1

This de-gayed adaptation of the Fannie Flagg novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is the story of iconic tomboy Idgie Threadgoode who develops a “close friendship” with her dead brother’s ex-girlfirend Ruth, who Idgie extracts from her abusive relationship and brings into a life together running the Whistle Stop Cafe.

A Simple Favor (2018) – July 1

When I walked out of the theater after seeing A Simple Favor I declared it the most significant cinematic experience of my life and although I was being hyperbolic and I’m not even sure if it’s technically a good movie, I will defend it with my life!!!! Anyhow Blake Lively wears a 7-piece suit and is bisexual and Anna Kendrick is a mommy vlogger and there is a MYSTERY with lots of TWISTS!!!!

Disney+ LGBTQ+ Content for July 2022

High School Musical: Season Three Premiere – July 27

High School Musical: The Series is transporting the whole gang to Camp Shallow Lake for two weeks of fun in the sun and a big summer musical production of “Frozen.” Relevant to all of us here is that gay icon / former bowtie enthusiast JoJo Siwa will be joining the cast and is holding hands with a girl in the preview.

Netflix’s Queer Content for July 2022

Stranger Things 4 – July 1

Stranger Things 4 is nearly twice the runtime of any previous season, which means that it had to be broken into two parts — the first dropped over Memorial Day Weekend, and the second part comes out over July 4th Weekend. We’ll see noted 80s teen lesbian Robin team up with the rest of the nerds of Hawkins to battle the Upside Down and hopefully make a little time for her band crush, Vickie, while she’s at it.