Diversity and representation act as key players in today’s media; especially in television shows, movies, and music. In today’s society, it is especially vital to have representation within the LGBTQ+ community. These shows have what it takes to highlight the best of what representation really means in media.
1. Pose (Netflix)
The Golden-Globe nominated show Pose, takes place in the ’80s-’90s underground New York ballroom scene and focuses on many inner circles of the city. The show focuses on the Black and Latino ball culture, the AIDS epidemic, and especially spotlighting the violence against black trans women, that is still prevalent to this day. Written and produced by Steven Canals, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Falchuk, this show features many topics that need to be brought to the forefront and how these topics affect all kinds of people.
Pose is known for making humongous strides in primetime television, making it one of the largest cast of series-regular trans actresses. Creator Steven Canals is pushing forward the narratives of the trans and women of color. Seasons 1 and 2 will really immerse you into the reality that these communities had to suffer through to get where they are today. This show is a definite must-watch to educate yourself on the many foundations of the LGBTQ community. You will definitely find yourself feeling compassion and love after watching each episode.
2. Love, Victor (Hulu)
Written in the same universe as the 2018 hit-film, Love, Simon, it explores closeted teen Victor Salazar who moves into suburban Georgia. Victor starts exploring his sexuality, struggles at home, and adjusting to a new community. Victor then meets Simon, and emails back and forth about what it means to explore the ideas of sexuality and love at such a young age.
This coming-of-age series based on the film Love, Simon as well as Becky Abertalli’s young adult novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, will make you fall in love with the show and its characters as it delves into the meanings of love, sexuality, and family. The storytelling in this show is well constructed and you will definitely find yourself being immersed in this show, as it is so essential to today’s teenage demographic.
3. Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)
This Netflix original series is not called the most iconic for nothing. The series starts off with Piper Chapman, a woman from NYC who is sentenced to fifteen years in prison in Litchfield Penitentiary, a women’s federal prison, for transporting drug money to her girlfriend. This life-changing impact affects all her relationships with friends and family. She meets all kinds of personalities, souls, and lives throughout her stay.
Being one of Netflix’s most-watched original series, this show has received numerable accolades – nominated for sixteen Emmy awards and four wins throughout its seven-season stint. Orange Is The New Black was praised for how it depicted race, gender, sexuality, and most importantly, corruption and the prison industrial complex and how it affects the prisoners, wardens, and everyone in between.
4. Legendary (HBO Max)
If you love watching competition shows, then you will definitely love Legendary. This show is based on the ballroom culture in New York City, voguing, and ‘houses,’ formed by a group of individuals that compete for prizes as a chosen family. This follows the competition, taking the eight houses through nine balls – dancing, voguing, walking events – and take the crown and $100,000.
This show helps bring ballroom culture into the mainstream limelight and features many well-known names in the industry, such as Megan Thee Stallion, Jameela Jamil, and the “Wonder Woman of Vogue,” Leiomy Maldonado, and Law Roach, as well as Jack Mizrahi, a familiar face in ballroom culture. It puts these talented, exceptional, and real people into the spotlight and allows them to compete for their houses and even themselves.
5. We’re Here (HBO Max)
Renowned drag queens Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara, and Shangela Laquifa Wadley, star in this Emmy-nominated reality television show and travel to small, local towns in America to recruit its residents into one-night drag shows. The three help inspire those who are more conservative into the world of drag culture, as well as educating and teaching those who want to learn more. Experienced Drag Race viewers will love this new take on drag television.
This six-part series will give you a new perspective on drag culture and its significance to drag queens, kings, and everyone in and out. If you loved watching the global successful Netflix series, Queer Eye, you will definitely fall in love with We’re Here. And if you loved We’re Here’s first season, you will love their upcoming season.
During this era of transparency and representation, having people who actually represent the LGBTQ community is more important than ever. Not only is it important to see people who are actually like them in mainstream media, but it also redefines what representation means to all kinds of people; old, young, black, and white. Having these people retell, portray, and set forth their own personal stories that were once shunned by close friends or family. For once, these people don’t have to feel invisible when they are consuming all forms of media. The LGBTQ community deserves to be, feel, and know that they are seen and heard.