One of the beautiful things about living in 2025 is that there are plenty of shows and movies that represent the queer experience on a broad spectrum. Tese representations are not always perfect and there is still a way to go for queer media, however, no other generation has had available such a positive range of queer media. I have, therefore, curated a list of my favorite TV shows and films for people wanting to watch more representations of queer life or wanting to learn more about the community.
Paris is Burning (1990)
Let’s start with an absolute classic that invites us into the gritty but also magical world of 1980s and 1990s ballroom culture in NYC, the documentary Paris is Burning (1990). Ballroom consists of competitions between houses (groups usually with a mother or father figure that compete together) for prizes in categories to do with fashion and performance. Paris is Burning shows just how much ballroom culture has impacted the mainstream. For example, Vogue by Madonna was inspired by the voguing in ballroom competitions, and many regular phrases in Gen Z dialect like “spill the tea” come from ballroom language and reading culture. Paris is Burning reveals to audiences that LGBTQ people, particularly Latino and black queer people, have been trailblazers of culture for decades.
It’s A Sin (2021)
Another of my favorite pieces of queer media is Russell T Brands It’s a Sin (2021). Set in 1980s London, It’s a Sin follows the sex lives and relationships of a queer friendship group during the start of the AIDS crisis. The show has a great cast, most notably Olly Alexander (lead singer of Years and Years) who plays the lead Ritchie, who has moved to London from the small Isle of Wight and is introduced to a queer world that he is seemingly naive to. Other great characters include Ritchie’s best friend Jill who is the ultimate queer ally and is wonderful at caring for all her friends and supporting them as the AIDS crisis grows worse. The show provides great insight into queer life during the AIDS pandemic by showing how initially confusing the pandemic was when the cause of transmission was unknown. The show is definitely a tear-jerker, so you will need some tissues… but it also is fun and camp in between the moments of sadness. As such, if you want to know more about the queer experience of Thatcher’s 1980s and the experiences of those most impacted by the AIDS crisis this is a must-watch.
Pride (2014)
Pride (2014) is a film set during the 1980s miners’ strikes in Wales and is also another great representation of queer life during the AIDS epidemic and the era of Thatcherism in the UK. The film follows the coming together of two communities that seem to be polar opposites, a gay lib group and a small Welsh mining town. However, as the film goes on, these two communities realize their common shared struggles against Thatcherism and their shared belief in the importance of solidarity and community. The film is stacked with British acting royalty, soundtracked to British ’80s classics, and is full of classic British humor, whilst also inspiring and showing just how much people can do when they are willing to fight back and work together. The film is based on a true story, and there is a documentary Striking With Pride (2024) narrated by Welsh drag queen Tayce that explores the communities’ real experiences.
Potrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Films and shows that center on lesbian leads are harder to come by than other forms of queer media. However, one that I completely loved was Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019). The French film details the romantic relationship between a painter and a noblewoman who is to be painted for her marriage. The film may seem slow, however, this slowness allows us to experience the development of feelings between the two women. What is great about the film is that it is set in the 18th century and highlights to audiences that queer relationships existed before the 20th century. By focusing on female leads, this film has added to the limited lesbian film discography and sheds light on the depth of sapphic relationships throughout history.
Heartstopper (2022)
Now if you want a lighter piece of queer media, I would opt for Heartstopper (2022), which despite sometimes being a little cringy, is a tv show that shows how queer lives can be positive and that there is hope for teenagers to feel comfortable in their sexual and gender identities. The show centers on Nick (bisexual) and Charlie (gay) who find that they have feelings for one another, but it also shows aspects of their friends’ lives, such as Elle whose character explores what it is like to date and be a trans teenager, and Tara who is trying to understand how best to come out as lesbian to her peers. The show is completely wholesome and is definitely aimed at younger audiences. However, this does not stop it from being a fun and cheerful watch that will leave you with a renewed sense of hope for the future of the queer community. And if you want to see a great review of the show, you can always watch famous drag queens Trixie Mattel’s and Katya’s I Like to Watch on YouTube.
Bottoms (2023)
Talking of lighter media recommendations, a great comedy film about queer women is Bottoms (2023). The film centers on a pair of teenage lesbian best friends in high school, who are struggling with their dating life and are, to best put it, thirsting over the two popular girls in their year. As such, to gain these girls’ attention, they start a girl’s defense club that basically becomes a lesbian fight club. The film is wacky and fun and effectively portrays the awkwardness that comes with being a gay teenage girl in an environment where you feel like the only lesbians. The cast is full of a new generation of female comedians including Ayo Edebiri, Rachel Sennott, and Ruby Cruz, who since the film have come into mainstream prominence and provide the film with hilarious dialogue. The film is great as, unlike many other films about gay people, it does not center on a typical struggle narrative but rather makes light of the struggles that can come with being queer.
Call Me by your name (2017)
Now if you would rather a more dramatic and, at sometimes, sad film about queer people I would recommend Call Me By Your Name (2017). This is the film that kick-started Timothee Chalamet’s acting career, and landed him a Best Actor nomination at the 2018 Oscars. The film centers on Timothee Chalamet’s character Elio, who is French, Jewish-American, but each summer stays with his parents in their house in Italy. Each year his father, who is an academic, invites a student to come to the house to work alongside him, and this year it is Oliver, a Jewish-American student from New England. Throughout the film, Elio and Oliver form a romantic attraction that is confusing and all-consuming for Elio. The film tells a story of sexual self-discovery and romantic longing, whilst also having one of the most beautiful backdrops and soundtracks of any film that I have seen. Now it is important to note that despite the overall beauty of the film, it is somewhat problematic, as the age gap between the two protagonists is questionable, and whilst not being romanticized is never critiqued. However, the film is a realistic representation of the intensity of first love and the complexities of being queer.
Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Now back to more joyful and hopeful films, I would recommend Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995). The film is set in the 1990s, which could make one worry that the drag queen portrayals by the three cis, straight, actors could be offensive. But I would say that this is not the case. The three leads, Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo, manage to make these drag queen characters into fully flushed beings whilst also being comedic. The story focuses on three drag queens who are driving to Los Angeles from New York to compete in a drag competition, who, on the way, break down and end up temporarily stuck in a typical hill-Billy town and as such have to hide their drag queen identity. During their time in the town, they use their queer culture to brighten the lives of the town folks and help them to combat their prejudices. This film shows that films about queer people made by non-queer people do not have to be offensive and can be an homage to the culture and the positivity that it brings to non-queer people.
Smoggie Queens (2024)
My final recommendation is a British TV Show set in Middlesbrough and centers around a friendship group of misfits who are a part of the area’s drag scene. Smoggie Queens (2024) gives insight into the UK drag culture scene, which is quite different from the American drag scene. Drag in the UK is very diverse and is less focused on pageantry than American drag, rather it is often associated with British comedy. However, with the creation of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (which is a show that I would also recommend, even if you have not seen American Drag Race) British drag has now entered the international mainstream and has diversified whilst also maintaining its comedic route. Smoggie Queens is a great way to learn about the UK queer and drag scene, or if you have already experienced some of the scene before, another great way to get your UK drag fix.
The stories of queer people are important, especially at a time when queer rights are under threat. By consuming queer media and stories it hopefully provides us with a greater understanding of the community and the struggles it faces, as well as the contributions it brings. In a time of prejudice against queer people, queer TV shows and films allow us to gain a greater empathy with the community and an incentive to support queer people. As such, I hope my recommendations encourage you to interact with queer stories and media.