Parenting

The Best Queer-themed Books, Podcasts, Movies and TV Shows for Pride Month and Beyond

Pride month might be ending, but that doesn’t mean that you need to stop supporting queer artists. From movies and TV series, to books and podcasts—here’s the best that LGBTQI+ content pop culture has to offer.

By Adarsh Soni

28 Jun 2021

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Pose

When Eat Pray Love director Ryan Murphy announced Pose in 2018, it almost immediately became a cultural landmark in the LGBTQI+ community. After all, the show made television history because of its enormous transgender cast. Set in New York City during the 1980s, Pose follows its characters as they navigate through the city’s various social scenes, but primarily focuses on the metropolis’s ball culture and the rise of the AIDS epidemic.

Schitt’s Creek

Schitt’s Creek is not directly about the LGBTQI+ community but rather features a pansexual man as one of the lead characters in a very nonchalant way—which is exactly why it resonated with a wide audience (it won a whopping 15 Emmy awards in a single night). Moving away from the stereotypical portrayal of LGBTQI+ characters, the show is a delightful peek into a family’s riches to rags story, and how it brought them together.

Boys Don't Cry

When it comes to the portrayal of LGBTQI+ stories in mainstream media, trans men are usually the least represented category. But Kimberly Pierce decided to break the mould when she came out with “Boys Don’t Cry'' in 1999. A courageous move at the time, it eventually paid off when Hillary Swank won an Oscar for her portrayal of Brandon Teena—an American trans man who falls victim to a brutal hate crime just as he was coming to terms with his identity.

Paris Is Burning

What do Emmy award-winning TV shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Pose have in common? They’re both heavily inspired by the 1990 cult classic Paris Is Burning. Directed by Jennie Livingston, it chronicles the underground ball culture of New York City and the several minority communities involved in it. The film is a thoughtful exploration of race, class, gender, and sexuality in America and is often considered the blueprint for the present-day LGBTQI+ pop culture.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a charming love story about the experience of discovering an unconventional family in an unexpected place. From the way Klune describes the scenic beauty of the location to the novel’s gentle tone that feels like a big, warm hug—it’s a perfect read, especially during these trying times.

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai

Stone Fruit is a story of two queer women that bond over babysitting a child together. The baby’s mischievous spirit brings out their own and allows them to temporarily forget about their struggles. But when their relationship reaches a breaking point, they come face to face with life’s harsh realities. Lee Lai’s debut is a masterfully illustrated graphic novel that tells a deeply moving story about the push and pull between family values and self-identity.

One From the Vaults

One From the Vaults is an interview-style podcast where Canadian writer Morgan M. Page talks about the A-Z of transgender culture. From discussing healthcare titans like Reed Erickson to dishing out on lesser-known trivia (did you know rockstar Lou Reed’s girlfriend was a transgender woman?)—this podcast is the ultimate destination for a dose of LGBTQI+ history.

Disability After Dark

The brain behind the viral hashtag #DisabledPeopleAreHot, Andrew Gurza’s podcast about disability and sexuality is like a breath of fresh air. In the era of cancel culture, people usually walk around eggshells while discussing sensitive topics like ableism, but Disability After Dark manages to inform and inspire without any filters. Once you tune in, you’ll realise how the majority of queer spaces are inaccessible to those with disabilities.